In Italy, Higher Technical Institutes (ITS) offer non-university tertiary level education, leading toward an EQF 5th level degree. Aforesaid institutes were established on January 25, 2008 by a Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers and became operational upon the enactment of the MIUR MLPS coordinating Decree dated September 7, 2011. ITS LAST Foundation was born in 2011 in Verona, thank to the support of many institutions, as founding members of the Foundation that are: Consorzio Zai, Quadrante Servizi, Provincia di Verona, Camera di Commercio di Verona, Confindustria Verona, Università degli Studi Di Verona, Ipsia “G. Giorgi”, Itis “G. Marconi”, Istituto San Zeno, Liceo Brocchi Bassano, CFLI, Edulife and Arduini e Nerboldi.
MIUR cheks every year the outcome of each ITS Foundation in Italy, in terms of occupability, attractiveness and general managment of the traineeship: LAST Foundation won the FIRST PRIZE, among 139 courses in Italy, in 2019 with the review 93,18/100
ITS Academy LAST program is a two years post-degree specialization program in the sector of logistics, automotive, ICT. This institution was born in order to meet the needs of the companies, in terms of finding the right and qualified trained resources, otherwise difficult to find anywhere else in the market. Indeed, the study plan aims at training Higher Technicians at a professional level: here because 50% of lessons are taught by teachers coming from highschools, universities, companies and 50% of hours are traineeship.
Teaching methods used are various, including theoretical and practical lessons, role playing, individual and group exercises, company testimonials, case analysis and real life situations.
A synergy among more than two hundred partners is shaped, with the aim to widen the network of opportunities for the students working on the development of new and specific skills, besides the creation of a professional profile able to satisfy the needs and the requests of the market, in an efficient manner.
The headquarters of ITS Academy Last is at Interporto Quadrante Europa of Verona, the nerve center of trade along the north-south and east-west routes, thanks to the intersection of the Brenner and Serenissima motorways, representing an example of excellence in the logistics area at European level. A very important factor is the idea that ITS want to follow: not to hold the lessons in a usual school, but to integrate the students immediately in the world of work. Every day, in fact, even taking a coffee, the students can confront each other with people from the logistics world, in a logistics hub where they breath this “logistic air”. The students appreciate the fact of attending the world of Logistics right away.
ITS LAST Foundation offers four courses in the fields of Logistics and transport, Internationalization and Logistics, Automotive Sector and ICT. Each of these involves outstanding programs focused on the 4.0 digital transformation of industry.
The “Logistics and transport” course trains a Logistic Manager capable of planning logistical operations and ensuring their implementation; of Identifying problems within logistical operations, establishing diagnoses and solutions; and of monitoring performance within all logistical domains. Contributing to policy at company level, and to relations between organisations and links in the chain, combined with social and communicative competencies are the strengths of a succesful figure in this field.
The “Business Internationalization” course follows step by step the “Logistics and transport” one, strongly increasing export and import skills and intercultural knowledge. This “International manager” is specially addressed to small and medium industries.
The “Automotive Sales Manager” course aim to develop professional figures equipped with technical and organizational skills, able to manage after-sales activities in a coherent and efficient way. A Service Manager must be able to oversee and manage organizational, productive and management processes. It will have a high level of key skills and a specialized level of specific technical skills, targeted in after-sales and maintenance of the vehicles sector.
The "Expert in endothermic, electric and hybrid vehicles" is a new course offered to train a highly qualified multidisciplinary figure in the field of mobility of passenger, goods and production means of transport with adequate skills to deal with technological advancement both in terms of sustainable engines (control and reduction of emissions , alternative fuels, assisted driving) and digitalisation.
The “ICT” course in the field of information technology and new technologies. Website design, online platforms, data analysis, and technologies such as IoT and Cyber security web are some areas of the course. The objective is to provide theoretical knowledge, specialist skills and high-profile technical skills, with a strong professional and operational content on the topics of interaction between man and machine. This year there will be two areas of the course. The main part of the classes will be the same, however one will have extra hours in the area of Web Development, while the other in the area of Systems and Networks.
It is possible to get in contact with training institutions and companies working in the sector of logistics, transports and goods trade abroad, with the Erasmus+ program. Students are encouraged to attend lessons and traineeships in foreign countries, because «a regular and efficient cooperation among the promoters is key to a good and successful project named Erasmus».