It was presented today in Milan, at the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Foundation for the Italian schoolthe new non-profit body, entirely financed by private individuals, which will operate in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Merit to understand territorial needs and optimize the distribution of resources, through the development of national projects and tenders.
A synergy between public and private
The Foundation, the result of the synergies and contributions of UniCredit, BPM desk, Enel Italia SpA, Leonardo SpA And Motorways for Italy, as subsidizers, inaugurated their activities in the presence of the Minister of Education and Merit Giuseppe Valditara. As part of the event, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Foundation for the Italian School and the Ministry of Education and Merit was also signed.
The foundation’s staff
President of the Foundation Stefano Simontacchi, partner of the law firm BonelliErede. Supporting him in this important task is the Board of Directors made up of Giovanni Azzonepresident of the Cariplo Foundation, Fabrizio Palenzonapresident of the Prelios Group, e Rosa Lombardifull professor at the “La Sapienza” University of Rome.
Furthermore, to safeguard the original spirit of the Foundation, a Board of Guarantors was established, made up of Mario Comba as president, by the professors Giampio Bracchi, Francesco Magni, Francesco Manfredi, Anna Maria Poggiwith the lawyer Umberto Ambrosoli president of the BPM Foundation and president of Banca Aletti, Maurizio Beretta for UniCredit e Nicolò Mardegan director of External Relations of Enel SpA
The important goal
The Foundation’s objective is to collect 10 million euros in the first year, which is estimated to reach 50 million by 2029, to be invested, thanks to coordination with the Ministry of Education and Merit to define the priorities of the interventions, in support of the country’s schools from North to South. With this operation, the discussion and mutual assistance between the public and private sectors is broadened, especially in the productive sectors where the need for skills is stronger and more urgent professional.
The words of Minister Valditara
During the meeting the Minister of Education and Merit Giuseppe Valditaragave a short speech on this important agreement: “School is the pillar for the development of our country. In OECD countries the average private investment in schools represents 2% of the overall investment in the sector, in Italy it is only 0.5“, has explained.
Then adding: “In the name of a great alliance between public and private, it is important to also encourage investments from the world of entrepreneurship and finance to help support, in harmony with public policies, the school system, making it increasingly competitive. The establishment of the Foundation for Italian schools goes in this direction. I thank those who believed in this project from the beginning and decided to join it with important funding“.
Support for the school
Minister Valditara was joined by the words of Stefano Simontacchi, President of the Foundation for Italian schools. “In a world that changes at a speed never experienced before, the Foundation for Italian schools was created to support the Ministry of Education and Merit in building a school that gives every student the opportunity to grow with the knowledge and skills that they allow you to live your life in line with your inclinations and aspirations. The need is for the private sector to also take action for Italian schools in line with international best practices. The Foundation aims to provide, in concert with the Ministry, concrete economic support to Italian educational institutions. We aspire to establish a virtuous dialogue between companies and institutions to help further strengthen the school system to face the challenges of today and tomorrow”.
Also the CEO of UniCredit Group Andrea Orcel, explained the commitment and strength of synergy to achieve a single objective. “UniCredit is committed to supporting the development of young people’s skills and this is also in addition to the education promotion initiatives we have implemented across Europe thanks to UniCredit Foundation and the Group’s social strategy. We are proud to support the Foundation for the Italian school which was created to respond to needs deeply felt in Italian society and which intends to operate in a strictly coordinated manner with the Ministry of Education and Merit“.
The same commitment also made by Banco BPM, in the words of the president Massimo Tononi. “As the third largest bank in the country, but also a bank close to the territories and attentive to responding to the needs of the community, we are committed to promoting and investing in initiatives that create shared value, also in collaboration with institutions and other actors. We believe in the importance of training and education of young generations and we consider school to be a cornerstone of their growth”.
Enel’s commitment
The funding bodies implemented within the Foundation have all expressed their profound commitment to building the future of the new generations as expressed by Nicola Lanzettadirector of Italy at Enel: “We strongly believe in this project because it supports the new generations, encouraging investments in a strategic sector such as education. Investing in the training of young people means focusing on the future and competitiveness of our country, creating value for the community and contributing to the training of new skills, now increasingly central in a job market that is evolving rapidly also driven by new technologies”.
The presence of Leonardo and Autostrade
Also the Leonardo group, present on the foundation’s board, through the CEO and general director Roberto Cingolanisaid he was happy with this union of intent: “The training of young people is the best possible investment for the future of the country. Leonardo enthusiastically joined the birth of the Foundation for Italian schools, a project fully consistent with the group’s outreach activities“.
Lastly also the CEO of Autostrade per l’Italia Roberto Tomasiexpressed his thoughts on the importance of the foundation: “The issue of education and human capital is crucial. – he said – It is so that the business world has workers with the right skills at its disposal and also – and above all – as a matter of social equity. We must give young people the opportunity to build a future for themselves.
Data tells us today that companies are increasingly having difficulty finding the skills they need. In a world of work where technology is changing rapidly and where competition is at an international level, we must also do our part for our children“.
