On 26 February 2026, our training day for class 4G of the Alessandro Volta High School in Milan took place, hosted at the MAIRE offices in Milan. The course is part of the training carousel of the project “A scuola d’impresa. L’Italia nei nostri musei e archivi d’impresa” [“At business school. Italy in our museums and business archives"] which was born from the collaboration between Museimpresa, LIUC Carlo Cattaneo University with its Heritage Hub, and the Industrial Cinema and Business Communication Archive with the collaboration of the National Business Cinema Archive.

A journey through the evolution of Italian engineering, its design tools and its professional skills, discovering the history and heritage of the Group, for 23 young students and their teachers, accompanied by the expertise of colleagues from the Foundation and MAIRE.

The first half hour was spent setting the scene for the day and getting to know the participants, before diving straight into the challenge: as every year, the young students were asked to carry out a “project work” to recount what they learned during the training day; we chose to ask them to produce a video, so that each of them could express their creativity. The first part of the lesson explored “how to make a video”: we went through the creative process, from the narrative structure to the choice of visual language, to the technical tools needed to produce effective content that is consistent with the company's identity. 

Once they had received the basic tools, the students were able to immerse themselves in the specific content of the day: the journey “Yesterday, today, tomorrow: the evolution of engineering design, from technical drawings to artificial intelligence” began with a discovery of the MAIRE Historical Archive, among ancient work tools, plant models, drawings and microfilms. The students were able to choose and touch some objects, explore them and ask questions to understand their functionality. This was followed by a walk through the offices to discover the Fondazione’s exhibition “Engineering on the move” – which would be open to the public the following day – and other models on display in the Torri hall.

The second part of the meeting took the students to the heart of contemporary engineering. Through direct interaction with MAIRE professionals, the students were able to understand the evolution of the design process: from PFD and P&ID diagrams drawn by hand in ink (engineers who spent hours designing in the “drawing room”), to the integrated three-dimensional models that came with the dawn of technology, to the latest generative artificial intelligence applications used today in the Group's projects. Through AI, company tools and the use of a 3D viewer, the students were able to “visit” a MAIRE construction site on the other side of the world!

Now it's up to the students: we await their project work proposals. In addition to what was made available and covered during the day, students will have access to a selection of archive materials, images of the facilities, and the presentation used. The materials in our digital vault will also be at their disposal. All the ingredients for a video product that we can't wait to see, which the students must submit by April 2026 and which will be uploaded to the LIUC platform.

Special thanks go to the accompanying teachers, who actively participated in the educational dialogue. Educational institutions and teachers are key partners in spreading a culture of engineering among the younger generations that is informed, responsible and deeply connected to the issues of energy transition.

Stay tuned to find out the results of the project work and to keep up to date with all the Foundation's initiatives dedicated to the youth.

For further information, to discover all editions and related initiatives, please visit the dedicated landing page.