Recovery after the pandemic should revolve around young people, leveraging their fresh and bold outlook on the future. At Argo Tractors – leading manufacturers of agricultural machinery – this has been a core company value for decades. Having built a close relationship with various educational institues, in 2017 Argo Tractors were awarded the prestigious “Impresa Amica delle scuole” (“Company supporting schools”). This award is given annually by the Confindustria, the Italian association of manufacturing and service, to companies committed to providing training and education to students.

Every year hundreds of Italian and European students have been hosted at the Argo Tractors factories, in the Reggio Emilia area of Italy. Excluding the past 13 months, where COVID restrictions and regulations have prevented this. Some of these students are given training covering production processes to company assets.

This training allows students to gain an understanding of mechanical and production processes. This in-depth knowledge of an international business lets students interact directly with company employees, many of whom joined the company via the same path. This is a proven fundamental background for students of all ages – from high school to those studying for Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees.

Argo Tractors factories are open to provide hands-on training experience. This is a sign of commitment to the close partnerships the company has developed with various educational institutes. One of the most significant parternships is with the Institute of Higher Education ITS Maker in Reggio Emilia. Offering the course “Higher Technician for Mechatronic Systems” and the recently introduced course for “Higher Technician for the integrated management of industrial processes” which covers the concepts of industrial engineering, supply chain, lean production and industry 4.0.

In a nation significantly affected by the pandemic, the sharp increase in job offerings in the agricultural machinery and electronics sector is good news. Ready to employ thousands of new skilled technicians. In this situation, education and training are fundamental. The world of agricultural machinery requires professionals capable of mastering  skills such as using drones, sales support and assistance or using satellite networks in increasingly remote situations. However, the demand for properly trained and up-to-date technicians is increasingly urgent. This is in part due to the growing use of technologies related to precision farming and partly driven by incentives related to the Agriculture 4.0 plan.

 “Training our employees and co-workers is essential if we are to be always ready and at the forefront in tackling the new dynamics and technologies applied to the sector, which are constantly evolving. This is why we consistently invest in and commit to the training of our personnel,” underlines Manlio Martilli, Human Resources Director at Argo Tractors , “this represents a strategic asset for us to be competitive at a global level. At the same time, we have always believed that creating a solid synergy with young people and the world of education is a strategic approach, first and foremost to make our company and production processes known to those who may well be our future co-workers. But it is equally important to help understand young people, who are our future, and their world vision, and to build tomorrow’s society for them and with them. Training is one of the corporate values that guide our mission and on which we are strongly focussed, thanks to the collaboration with schools of various levels. We are also responding to new demands arising in our sector with dedicated training courses. This is the case, for example, with the new course Higher Technician for the integrated management of industrial processes born from the collaboration with ITS Maker”.

As previously mentioned, Argo Tractors commitment is not limited to secondary education and higher education. Further training considered a strategic asset comes from the concrete support that Argo Tractors is giving to the UniMoRe/Reggio Città Universitaria project. This is aimed at building a new university campus at the former Seminary in Reggio-Emilia. This will siginificantly increase and enhance the academic offerings of the city.

“For those who, like the Morra family in particular and Argo Tractors at large, have always considered Research & Development as a strategic asset,” continues Martilli , “it is natural to focus on a project for the development and implementation of academic offering, especially in a territory that is at the heart of the Motor Valley. University education is the basis for developing and honing skills, knowledge and the passion for mechatronics, applying them to agricultural mechanisation and thus ensuring that we are at the forefront of production processes and of the design of technologically advanced and environmentally friendly products“.