Fonti: https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/eurypedia/italy/higher-education
The segment of the Italian education and training system that follows the completion of upper secondary education covers a set of different higher education systems:
- the higher university education, that includes universities and other equivalent institutions (Formazione superiore di tipo Universitario ed equivalente),
- the Higher education for the fine arts, music, and dance (Alta formazione artistica, musicale e coreutica - AFAM),
- the Higher technological tertiary education (Sistema terziario di istruzione tecnologica superiore – ITS Academy).
To enter any tertiary-level program, the possession of a High School Diploma (upper secondary education) is a mandatory requisite.
The Higher technological institutes (ITS Academies) are the providers of Higher technological education and have recently been reformed (law 99/2022).
ITS Academies are established to meet the demand of new and high-level competences coming from the labour world and are linked to a defined range of high technology production areas. In fact, ITSs’ programs are tailored on the needs of the territory in which they are located and are defined in collaboration with the local business community in order to answer the enterprises’ demand for technicians who possess new and higher technological competences, and who are able to promote innovation and to manage and control organization and production processes.
ITS Academy della Puglia – for tourism, cultural heritage and artistic activities in Lecce is a public body, which works institutionally for the tourism growth in Apulia, under the supervision of Puglia Region and of the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR).
The structure is that of a “network strategy”, since it involves public and private entities in pursuing common goals related to a sustainable development of tourism.
In practice, our ITS trains higher Technicians specialized in Tourism Industry and is responsible for collaboration with the other partners for the realization of common initiatives.
Based on the European Qualification Framework, ITS courses correspond to the 5th level and represent a practical and more job-oriented kind of training. This hands-on approach facilitates our students’ entrance in the European job market, focusing on innovative digital ICTs.
The Higher Technological Education Diploma (ITS Diploma) is awarded at the end of a two-year study program, comprising a total of 1800 learning hours (900 per annuality). The ITS Diploma is obtained after passing a final exam in which competences reached by each student are tested.
The hands-on experience on internship represents 40% of these learning hours. Our students carry out an individual internship working 360 hours per year in companies, travel agencies, tour operators, tourism offices and, in general, entities or associations in the tourism sector.
ITS courses refer their curricula to a set of national standards concerning:
- linguistic, communication and relational competences;
- scientific, technological, legal and economic, organizational and managerial multi-level competences;
- technical and professional skills, specific to each nationally-defined professional role of Higher Technician.
Consistently with the overall learning outcomes approach, ITS courses are divided into Competence Units, described as a meaningful set of competences that can be assessed autonomously.
Main fields of study are:
- Accommodation & Hospitality Management
- Accommodation & catering services
- Food & beverage management
- Tourism Experience Management
- Travel agency services, tour operators’ services, booking services and connected activities, focused on:
- communication tools and marketing strategies
- advertising and public relations
- foreign language dealings and associated activities
- tourist accommodation and activities and similar areas of expertise
- organization of trade exhibitions, conferences and cultural events
- event management business