Technology for Training: The Growth of the Italian Market

In 2022, Italian companies allocated 40% of their training budget to digital learning, equivalent to around 480 thousand euros per company.

This information comes from the data presented by the EdTech Observatory of the School of Management at the Polytechnic University of Milan during the conference "The State of EdTech in Italy: Challenges in Education between Human and Artificial Capabilities."

In this article, we will analyze the results of this survey, focusing particularly on:

• Corporate Training
• School and University Education
• The EdTech Market in Italy and Worldwide

Focus on corporate training in Italy

In the corporate sphere, digital tools are primarily used to support mandatory training, including topics related to workplace safety and language training.

Tommaso Agasisti, the scientific director of the EdTech Observatory, explains, "Flexibility in delivering and consuming training at the most suitable times and places, the ability to engage a larger number of users, and efficiency resulting from cost containment and time optimization are the major benefits of adopting technological solutions in support of training."

Today, digital channels are the most widely used for delivering educational content, slightly surpassing traditional classroom lessons. For 2023, Italian companies predict a 4.9% growth trend in EdTech investments.

However, the main challenge remains the limited digital culture in Italian companies. "To make training more effective, it is necessary to strategically redesign the entire process, experiment with the most suitable tools for learning specific content, and involve people, especially trainers, in this change," concludes Tommaso Agasisti.

School and university education in Italy

In the school sector, 90% of the surveyed institutions have implemented training programs for teachers on the use of digital tools. According to Martina Mauri, the director of the EdTech Observatory, there is a lack of regional coordination, and decisions are delegated to individual schools. She adds, "It appears urgent, in this direction, for the Ministry of Education to provide methodological and operational suggestions to school institutions."

For 59% of the schools involved in the survey, at least half of the teachers do not feel comfortable using new educational technologies.

Yet, the advantages of adopting digital solutions for teaching are numerous: increased student engagement (78%), inclusion of more introverted and/or special-needs students (68%), and improved teaching effectiveness (50%).

Regarding universities, on average, 5.6% of the university budget is allocated to digital transformation, and 57% of universities have increased investments in these initiatives compared to 2022. Most universities offer a significant percentage of in-person study programs supported by digital tools (96%), such as Learning Management Systems (LMS), or allow access to recorded lectures (50%). Regarding innovative tools, the most widespread are open badges (58%), gamification systems (46%), and virtual and/or augmented reality (31%).

The EdTech market in Italy and worldwide

Geographically, the main market is in North America, accounting for 36% of the global revenue. However, the most significant growth prospects in the short and medium term seem to emerge from the Asia-Pacific region.

In Europe, the largest and most consolidated markets are the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, although there has been significant growth in the Spanish and Italian markets in recent years.

According to survey data, the global EdTech market will reach 142 billion dollars in 2023, recording a further growth of 15.4%. The largest share of revenue belongs to hardware products (41% of the total), which dominate over software and content solutions.

In Italy, the revenue of companies providing technology to support education stood at around 2.8 billion euros in 2022 (a 26% increase compared to 2021). The majority of companies offer software solutions (75%) in the educational sector, with schools and businesses being the primary target markets.