ACCADEMIA ORIENTA

The Italian Merchant Marine Academy Foundation is an ITS (Higher Technological Institute). It was founded in Genoa in 2005, and its core mission is to train the next generation of professionals in the maritime sector and sustainable mobility. It offers two-year and three-year post-diploma programs entirely free of charge, which provide a curriculum rich in professional and technological content and guarantee employment rates exceeding 90 percent.

Nearly 800 students are currently enrolled in a training program offered by the Academy, which is the second-largest ITS in Italy and has 106 partner companies. In addition to courses dedicated to the maritime sector, such as the ITS programs for Deck Officer, Engine Officer, and Ship’s Steward, the Academy expands its offerings year after year to include training for emerging professional roles in the transportation and hospitality industries. Among the courses offered at the Academy are the ITS in Transportation and Logistics, ITS in Railways, ITS in Shipbuilding, ITS in Ship Management, ITS in Port Automation, ITS in Hospitality Service Specialist, ITS in Ship’s Chef, ITS in Ship’s Pastry Chef and Baker, and ITS in Multimedia Technician.

Since we believe that the ITS system—despite offering young people great opportunities for personal and professional growth through an effective approach that alternates between classroom instruction and internships—is not yet widely known, in recent years we have expanded our efforts focused on communication, outreach, and providing in-depth information about ITS courses.

The primary target audience for the educational programs offered by the Academy is young people.

The main objective of the training program at the Academy, as at other ITS institutions, is to promote personal and socio-professional growth and to facilitate entry into the job market.

And it is to provide young people with information about all their educational opportunities and to support the decision-making process following high school graduation that the Academy fosters dialogue with the educational community. This dialogue has grown stronger over the years through in-person and online career guidance activities, guided tours and Open House events at the Albaro and Arenzano campuses, interdisciplinary projects, and—starting this year—Programs for Transversal Skills and Career Guidance (PCTO) and meetings with the Academy’s Ambassadors.

Thanks to the Open House initiative, held every year in May, students from Liguria’s maritime schools and their families have the opportunity to get an up-close look at the institution’s educational programs. The headquarters of the Italian Merchant Marine Academy at Via Oderico 10, in the Albaro neighborhood of Genoa, hosts a day packed with meetings with ITS students and faculty. The most recent event took place on Saturday, May 25, 2024.

In addition, the Arenzano (Genoa) branch periodically hosts career orientation events focused on the onboard hospitality sector, specifically passenger services and onboard dining.

For those interested in learning more about the Academy, it is also possible to schedule individual orientation meetings by emailing orientamento@faimm.it.

“Opening the Academy’s doors to families and students means explaining in detail not only what we do, but also what the logistics and transportation sector is all about,” says Paola Vidotto, General Director of the Italian Merchant Marine Academy. “For a country that depends on the sea and trade, this should come naturally, but over time, that unique professional character of the maritime sector has gradually faded.” “Hosting 150 students—as we did during the 2023 Open House—who are already interested in these topics is also a great opportunity for us to meet with families and provide them with real figures and data on employment, which in our case is nearly 95% of our graduates.”

Every young person must find their own path. That is why we have designed and launched orientation days that foster discussion and reflection on each student’s future. During the PCTO (Pathways for Transversal Skills and Career Guidance) sessions that we offer free of charge at our Arenzano campus in Villa Figoli des Geneys, we give high school students the opportunity to share their projects, concerns, and expectations with us, learn about our educational programs, and immerse themselves firsthand in the world of work. Taking into account the unique characteristics of each group of students, we organize debates, meetings, and testimonials from current students, alumni, and faculty members of the Academy. Finally, we introduce our guests to the fascinating and sometimes little-known world of the merchant marine and the maritime economy in all its forms, presenting the Academy’s educational programs as a valuable opportunity for free training for anyone wishing to become part of this world. For information and reservations, please email us at orientamento@faimm.it. 

The Italian Merchant Marine Academy participates in all the major national career guidance events scheduled throughout the year. Through booths, informational materials, and testimonials from current and former students, the Academy presents its educational programs to students, career counselors, institutions, and families.

