Italy: approval of national implementation plan for VET

The NIP was sent to the European Commission on 30 June 2022, and on 2 March 2023 the agreement was ratified in the Unified Conference.

In line with the European indications, in preparing the NIP Italy has pursued two main objectives:

• identifying and programming measures and actions connected with the guiding principles indicated in the VET Recommendation and with the intervention priorities contained in the Osnabrück Declaration;
• contributing to the achievement of the benchmarks identified by the European recommendations.

Main challenges

The NIP intends to address five challenges, which mainly include:

• low levels of qualifications and functional illiteracy;
• insufficient mastery of digital skills;
• low attractiveness of VET – understood as low participation;
• horizontal and vertical mismatch;
• the complexity of the governance of the system.

Thematic focus

Starting from the challenges above, the plan develops along three fundamental guidelines designed at increasing (a) the attractiveness of the education and training services; (b) the interventions of planning and delivery of a training offer that prioritise the personalisation of learning, and (c) the actions to implement and promote the identification, validation and certification (IVC) processes as well as the actions to extend the adoption of networking strategies between the various institutional and socioeconomic actors at regional level.

The NIP has eight specific objectives which are addressed in different measures. Overall, the Italian NIP is divided into 10 measures related to VET innovation and Higher Technical Institutes reform, flexibility and personalisation of VET pathways, strengthening analytical skills for local labour market information and skills intelligence, expanding dual training supply, promoting IVC services and digital credentials, training on digital skills, training for educators and administrative staff (including staff involved in IVC services) at local level, networking for lifelong learning, and developing regional pacts.

Governance and funding

The governance of the NIP falls within the area of ​​competence of the Interinstitutional Table on Lifelong Learning  through a networking approach that envisages the involvement of all the members of the Table and a dialogue with the social partners and the Third Sector  Forum.

The NIP does not provide for additional resources for its implementation, as it uses the resources allocated to the new 2021-27 programming phase and those assigned by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Read more

• L'attività della Conferenza delle Regioni e delle Province Autonome [Unified conference report 02/03/2023]
• Plano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza 

• What are digital credentials