Sicily vocational training: delays block professional accreditation

Ignazio Abbate, President of the I Commission for Institutional Affairs at the Sicilian Regional Assembly, has raised concerns regarding the suspension of fourth-year vocational training (IEFP) in Sicily.

The vocational training program is designed as a three-year course leading to a professional qualification, followed by a fourth year that provides professional accreditation allowing students to open their own businesses. Abbate stated that since the 2024/25 school year, this right to study has been denied to IEFP students in the region. He noted that the Department of Education failed to launch the fourth-year programs last year, and the start of the 2026-27 academic year has also been delayed.