On March 7 at the headquarters of Fondazione Cariverona, we presented the 2024 edition of Upskill Cariverona, a project of Fondazione Cariverona and Upskill 4.0, with UniCredit as a partner in the initiative.
We have high expectations for this new edition, especially after yesterday's presentation with entrepreneurs from the twelve selected companies and ITS and university students.
The outcome of the first edition was very positive: 220 students from 11 ITSs from all over Italy, 34 companies from 5 different provinces were involved.
The new edition will be enriched with new modalities: there will be in-depth moments for students, workshops with students and companies, benchmarking moments between companies, and for the first time in addition to ITS students, university students from Ca' Foscari and University of Padua will also be involved.
We are convinced that this type of project gains more strength only if more skills, technological as well as managerial ones, are brought together.
Our project managers have already visited the companies spread across the provinces of Verona, Vicenza and Mantua, and we expect great involvement from the companies, all of which have entrepreneurial histories that start from afar, now often in the second or third generation, but who live their tradition not in a nostalgic way, but with the right projection toward the future.
Yesterday, entrepreneurs launched their challenges, all different from each other, but united by a desire to grow and innovate. Students will have the opportunity to discover some of the entrepreneurial stories that have made the Northeast great, they will discover an innovation ecosystem that can grow through creative collaboration processes, and they will become part of a professional community in an area, even before they finish university. This is no small feat, and we at Upskill 4.0 are happy to accompany them on this journey, in taking care of project development and following the students as facilitators and trainers.
The companies are from the provinces of Verona, Vicenza and Mantua, reference territories for Fondazione Cariverona, and from March 2024 to June 2024 they will work with students from Ca' Foscari University Venice, University of Padua and ITS LAST in Verona, ITS FITSTIC in Bologna and ITS Servizi alle imprese in Rome.
For Verona, the participating companies are Pasticceria Cassandrini, a reference point for Veronese families for takeaway and delivery of artisanal pastries; Lorenzo Borsarini, which for more than fifty years has been involved in antique and antique furniture restoration, production and sale of antique-style art furniture; Il Ponte Cooperativa sociale onlus, which has been promoting social, educational, cultural and entertainment activities in the area since 1988; and Camplin, which has been producing the original Peacoat of the Royal Navy, the British navy, since 1893.
For Vicenza, the companies that will be participating are La Prima Gioielli, which has been creating eclectic jewelry with Italian, Arab and Anglo-Saxon influences for 50 years; Lineasette, a company that has been handcrafting porcelain stoneware design works in Italy since 1977; Ronzani, a publisher of "varia" created in 2015 that offers culturally relevant texts; and Europa 93, which produces blends, capsules, coffee machines and capsule filling systems.
For Mantua, the companies that will participate are Calze Bc, a leading manufacturer of made-in-Italy socks and tights; Lebovitz, a Mantuan winery that has been producing innovative, high-quality wines since 1951; Arts&Craft Mutty, a cultural space, bookstore and restaurant in Mantua; and All'Avanguardia, an inn in Solferino, near Lake Garda, with twelve rooms and a trattoria.
Detail of challenges for companies in the province of Verona
For Cassandrini Confectionery. the design challenge consists of a first part that aims to create a Go-to-Market strategy for custom cakes to increase consumer engagement and brand awareness. The second part aims to optimize Cassandrini's shipping service.
For the company Lorenzo Borsarini the project challenge is to research and devise an original and innovative plan of action to bring new generations closer to the wood crafts sector.
For Ponte Cooperativa Sociale ONLUS the project challenge is to create an outreach plan, including taking advantage of innovative digital technologies and channels, that acquaints young people with the work and opportunities offered by Il Ponte.
For the brand Camplin the design challenge consists of market research on the premium apparel sector aimed at defining a commercial expansion plan. Specifically, Camplin's goal is to understand what are effective communication methods and formats to enter the department store sector.
Detail of challenges for companies in the province of Vicenza
For the First Jewelry the project challenge is to devise and design a tool (physical and digital) to combat the phenomenon of jewelry counterfeiting.
For Lineasette the design challenge will be to devise a strategy and a consequent plan of action that can contribute to the evolution of the company's positioning and especially Lineasette's brand as a leading artisanal ceramic business.
For Ronzani Publisher the project challenge will be to increase the visibility of the publishing house starting from the storytelling of the "book" product, to make people perceive the care and attention with which it is made starting from the local level, devising new communication ideas and community involvement formats.
For Europe 93 the project challenge is to study an internationalization strategy toward new markets, particularly Eastern European countries.
Detail of challenges for companies in the province of Mantua
For BC Socks the design challenge is to promote the e-commerce "Emporio Calze" online.
For Vanguard Inn the design challenge is to systematize all the elements of exclusivity and originality introduced by the company over the years.
For Lebovitz the design challenge consists of a first part devoted to finding a way to provide more information and content about products and production details to company employees, and a second part aimed at finding new communication formats for Lebovitz-branded products.
For Mutty is project challenge is to create innovative and exciting ways to promote Mutty's artistic and cultural offerings online, locally and nationally.
