“A Bouquet of Well-Sharpened Pencils”

In C’è posta per te, Tom Hanks once said that autumn made him crave “a bouquet of well-sharpened pencils.” I wonder if today’s students, surrounded by laptops, tablets, and interactive whiteboards, would appreciate something as tactile and almost vintage as wooden crayons.

All things considered, it’s highly likely that Generation Z, who are already immersed in futuristic technologies in their classrooms, could easily create a bundle of pencils without a second thought—simply by programming a 3D printer.
The world of makers and FabLabs is not just a passing trend: there are now over 60 official FabLabs in Italy, and digital craftsmanship is even making its way into educational curricula.

Design, graphics, and electronics form the basis of courses for aspiring 3D printer programmers, already active throughout Italy (with Pordenone’s IAL leading the way), and entrepreneurs are starting to focus on these young talents who can merge Italian manufacturing tradition with expertise in new technologies.

That technology is a launchpad into the job market is likely well known by Italy’s technical institutes, which were chosen by 31% of Italian students for the 2019/2020 school year. The areas covered by the ITS (Higher Technical Institutes) are vast and truly cutting-edge: from information technology and communication to biotechnology, innovative technologies for Made in Italy, tourism, and cultural heritage, as well as key topics like energy efficiency and sustainable mobility.
Finally, to highlight a futuristic local example, we must mention the H-International School at H-Farm, where children aged 3 to 16 grow up navigating technology, digital skills, and entrepreneurship, making “innovation” and “creativity” their guiding principles from an early age.
However, there is a surprising statistic: 55% of young Italians still prefer high schools over other higher education institutions. It’s a bit like admitting that the vintage charm of well-sharpened pencils will never go out of style.

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