ISTITUTO FORMAZIONE OPERATORI AZIENDALI

I.F.O.A, Training and Consultancy Centre of the Chamber of Commerce, was founded in 1971. The organisation was given its own legal status in 1996, and carries out non-profit activities of public interest. I.F.O.A headquarter is in Reggio Emilia (Emilia Romagna) but it has 10 branches and 3 points of presence throughout the country. I.F.O.A is an accredited institution for the areas of higher education, continuous training and/or orientation and employment services in Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany, Puglia, Sicily. It counts 206 employees and its courses and services are certified according to UNI EN ISO 9001: 2015. I.F.O.A is registered in the list of the Employment Agencies of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies and carries out matching activities between job demand and supply. I.F.O.A carries out training courses (traditional and in e-learning) post-diploma and post-graduation for young people, continuous training for companies and their employees, courses for professionals, operators and individuals, training internships, apprenticeships, manage mobility initiatives for youngsters and adults, as well as consulting services and technical assistance to companies and public bodies both at regional/national level and abroad. Quick facts (as per latest certified data of 2017): • Turnover: about 17 mln € • Training hours delivered: > 51.000 • Trainees: > 11.500 • Internships: > 2.825 • Apprentices trained: 5.800 • Placement rate after 6/12 months: 73.8% (> 90% in northern Italy) • Companies in CRM database: > 16.000 Since 90s, I.F.O.A is working strongly towards the European and transnational dimension of VET, in line with the strategies of the European Union related to the internationalisation of regions and exchange of EU best practices in terms of VET, social inclusion and measures to improve employability. IFOA is accredited European Voluntary Service (EVS) sending organization. I.F.O.A is member of the European network for VET “EfVET” and of the global network for mobility SENTIO. IFOA is also head office of ULIXES, a EEIG involving training agencies, colleges, business schools and Chambers of Commerce in 10 EU member States.