Three Agricultural Technical Institutes, 47 students, and three companies from the provinces of Treviso and Belluno have come together in a program focused on innovation in the agricultural and agri-food supply chain.
I would like to thank the companies and their corporate tutors, as well as the agricultural institutes and their teachers, for the innovative collaboration developed during this project, – stated Mario Pozza, President of the Chamber of Commerce. The virtuous interaction between these different stakeholders has guided students towards innovative entrepreneurial approaches to agriculture, with a strong focus on sustainability principles. It was inspiring to hear these young people share their ‘visions for the future,’ accompanied by assessments of the feasibility of their ideas, in discussions with companies and their technicians that were conducted ‘almost as equals.’ This combination of vertical and transversal skills is now being officially recognized by the Chamber of Commerce with the issuance of a digital badge. These are the first 50 young individuals to be certified by the Chamber of Commerce. This certification allows them to include this experience in their CVs, while for companies, it means they can identify enriched professional profiles, even more attractive for potential employment opportunities.
This initiative is one of the latest promoted by the Chamber of Commerce of Treviso-Belluno|Dolomiti, part of a certification process developed by Unioncamere and Re.N.Is.A, the national network of agricultural institutes.
The program has been introduced at a national level and is designed to foster entrepreneurial skills among students attending Professional or Technical Agricultural Institutes, supporting innovation and sustainability in the agricultural and agri-food sectors.
In the two provinces served by the Chamber of Commerce, three agricultural institutes participated during the last academic year: “Della Lucia” in Feltre, “Sartor” in Castelfranco Veneto, and “Cerletti” in Conegliano.
The project involved these institutes in training activities and project work (for a total of 130 hours), focusing on design thinking and business modeling approaches aimed at developing entrepreneurial skills for innovation and sustainability.
The project work was made possible by the involvement of three companies, each of which posed a so-called “challenge” to the institutes — a specific and particularly challenging problem that became the focus of the project work. The students, with the support of the companies, their teachers, and external tutors coordinated by the Chamber of Commerce, developed innovative proposals to address these challenges.
In detail:
- Spagnol Srl (Vidor, TV) challenged the Cerletti institute to design a low-impact hydroponic greenhouse, considering agronomic, technical, and economic sustainability aspects.
- Unifarco Spa (Santa Giustina, BL) tasked the Della Lucia institute with addressing the recovery and recycling of organic waste from local industries (such as brewing, dairy, forestry, etc.) to produce extracts for cosmetics or supplements.
- Molino Rachello Srl (Roncade, TV) posed a challenge to the Sartor institute focused on improving the environmental and economic sustainability of crop cultivation.
On October 1st, at the Chamber of Commerce headquarters, the final event of the program took place, during which each class had the opportunity to present their project work to other schools and representatives of industry associations.
The outcomes of all project activities allowed the students to participate in an evaluation and certification test for the skills they acquired, using tools and methods provided by Unioncamere.
The 47 students who participated in the program are the first to receive a digital badge from the Chamber of Commerce of Treviso-Belluno|Dolomiti, certifying the skills acquired through the project. This badge can be used to enhance their CVs as part of the Chamber of Commerce’s “Skills Certification” system.
