Vocational schools – istituti professionali

Istituti professionali are one type of secondary school.
To enroll, students must have finished scuola media, or middle school, and obtained the licenza media, the middle school certificate.

Vocational schools last 5 years and end with the professional diploma exam. Here, students learn jobs or trades. These schools give specific training and are chosen by students who want to start working immediately after finishing school.

Students who want to continue studying can always go to university.

Vocational schools are divided into two groups:

Services sector

• Services for agriculture and rural development
• Social-health services
• Services for food and wine and hospitality
• Commercial services

Industry and craft sector

• Artisanal and industrial productions
• Maintenance and technical assistance

What is the difference between istituti professionali and IeFP courses?

Istituti professionali and IeFP courses are very similar. Both are chosen by students who usually plan to start working after finishing these schools.

Istituti professionali are run by the government and, therefore, are organized in the same way at the national level. These schools last 5 years and at the end of the fifth year, students who pass the exam obtain a Diploma. Students who want to continue studying can continue their studies at the university.

IeFP courses are not managed by the state, but by the regions. The courses last 3 or 4 years, depending on the study area that the student chooses.
Training in IeFP courses is even more practical than in vocational schools. For IeFP courses, there are more laboratory and workshop hours and fewer theory hours. 

At the end of their studies, students obtain a professional qualification or a technical Diploma depending on the course.

After an IeFP course, you cannot enroll at the university, but if you want to continue studying you must first go to istituti tecnici or istituti professionali.