In order to choose, you need to know. This was the inspiration for a day event dedicated to students organized by metalworking companies Cama and Omet, on November 17, 2023. Tech4Students Day gave participants the opportunity to walk through the doors of the two facilities in Molteno and experience the reality of Italian excellence firsthand.
It was an extremely enriching experience for young people and their families, and the companies’ objective was fully achieved: to open a door to be able to provide close guidance for young people when they’re choosing what to study; to provide a strategic lever for the future of the economy and reduce school-drop out rates and unemployment.
“Choices must be conscious,” explains Daniele Bellante, President of Cama, “so we designed this event with the aim of raising awareness among young people by letting them come and discover for themselves. At both Cama and Omet we create technologies with the highest levels of added value, we are world leaders with an excellent company heritage and we’d like it if, as part of their decision-making process, young people and families considered the interesting opportunities for personal and professional growth within our companies. We are private businesses where merit is highly valued and recognized”.
Companies are paying special attention to young people, in what is an unprecedented historical phase which sees, as Mauro Gattinoni, Mayor of Lecco explains, businesses being the ones that are looking for new talent, and not the other way round.
“We have a low unemployment rate of 2.8% and companies are struggling to grow due to staff shortages. The quality of the training provided in the region is excellent, but for every one hundred people employed, sixty are then retiring. Therefore, young people are an extremely precious, albeit scarce, resource: we can’t lose anyone.” It is precisely for this reason that, adds Carlo Malugani, Provincial Councillor, “The training offered must be adapted to the needs of the region and families must understand that even technical schools offer opportunities for high-paying jobs.”
Plinio Agostoni, President of Confindustria Lecco e Sondrio, is of the same opinion. Given that 48% of the people profiles needed by companies are hard to find, and with a trend that only shows signs of getting worse, the issue must be addressed from a systematic point of view, allowing companies and schools to meet in a structured way.
“High-quality companies create an excellent society, community and environment and become a way of integrating people. The business system is good for people and for them to have a good life, so it’s essential that the focus is placed on looking forward and toward young people. Our companies operate and grow, they are prominent, envied and admired, but they need people, intelligence, passion, willingness, inventiveness and ingenuity. This is why we need initiatives like this one, which open the doors of these companies to young people and schools.”
Not forgetting Corporate Social Responsibility, as Giuseppe Chiarella, Mayor of Molteno recalls, “thinking about the concepts of active citizenship and environmental awareness, we understand how companies have a clear role of coexisting with society, promoting quality of life and fostering social cohesion.”
To this end, collaboration becomes the foundation, in a zero sum game where opportunities must be created, as Antonio Bartesaghi, CEO of Omet explains, “Creating networks between companies works on the logic not of ‘stealing’ technicians but, on the contrary, enhancing the skills within the region to be able to respond to companies’ needs. Our organizations are made from craftsmanship and skills, of course, but also people. Opening up our companies allows us to demonstrate their scope and high technological value, where meritocracy finds its deepest meaning, creating paths which, starting from less senior roles, can lead people to reach the top of the company.”
The challenge for schools is creating skills: “Young people,” comments Raffaele Cesana from the Local Educational Office, “are the designers of their future, this is why they need to be aware of all the training that is available. This is the only way they will able to build their tomorrow and become fulfilled and happy people.”.
Two people in particular were keen to recount their success stories at Cama: Stefano Marelli, a Research and Development Engineer, whose internship at Cama really made him appreciate the environment and the machinery; he talked about his college thesis in Mechanical Engineering, and Stefano Sironi, a younger employee, who did an internship at the company during his second year at ITS Meccatronica in Lecco, and was then offered a job once he’d successfully completed his internship. 56 high-performing school students, who are also the children of Omet employees, were awarded scholarships. It’s true that a technician is a professional with know-how, it’s also true that as well as having technical knowledge, to be successful, you need more.
As Annalisa Bellante, Vice President of Cama illustrates, “In 1997 we built our first robot and today we have seen students get really excited and their eyes literally light up at the robotics we have at Cama. Paradoxically, whilst we deal with machines and robots, we are also looking for people who can support our great potential for expansion. Of course, technology matters, but it is also attitude and the want to make a difference. We think about the approach individuals take at work, their ability to work collaboratively, in a team, and their commitment and inclination to solve problems: these are all characteristics that make someone unique and valuable. With this in mind, we can and want to bring companies into schools and help create value for our region and for the people that live here.”
