Brescia Agriculture Institute Expansion Boosts Vocational Education

Thanks to the existence of the agritourism address, for several years the interest in the Istituto professionale di Stato per l’agricoltura e l’ambiente (State Vocational Institute for Agriculture and the Environment), which has an important branch in San Tomaso di Lonato (the main campus is located in Bargnano di Corzano, in the heart of Bassa), has skyrocketed.

Enrollments are mounting (currently, there are 120 students, but there are plans to reach two hundred in the near future), and naturally, new spaces are needed. The expansion request process was initiated in ’99, with a framework agreement with the Provincia di Brescia approved during the last municipal council of the old administration before the arrival of the commissioner tasked with guiding the municipality towards new elections.

Now, after completing all formalities, the construction work will finally begin in a few weeks, with completion hoped for (but only as a possibility) by the start of the next school year. There is great satisfaction in the words of the director, Vincenzo Donato, his closest collaborator, Professor Manzo, and, of course, the principal of the entire Istituto agrario, Pietro Maffeis.

Expansion Projects and Educational Offerings

The school, as a reminder, includes not only the historic headquarters in Bargnano di Corzano and the branch in Lonato, but also a school coordinated in Orzivecchi. “With this intervention – comments the director – the number of classrooms will increase to ten, laboratories will be enhanced, and a dining hall with kitchen and a tasting and product presentation room will be created, which will also be available for companies.”

Currently, after three years of study, students earn the title of Agritourism Operator, and after five years, they obtain the Agricultural Technician diploma. With an additional sixth year of studies, it’s also possible to qualify as an Expert in services for agritourism enterprises.

Who enrolls in your school? “Males and females indiscriminately. I would say that currently – continues the director – they are evenly split at fifty percent. Since we opened to agritourism, the students are no longer only, so to speak, the children of the land, coming from families with agricultural businesses, but young people from various social backgrounds.”

Unfortunately, for now, the expansion does not include the construction of a gymnasium, but the management is already urging the municipal administration to build one that can also be used by the San Tomaso community.

Numerous supportive activities are underway (local gastronomy courses, horseback riding, etc.), and studies are being conducted to introduce a second foreign language. Excellent relations are maintained with the municipal administration led by Mayor Morando Perini, with whom targeted projects are being implemented, such as specific theses on the arrangement of municipal green areas.

“For the future, we will also aim to create – concludes Professor Manzo – a documentation center on rural life and popular traditions. Bilateral relations between our institute and similar ones abroad, such as in Romania and France, will be strengthened according to the Comenius educational project. Locally, we work with the Garda Community, the Italian Green Tourism Association based in Mantova, and numerous local businesses, where we carry out internships.”