The national target set by the NRRP for active guidance in the school-to-university transition has been reached and exceeded one month ahead of schedule: more than one million upper secondary school students have taken part in programmes promoted by Italian universities and obtained the final certificate.

The announcement was made in Trieste during the opening day of the national conference “Guiding the Guides. From Events to Participatory and Active Processes”, promoted by the University of Trieste in collaboration with Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Polytechnic University of Bari, University of Naples Federico II, University of Ferrara and University of Rome Tor Vergata.

The event, taking place on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 June in the Reception Hall of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, brings together more than 100 delegates, professionals and practitioners in university guidance, with 47 universities represented. The aim is to take stock of the experience developed within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Mission 4 “Education and Research”, Component 1, Investment 1.6 “Active guidance in the school-to-university transition”, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

The conference comes on the eve of the formal conclusion of the NRRP measure and therefore represents an opportunity for a national assessment: not only to measure the results achieved, but also to discuss the legacy of an experimental initiative that has involved universities, schools, local communities and professional guidance structures on an unprecedented scale.

The significance of this achievement was underlined by Luisa De Paola, Director-General for the Right to Higher Education at the Ministry of University and Research, who highlighted how the target was reached thanks to the ability of universities to work as a network. The NRRP, she noted, has shown that universities are not only called upon to teach, but also to provide services, support and assistance to students as they build their educational, professional and life paths.

“The NRRP has taught us that we are capable of achieving results,” De Paola recalled, stressing the importance of preserving, even beyond the period of extraordinary funding, the good practices developed in recent years. The network created between universities and schools is in fact one of the main legacies of this experience, together with the awareness that guidance has now become a strategic function of the national university system.

The theme of continuity is also at the heart of the newly established Network of Italian University Guidance Professionals, which brings together and enhances the experience gained by university guidance professionals during the NRRP initiative. This new national network aims to promote the recognition of the role of university guidance professionals, encourage the sharing of tools and good practices, and contribute to the development of future guidance policies in higher education.

The conference opened with institutional greetings from Donata Vianelli, Rector of the University of Trieste; Pierpaolo Olla, Director-General of the Regional Agency for the Right to Higher Education; and Patrizia Pavatti, Director-General of the Regional School Office for Friuli Venezia Giulia.

In her speech, Rector Vianelli recalled the strategic value of guidance for the university system and for students’ well-being, inviting participants to move beyond the idea of guidance as a merely informative or promotional activity. Providing guidance, she stressed, means accompanying people as they understand their own inclinations, skills and choices most consistent with their life plans.

The Rector also highlighted how the NRRP experience made it possible to create a genuine network among Italian universities, strengthening the role of offices, technical-administrative staff and professionals who work every day in guidance services. According to the Rector, this heritage must not be lost, but should become a stable and recognised component of the university system.

Elisabetta Madriz, Delegate for Guidance Projects at the University of Trieste, introduced the meaning of the two-day conference by recalling the need to transform the actions launched in recent years into genuine pathways supporting students’ personal, educational and professional growth.

As Madriz pointed out, guidance does not end with the choice of a degree programme, but has a broader educational dimension: it helps people recognise their own resources, give meaning to their experiences, build visions for the future and face the transitions that characterise their entire life path.

The first day of the conference is dedicated to assessing the NRRP experience, discussing future prospects for university guidance and encouraging dialogue among institutions, universities and experts from different fields. The programme also includes a speech by Stefano Muroni, actor and creative entrepreneur, founder of the creative supply chain Ferrara La Città del Cinema, on the topic “What kind of guidance for the future?”

The second day, Friday 26 June, will focus in particular on the role of university guidance professionals and the skills needed to operate in a constantly evolving context. The aim is to consolidate the wealth of experience, relationships and good practices built through the NRRP and to support their development in the years ahead.