Italy lagging in graduates says dean

(ANSA) - Rome, May 18 - Italy is lagging the rest of Europe for its number and percentage of university graduates, Trento University Dean Paolo Collini said Thursday ahead of the University G7 in Udine on June 29-30. In Udine, Collini is set to take part in a workshop on 'Universities and Economic Development' coordinated by ex-Bergamo dean Stefano Paleari, currently one of Alitalia's three extraordinary commissioners. Collini said "there is no doubt that the economic conditions of our country are one of the elements impeding access to university training "Another element that affects it at the level of the number of graduates or persons who access third-level training is the fact that, in Italy, there is no tertiary non-university training," Collini said. "Other countries, on the other hand, have a tradition of non-academic training which is qualified as tertiary training". photo: Collini with Rovereto Mayor Francesco Valsuga