Closing Italy’s skills gap is everyone’s business
by Andreas Schleicher Director, Directorate for Education and Skills Italy is the birthplace of Leonardo, Galileo and Armani. For centuries, skilled Italians have been recognised for their contributions to the world’s art, science, and culture. A relatively small country, with scarce natural resources, Italy today is among the world’s leading industrialised economies and is home to millions of firms, including many small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), who play a prominent role in many key global value chains. So the skills of Italy’s population matter. Not only for their own country, but also for their contribution to the future prosperity and well-being of the global community. Italy’s future prosperity depends upon the skills of its people Today, Italy is facing a skills gap. OECD Surveys measuring the skills of 15 year-olds ( PISA ) and adults between the ages of 16 and 64 years old ( Survey of Adult Skills, PIAAC ) have detected a significant shortfall in skills co...