EXHIBITIONS, FITTERS: FROM JANUARY ASAL AND FIERA MILANO COURSE FOR A SECTOR SHORT OF MANPOWER

From the Artwood Academy in Lentate to business practice, a course for under 25s

Meeting the training and recruitment needs of qualified personnel in the fit-out sector by activating skills and territorial networks. This is the aim of the initiative promoted by FederlegnoArredo's Asal, Fiera Milano and Nolostand to develop a educational path for those young people who will be the fitters of the future.

The project was announced today at the annual meeting of Assoallestimenti (Asal), which represents more than 220 Italian companies producing and supplying exhibition stand fittings and services, and sees the involvement of Fondazione ITS Rosario Messina, Fiera Milano, Nolostand and Regione Lombardia.

It is from these synergies that the course for fitters was developed, which will be held from January 2023 at the Artwood Academy in Lentate sul Seveso, the high training school that FederlegnoArredo founded in the Brianza district with the aim of offering young people the chance to plan their professional future thanks to the strong synergies activated with the business world.

The course is aimed at young graduates aged between 19 and 25 years of age who are resident or domiciled in Lombardy. The duration will be 800 hours, divided between theoretical-practical training and hours of work in the company. The selected young people will be hired with a one-year 1st level apprenticeship contract aimed at acquiring an IFTS specialisation (higher technical specialisation certificate).

The project represents a concrete commitment to looking for solutions and implementing virtuous practices, and is part of the partnership that Fiera Milano spa and FederlegnoArredo's Asal signed last July for safety in the workplace. Training is in fact fundamental to facilitate a transfer of skills that is based on continuity and the protection of the high quality levels that characterise made-in-Italy fittings. 

The fitter will be in charge of building structures through specific working techniques, analysing the project from the prototype creation phase to the assembly phase and recognising the most eco-sustainable solutions, suitable to meet the demands of a dynamic market that is accelerating the transformation towards ecological transition.

"Asal has always played an important role in encouraging an increase in quality standards, particularly in the areas of safety, sustainability and training, which we consider to be a fundamental strategic lever, all the more so considering that in the two years of the pandemic the outfitting sector has lost almost 50% of its staff between employees and collaborators," comments Katia Celli, Asal president. "This is another reason why training professionalism remains a priority, and I thank Fiera Milano and Fondazione ITS Rosario Messina for the spirit of cooperation that guides our activities. A true training alliance that has as its common goal the workforce of tomorrow. I would also like to remind you that we have recently drawn up a protocol with Aefi, the Italian Exhibition and Trade Fair Association, which regulates all the phases of the realisation of exhibition spaces. Initiatives are more effective the more they are planned together with industry players”.

"The course to become a fitter is aimed at dynamic young people, ready to discover innovative approaches, willing to travel the world, get to know new cultures and different places. This job also allows them to create relationships with a team of people who share a passion and a desire to commit to a unique project," comments Luca Palermo, CEO and General Manager of Fiera Milano. "The fitter is a key figure in the exhibition world because he embodies a topical moment in the organisational process of an event: the preparation of the stands. The exhibition centre represents a real city that comes alive during the exhibition days. All this happens thanks to the involvement of the production chain of professionals who work industriously throughout the set-up phase. Suffice it to say that the maximum number of stand fitters for exhibitions is on average 2,400 (during the Salone del Mobile we even reached 9,600). Lastly, we are very honoured by the collaboration with ASAL and Artwood Academy because we know that the professionalism involved is also an added value for the partner companies ready to welcome young fitters".

"I am proud," says Melania Rizzoli, Councillor for Training and Employment of Regione Lombardia, "that the regional training offer is being expanded and enriched through the birth of this new IFTS course. Responding to the needs of the production sectors and providing our young people with skills that are immediately spendable in the world of work is our main mission. I believe that this course responds to these needs in an exemplary manner. Moreover, the use of Level I apprenticeship is certainly a further qualifying element of this course. Regione Lombardia has always believed in this instrument, which it continues to finance, convinced that it is one of the most effective vectors for concretely uniting training and work. I sincerely thank all those involved in the realisation of this course, which I am sure will be a great success”.

To apply: https://lnkd.in/dYXSK5f8