ombardy’s
affluent, highly trained and motivated workforce stems from its comprehensive
educational system, its schools, its 12 universities and other training
establishments, both within the state and the private sectors. The regional
government, working alongside business, has introduced measures promoting
professional skills training. The objective remains that of fostering
a more flexible and dynamic labour market.
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One
of the most influential figures in the academic world is Enrico
Decleva, Rector of the University
of Milan, Lombardy’s largest tertiary public institution with
about 60,000 students. He says the line followed by the region’s
President, Roberto Formigoni, to make the most of Lombardy’s potential,
has been warmly welcomed in the academic world.
But he says the regional
university system still lacks something. There is a need to open up
more to the outside world, breaking through the language barrier, to
form deeper relationships with foreign institutions. He admires the
British track record as a supplier of education and training world-wide.
There is also a need for closer alignment with industry. “This
is what Lombardy really needs – a strategy that fits in well with
the requirements of the entrepreneurial world.”
Mr Decleva is keen to see more foreign
students take an interest in Lombardy and Italy, although he does not
expect local universities to reach the same level of international standing
as many British institutions. He believes Milan offers a more dynamic
interchange between culture, society and economy than some of its rivals,
like Venice or Florence. “I think Lombardy’s university system
has some interesting features, especially for those interested in Italian
culture.”
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The
need to grow in international stature is well understood by many in
academia. Renzo Dionigi,
Rector of the University
of Insubria at Varese, says one area in which Lombardy excels is
in research, into which 1.3 per cent of its GDP is invested each year.
He believes any university
is only as good as the research carried out in it. “We are lucky
to have brilliant young researchers with an already solid international
reputation. We must exploit this great human resource and concentrate
our financial efforts on those individuals and poles of excellence that
most deserve it.”
At Milan’s Luigi Bocconi University
there is a recognition that the EU represents the next big challenge.
Rector Carlo Secchi already refers to it as the new domestic market.
“We want to strengthen our position in the new domestic market
in order to be more competitive at a global level.”
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In
the regional administration, Giorgio Pozzi,
Councillor for Artisanship, New Economy, Research and Technological
Innovation, is keen to see Lombardy prepare for future demands in terms
of economic transition and cultural change.
This means grasping technological challenges without turning away from
the traditions of the past. “In order to survive, produce and provide
jobs, our companies have to face this new technological reality.”
He says the challenge is finding mechanisms that will allow Lombardy
to safeguard the value of the old economy, without stepping back from
the opportunities of the new one.
Marco Tronchetti
Provera, one of Italy’s most respected businessmen, and head of
the Tronchetti Provera Foundation – a non-profit organisation that
promotes research in economics, science, technology and management through
scholarships – believes Lombardy has come a long way but that there
is still work to be done.
While Lombardy ranks
first in terms of research spending in Italy, for example, it comes
lower than tenth on a European level. He understands that EU enlargement
brings great potential but it also means stiffer competition. Investment
must continue to keep ahead of the pack.
“Research and development activity and investment in human capital
are the main factors for growth of a modern society,” he says.
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