The Make it Real project with Amazon
Fondazione Mondo Digitale and Amazon have launched Make It Real, a project that aims to contribute to social and economic growth by aligning training courses with the skills required by the labour market.
The decision to pursue a career in science and technology has a decisive impact on young people's futures and their competitiveness in the labour market. According to the annual Istat report, thirty-year-olds destined to join the highest-income social groups are mainly young graduates or diploma holders in STEM disciplines, characterised by high vertical social mobility.
The link between educational choices and professional sectors therefore remains fundamental. The Make It Real initiative involves secondary school students in an integrated programme of training, prototyping and competition, with the aim of introducing the younger generation to STEM disciplines, activating their entrepreneurial potential and preparing them for entry into the world of work. Make It Real aims to reach 10,000 students throughout Italy, particularly in Milan, Rome, Vercelli, Palermo and San Salvo (Chieti), areas where Amazon has its logistics sites.
The project promotes new opportunities for local communities through the direct involvement of the company, which provides expertise, learning spaces within its hubs in the area and resources such as Party Rock, the tool for developing apps using generative artificial intelligence created by Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Through six thematic webinars dedicated to artificial intelligence, creative coding, cloud computing, business models, storytelling and teamwork, young participants acquire cross-cutting skills, starting with digital skills. Subsequently, the most motivated teams participate in an intensive prototyping day at the Palestra dell'Innovazione in Rome, with the support of expert trainers and mentors from Amazon and AWS. The structure of the course is flexible and each webinar represents an autonomous training unit. Students are free to choose whether to follow individual modules or participate in the entire course.
The training course will culminate in a celebration during the RomeCup 2026, an innovation event dedicated to young people and promoted by Fondazione Mondo Digitale next April. In addition to this, the three-day event will also feature a creative robotics contest organised with the support of teams of students and academics from the Department of Civil Engineering and Computer Engineering at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.
‘With Make IT Real, we offer young people an immersive and concrete experience that combines technology, creativity and social impact. Participants become protagonists in a challenging journey that leads them to transform an idea into a project, to engage with innovative tools and a corporate reality such as Amazon, experiencing first-hand the potential of prototyping and teamwork,’ says Mirta Michilli, general manager of Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS.
‘We are proud to announce the Make IT Real project, which focuses on digital skills and training for young people through experiential learning. At Amazon, we believe that building a bridge between school and the world of work is essential to prepare the next generation to face the challenges of a rapidly changing job market,’ commented Rita Malavasi, Head of Institutional Relations at Amazon.it. ‘Our commitment to STEM education is an integral part of this vision: we want to offer students concrete opportunities to develop the most sought-after technological skills and help build a more inclusive and innovative future.’
In 2024, Amazon announced its goal of training 200,000 students in STEM by the end of 2026 in Italy, underscoring its commitment to promoting technological literacy and preparing the next generation for an ever-changing job market. The initiative includes several programmes, including: Amazon Future Engineer, which aims to provide free access to STEM training resources;
AWS re/Start, which aims to combat youth unemployment in southern Italy by offering free cloud training courses; other AWS initiatives with a focus on Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, such as AWS Academy and AWS Educate.