Over the past year, there has been an increase in both the number and variety of events dedicated to promoting training programs across the entire supply chain and the Blue Economy—including the shipbuilding, rail, logistics, port operations, and passenger services sectors.

Latest events

• Job&Orienta: 27-30 novembre 2024 (Verona)
• Orientamenti: 13-15 novembre 2024 (Genova)
• Sailor Orientamenti: 11 – 14 maggio 2024 (Genova – Palermo)
• Saloncino ITS Academy: 19 aprile 2024 (Recco – GE)
• Un mare di lavoro: 19 aprile 2024 (Celle Ligure – SV)
• Let Expo: 12 – 15 marzo 2024 (Verona)
• Clia Cruise Week: 11 – 14 marzo 2024 (Genova)
• Salone dell’Orientamento: 1 – 2 marzo 2024 (Cuneo)
• Job&Orienta: 21 – 25 novembre 2023 (Verona)
• Orientamenti: 15 – 17 novembre 2023 (Genova)
• OrientaRagazzi: 8 – 10 novembre 2023 (Genova)
• Un mare di lavoro: 3 maggio 2023 (Celle Ligure – SV)
• Tech&Sea for future: 22 marzo 2023 (Genova)
• Orientamenti: 15 – 17 novembre 2022 (Genova)
• OrientaRagazzi: 9 – 11 novembre 2022 (Savona)
• Openforfuture, 13 – 14 maggio 2022 (Alessandria)

Novità dell’anno 2024 sono gli Ambasciatori di Accademia: ex allievi dei corsi ITS marittimi che, dopo aver concluso il loro percorso formativo ed essersi inseriti nel mondo lavorativo, si sono resi disponibili a girare le scuole superiori di tutta Italia per raccontare l’Accademia e portare la loro testimonianza. Visitano le loro scuole di provenienza, quelle presenti nella loro regione di residenza oppure nelle altre regioni vicine. Grazie a questa nuova iniziativa dedicata all’orientamento, avviata nel mese di febbraio 2024, gli studenti delle scuole superiori non saranno più tenuti a raggiungere la sede di Accademia a Genova per poterla conoscere da vicino, perché verranno raggiunti loro stessi.

Gli Ambasciatori di Accademia raccontano che cos’è un ITS, qual è la nostra offerta formativa, quali sono i tassi occupazionali dei nostri corsi (sempre superiori al 90%) e soprattutto le loro esperienze professionali. Lo fanno sia negli Istituti Nautici sia in tutte le altre superiori, dagli istituti alberghieri ai tecnici professionali, dai turistici ai licei.

Tra le tappe già raggiunte dai nostri Ambasciatori in questi mesi: Trapani, Molfetta, Termoli, Imperia, Palermo, Bagnara Calabra, Massa, Villa San Giovanni, Carloforte, Rocella Ionica, Melfi, Vasto, Fermo, Gallipoli, Viareggio, Pozzallo, Civitavecchia, Venosa, La Spezia, Savona, Tortolì, Fano, Mola di Bari, Porto Santo Stefano, Ancona, Livorno.

The Academy promotes dialogue with the educational community to inform young people about all their educational opportunities and to support the decision-making process following high school graduation. In addition to career guidance activities for students, the Academy also focuses on engaging with teachers and all education professionals to foster opportunities for discussion and collaborative planning, with the aim of facilitating integration between the career guidance initiatives carried out by the high school system and those of the higher education system.

Routes to the Future

Quest’anno, per la prima volta, si è tenuto un evento info-formativo dedicato a tutti i docenti orientatori della Liguria: “Conoscere l’Accademia per tracciare rotte di futuro”. Svoltasi presso la nostra sede di Arenzano a Villa Figoli des Geneys, in via Olivete 40, la giornata ha previsto incontri, testimonianze e attività laboratoriali dedicati a dirigenti scolastici, docenti e tutor.

The initiative, launched as part of the “Strengthening the Educational Offer of ITS Academies” project funded by the PNRR, aimed to highlight the unique features of our educational programs and share the stories of our current and former students.

Poster and Program

Our Contact Information

You can contact us for information or to schdule a dedicated meeting consultation by e-mailing orientamento@faimm.it or by calling at 010 3622472.