A guide for international students and their families, from Primegate Consultancy, the appointed Exclusive Representative Office for Fondazione Doria.
Italian employers are hiring, and many of them can't find the people they need. If you're an international student looking for a practical route into a European career, the fastest path is often a vocational course in a shortage sector, followed by a professional internship. This guide shows where the demand is in 2026 and which Fondazione Doria programmes train you for it.
Italian businesses planned about 565,100 hires in September 2026 alone, and in 44.1% of cases they expected difficulty finding the right people [1].
Over the September to November 2026 quarter, companies planned more than 1.5 million hires [1]. The main reason roles are hard to fill is simply a lack of candidates (26.4% of planned hires), followed by candidates without the right preparation (13.6%) [1].
Three forces drive the gap:
With a quarter of Italians aged 65 or over and 2.5 million aged 85 or over, demand for qualified care workers is structural, not seasonal [2].
Care workers support nurses and families in hospitals, residential care homes and home care services. The Social and Health Care Worker (OSS) qualification is the core credential. At Fondazione Doria, the Region-recognised OSS course runs for 1,000 hours over 12 months, including 450 hours of supervised placement, and leads to a qualification valid nationwide.
Fondazione Doria healthcare programmes (30 in total, €9,500–€10,000):
| Programme | Offer letter fee | Where you could work |
|---|---|---|
| Social and Healthcare Operator (OSS) | €9,500 | Hospitals, clinics, care homes |
| Elderly Care Operator | €10,000 | Residential and home care |
| Home Care Operator | €10,000 | Home care services |
| Childcare Operator | €10,000 | Childcare services |
| Early Childhood Educator | €9,500 | Early-years settings |
| Family Caregiver | €10,000 | Private and family care |
Restaurant and food-service workers were Italy's single most-hired profession in September 2026, with 66,790 planned hires in one month [1].
The hospitality sector's job vacancy rate is 4.8%, the highest in Italy and well above the 1.9% national average, according to Istat data reported by FIPE-Confcommercio. Half of all restaurateurs (51%) struggle to find dining-room and kitchen staff, and tourism and food service alone planned more than 340,000 hires between April and June 2026 [4].
Fondazione Doria hospitality programmes (32 in total, all €11,000):
You train in a commercial kitchen with extraction, pastry and bakery equipment, so you start your internship already used to a professional environment.
Skilled trades and machine operators accounted for 162,720 planned hires in September 2026, nearly three in ten of all hires in Italy [1].
Industry, including construction, accounted for 26.5% of planned hires, and construction labour was the fastest-growing profession of the month [1]. Qualified installers and technicians, who can work safely on electrical, plumbing and climate systems, are the people site and maintenance companies need.
Fondazione Doria construction and technical programmes (31 in total, €10,000–€11,000):
| Trade | Fondazione Doria programme | Offer letter fee |
|---|---|---|
| Electrician | Civil Electrical Systems Installer and Maintenance Technician | €10,000 |
| Electrician (industrial) | Industrial Electrical Systems Installer and Maintenance Technician | €10,000 |
| Plumber | Plumbing and Heating Systems Installer and Maintenance Technician | €10,000 |
| Plumber | Plumber | €10,500 |
| HVAC | Air-Conditioning Systems Installer and Maintenance Technician | €10,000 |
| HVAC | Refrigeration Technician | €10,000 |
| Welder | Welder | €10,500 |
| Site roles | Construction Site Technician; Bricklayer; Tiler; Scaffolder | €10,000–€10,500 |
Tech skills are scarce across Europe: 57.5% of EU companies that tried to hire ICT specialists in 2023 had difficulty filling the roles [5].
ICT specialists made up 5.0% of EU employment in 2025, and Italy alone employs about 0.9 million of them [6]. Italy's manufacturing base also needs technicians who can run automated lines, programme PLCs and maintain robots, the skills behind "Industry 4.0".
Fondazione Doria IT, digital and automation programmes (30 in total, €11,500–€13,500):
| Area | Programmes | Offer letter fee |
|---|---|---|
| Security | Cybersecurity, IT Security | €12,500 |
| Data | Data Analysis, Data Specialist | €12,500 |
| AI and cloud | Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing | €13,000 |
| Industry 4.0 | Digital Technologies for Industry 4.0, Industrial Automation, PLC Programming, SCADA Systems | €13,000 |
| Robotics | Robotics, Industrial Robotics, Smart Manufacturing | €13,500 |
| Core IT | Computer and IT Support, Software Development, Web Development, Networking | €11,500–€12,000 |
Italian employers ask for specific experience on two-thirds of hires, and a vocational course with a built-in internship gives you that experience before you apply [1].
Here's how the Fondazione Doria pathway builds your employability:
Primegate Consultancy is the appointed Exclusive Representative Office for Fondazione Doria, and one named advisor guides you from first enquiry through to enrolment.
Your advisor helps you match your background and goals to the right stream and programme, from 127 options. With intakes every month, you can start when you're ready.
Before you enquire, it helps to know:
Talk to Primegate Consultancy:
Restaurant and food-service workers were Italy's most-hired profession in September 2026 (66,790 planned hires), and skilled trades and machine operators accounted for 162,720 hires that month [1]. Care workers are also in structural demand because 25.1% of Italians are aged 65 or over [2]. IT and automation specialists are scarce across the EU [5]. 23% of planned hires were earmarked for foreign workers [1].
Yes. A valid study or vocational training permit can be converted into a work permit once you have a job offer, at any time of year and outside the annual quota system [7][8]. Fondazione Doria programmes include a professional internship, and the institute reports that 85% of its students are employed within a year.
You don't need Italian to start a Fondazione Doria programme: programmes are available in English and no IELTS is required. Italian classes from beginner (A1) to A2 level are included, so you build the everyday Italian that helps you settle in and work with colleagues and customers.
Vocational courses in shortage sectors are the most direct route. Fondazione Doria offers 127 programmes across healthcare (for example OSS and Elderly Care Operator), hospitality (Cook, Pizza Maker, Pastry Chef), construction (Electrician, Plumber, HVAC Technician, Welder) and IT (Cybersecurity, Data Analysis, Artificial Intelligence, Industrial Automation). Each leads into a professional internship.
At Fondazione Doria, yes. Every vocational programme leads into a professional internship of approximately three months with employers in your sector, subject to applicable conditions. The OSS healthcare course, for example, includes 450 hours of supervised placement.
One Primegate Consultancy advisor guides you from choosing a programme and intake month to your offer, visa preparation and enrolment.
