Ongoing training consists in a learning path aimed at companies, in order to update and develop the professional knowledge and skills of persons working in enterprise, in close connection with the technological innovation of production processes and in relation to changes in the labour market. It is a tool that supplements permanent learning and it is designed to maintain conditions of employability over employees' working lifetimes and improve their adaptive capacities.
Financed (via Italian law no. 236) by the EU Interprofessional and Structural funds, ongoing training is a strategic tool for companies: it enables them to access training courses for their employees free of charge. There are two different types of courses that can be availed of: company courses and inter-company courses. The former are courses that are run in-house at a company, to meet the training needs agreed with the providing body. These courses are tailored in terms of objectives, method and timescales, according to the specific needs of the applicant. The latter are courses that are attended by employees from several different companies. They are training programmes, structured by thematic area, in order to enable small and medium-sized companies to take advantage of training opportunities even if the number of employees involved is small. The principal beneficiaries of this type of training are Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): companies that, more than others, need a new orientation to innovation and economic development, an essential factor in dealing with the technological changes in progress and in competing in the wider European arena.
The Fondazione Politecnico di Milano has implemented many ongoing training programmes, in cooperation with public bodies, associations, universities and training centres. The courses offered cover many different areas including: energy saving, environmental management, enterprise development, project management, technological transfer of innovation, and many more. The quality of teaching is ensured by the expertise of lecturers from the Politecnico di Milano and also by the experience of professionals in the sector, factors that have enabled the development of courses that achieve a perfect balance of theory and practice. The Fondazione Politecnico di Milano has also adopted (from 2007 onwards) a company management system that conforms to the ISO 9001:2000 standard. It is also entered in the Register of Accredited Companies for providing training services for the Lombardy Region.