In September 2009, the Foundation, together with Cometa, inaugurated in Como the Oliver Twist School. The school is designed to offer young people between the ages of 14 and 21 professional training courses and test cycles to prevent and reduce school dropout according to an innovative method: “Learning through experience.”
A school for tomorrow, where students learn hands-on and grow as a result. A place where the schoolroom is a workshop and vice versa, and where students are able to adapt what they have learned to the real world. The teaching method stays in step with developments in the job world through internships in participating companies and by inviting entrepreneurs to lecture. It is a space that nurtures art, mathematics and Italian from a professional standpoint, giving value to cultural aspects while bringing the subjects into the world of today.
The education program takes place in real-world learning environments where students create actual products and services. The organization simulates the structures of artisans’ workshops:
The school aims to make the most of each person’s ability, because being yourself is something that is within everyone’s reach.
The courses of the Oliver Twist School fulfill the Italian education requirements and are open to youngsters who have completed the licenza media (Junior High), issuing qualifications (3 years) and professional degrees (4 years), with the possibility of completing the fifth year and have access to university and public competitions.
In addition to vocational training, the School also offers an Occupational High School for high school dropouts who face challenges entering the job world.
To accomplish its mission, the Oliver Twist School offers the warmth of a home in a family setting. The complex is located on the edge of parkland and uses modern technology to reduce its environmental impact. The location, the physical space, the social context and relations with families provide an educational environment for students.