Visit to the Scala Ansaldo Workshops
As part of the Skills Academy 2.0 project, we recently organized a social visit to the Scala Ansaldo Workshops in Milan: a valuable opportunity for discovery, connection, and shared experience.
Among sets, costumes, and vast spaces shaped by artisanal craftsmanship, participants stepped into the creative heart of the productions of the Teatro alla Scala, exploring pavilions and workshops where carpenters, sculptors, mechanics, and costume makers turn ideas into live performance.
Participants were actively engaged through a guided tour that encouraged direct observation, questions, and exchange. «Seeing processes live makes understanding easier, even when there are language differences», explains Elena, job counselor for the WIP program, «and it helps connect what is observed to concrete skills: manual dexterity, precision, teamwork, and organization».
The reactions? Curiosity, surprise, and interest in professions that are often little known. «The complexity and high level of specialization of these jobs clearly emerged, along with a growing sense of “possibility”, as participants recognized transferable skills applicable in different contexts».
The goal of these visits goes beyond the cultural dimension: «they are a bridge between cultural experience and personal and professional empowerment», as Elena emphasizes. Guided access to symbolic places fosters inclusion and a sense of belonging to the local community, while direct observation of professions makes work more imaginable and broadens perspectives on new career opportunities—strengthening motivation, self-efficacy, and well-being.
Because inclusion also grows through doing things together and feeling part of a community.
