Italy: Dual training according to the Lidl model

• by Enrico Netti

Lidl Italia and the German-Italian Chamber of Commerce (AHK Italien) accelerate dual training and draw at the Ministry of Education and Merit the balance of the last few years of activity of the high apprenticeship model developed in the ITS according to the 'Lidl 2 your career' model, which has led to the hiring of more than 550 apprentices with more than 630 trained company tutors.

The protocol promotes, within the Italia and European regulatory framework, the dual model in high apprenticeship developed by the Chamber of Commerce in the ITS Academy. The model, inspired by the German dual system and developed within the framework of bilateral cooperation between Italia and Germany, envisages two-year co-designed programmes involving ITS Academy, companies and AHK Italien as intermediary, with students being hired from day one and the issue of a double certification, Italian and German, of the skills acquired.

The initiative involves young people between the ages of 18 and 29 who are hired with a two-year high apprenticeship contract, alternating theoretical training in the classroom and practical activities in sales outlets or logistics centres. At the end of the two-year period, a Higher Technical Diploma is awarded and, subject to an additional examination, a professional certification according to the German profile of Retail Specialist or Logistic Specialist, issued by AHK Italien.

The meeting at Mim was a moment of institutional and operational discussion on the development of the dual system in Italia, with particular reference to the role of the ITS Academy and third-level apprenticeship, almost two years after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between AHK Italien and the Ministry.

In attendance were Antonietta Zancan, Head of Higher Technological Education and Higher Technical Education and Training at the Ministry of Education and Merit; Benjamin Hanna, Minister Plenipotentiary, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Rome; Jörg Buck, Managing Director of AHK Italien; Sebastiano Sacilotto, Chief Operating Officer of Lidl Italia; Barbara Toselli, Deputy Director of ITS Academy Machina Lonati; Claudio Senigagliesi, ITS Business Services Branch Representative.

'Through the cooperation between institutions, the education system and companies it is possible to train skills that are really in demand on the market and reduce the mismatch between labour demand and supply,' said Jörg Buck, Managing Director of the German-Italian Chamber of Commerce. In Italia, third-level apprenticeship is still not very widespread, despite the fact that it is one of the most effective tools for linking training and employment. For this reason, experiences such as the project developed with Lidl, in line with the objectives of the Memorandum of Understanding between AHK Italien and the Ministry of Education and Merit, show that it is possible to build dual pathways of high-level apprenticeship with a concrete impact on the system'.

Launched in 2022 with an initial class of 28 apprentices placed in the ITS Academy Machina Lonati in Brescia, the project has gradually spread throughout Italy, with a significant impact at a systemic level: 7 partnerships with ITS Academy and as many regions; more than 550 apprentices hired in points of sale and logistics centres throughout Italia, against more than 23 thousand applications received in 4 years.

"The success of our Lidl 2 your career training programme did not come about by chance," emphasises Sebastiano Sacilotto, Chief Operating Officer Lidl Italia, "Behind it there is a precise work of engagement in the territories, of presence in schools, of listening to young people. Together with the German-Italian Chamber of Commerce, we are successfully applying the German dual model in Italia, creating internally those intermediate managerial figures with specific skills that are difficult to find on the market. We don't just look for talent, we build it: to do this we have trained and certified more than 630 company tutors, transforming our shops into real retail academies".