We’re working with 3 upper secondary schools in the Province of Varese to provide engaging training and career orientation activities that make STEM subjects more approachable and stimulating. Around 500 students are involved in programs that connect science and sustainability. The pathway helps them understand the value of ecosystem services and explore how technology can be used to protect the environment. The methodologies used encourage creativity, active participation, and critical thinking.

Training and career guidance
Approximately 360 students are taking part in training sessions delivered by industry experts, combining lectures, scientific labs, and hands-on exercises to promote active, engaging learning. Another 500 students are joining meetings with professionals, site visits, and educational outings to discover up-close the environmental and tech careers of the future.

Work-based learning experiences
Each participating school will develop a PCTO (Paths for Transversal Skills and Career Guidance), involving small groups of students (6–7 per group) in practical field activities. These experiences allow students to apply what they’ve learned, develop professional skills, and strengthen soft skills essential for their future.

Teacher training and co-design of learning paths
The student training programmes are co-designed with teachers to reflect the unique features of each school, their academic focus, and class-specific needs. Teachers from partner schools take part in blended training (online and in-person) aimed at providing up-to-date educational tools and effective methodologies for integrating STEM into everyday teaching. The goal is to leave a lasting impact through the creation of educational kits, manuals, and teaching materials to make the project sustainable and replicable in the future.

A project open to the community
STEM-ES also reaches out to the wider community to create a supportive environment for spreading scientific culture and promoting STEM education. Outreach events, science-theatre performances, nature walks, and citizen science activities are planned to bring science into everyday life, strengthening dialogue between schools, families, and citizens, and fostering more informed, active citizenship.

The Fondo per la Repubblica Digitale (Digital Republic Fund) is a partnership between the Italian government and the association of banking foundations (ACRI). It supports the digitalization goals outlined in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and the National Complementary Plan (PNC), and is financed through contributions from banking foundations, which benefit from tax credits in return. The fund selects and supports digital training and inclusion projects for various population groups, including NEETs, women, unemployed and inactive individuals, workers at risk of job loss due to automation, secondary school students, social economy workers, people in prison, and vulnerable individuals. Its aim is to evaluate the impact of supported projects and scale the most effective ones to inform future national policy.
For more information: fondorepubblicadigitale.it