Just a few months after graduation, more than 3 out of 4 students are already employed. Demand is growing for specialist skills in the key sectors that symbolise Made in Italy.
Skills linked to the excellence of Made in Italy continue to be rewarded by the labour market.
This is confirmed by the results of the survey conducted by an independent group of researchers from the University of Milano-Bicocca and the Nestore Association, on the employment outcomes of graduates from the schools of Plena Education, a leading educational hub in higher education for the creative, managerial and design disciplines of Made in Italy, backed by the Kyip Capital fund.
The survey was conducted on a sample of 1,765 graduates from the schools of the Plena Education Group, relating to the academic years 2018-19, 2020-21 and 2022-23, through the administration of a questionnaire.
The Group – which brings together seven higher education institutions located in various Italian cities – records an overall employment rate of 82% among the graduates involved in the survey. This figure is particularly significant because it also includes students who obtained their qualification most recently and are still in the initial phase of entering the labour market. Among graduates with greater seniority, three years after obtaining their qualification, the employment rate reaches 96.8%, demonstrating the solidity of the educational pathway also in the medium to long term.
The ability of the Group’s schools to prepare professionals who are ready to enter the workplace is reflected in the speed of their employment: almost 42% of graduates began working during their course or immediately after obtaining their qualification. Within the first six months after graduation, the percentage rises overall to more than 75%. Another distinguishing feature is the strong alignment between the education received and the profession pursued. Almost one employed graduate in two (47.5%) states that their job is “highly consistent” with the skills acquired during their studies, a sign of education that is increasingly aligned with the practical needs of businesses.
Graduates from the Group’s schools are mainly employed in the private sector (72.3%), with a significant share holding permanent contracts (36.3%). The entrepreneurial component is also noteworthy: 23% of employed graduates work independently as freelancers or entrepreneurs.
82.4% of employed graduates work in Italy, with a geographical distribution that identifies Lazio, Veneto and Lombardy as the main attractive hubs. The remaining 17.6% have found employment abroad, demonstrating the international applicability of the skills acquired.
Graduates express a positive opinion of their educational experience: more than 72% consider the education received to be “very” or “fairly” useful for their professional pathway. Accordingly, 60.3% would recommend the course they attended.
“These results confirm how strategic it is today to invest in highly specialised education that is closely connected to the needs of businesses. The Made in Italy sectors represent a key driver of employment and growth, but they increasingly require highly specialised, project-oriented and immediately applicable skills”, said Alessandro Montel, CEO of Plena Education. “At Plena Education, we work every day to create educational pathways capable of supporting young people towards qualified professional careers aligned with their aspirations, while at the same time enhancing Italy’s creative and manufacturing heritage.”
