Ferrari Technical High School

The Ipsia A. Ferrari technical high school stands near the automotive factory of the same name in Maranello.

This location is no coincidence: the school was founded thanks to the vision and commitment of Enzo Ferrari.

In fact, in the early forties Enzo Ferrari was struck by the lack of skilled mechanics throughout the Modena area, and realised that a professional training school was required. He found suitable premises in an old farmhouse across the road from his factory. The school was provided with its own textbooks and the teachers were technical staff from the company itself. Students who passed the final examination were immediately hired by Ferrari.

In the early Sixties, Enzo Ferrari had a new, larger private school built, in response to the strong demand from young people wishing to attend this specialist course. The location was a building not far from the previous one, still close to the factory. The school was the only one in Italy to train students specifically to work in the automotive industry.

Subsequently, Enzo Ferrari, believing that every company should train its technical staff at a specific vocational school, lobbied the Ministry of Education to have the course, only run for employees of his own factory, transformed into a state school. His wish was granted. Initially established as a branch of an existing technical high school in Modena, in 1965 it became an independent institution under the name Ipsia A. Ferrari, commemorating Alfredo (Dino) Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari’s son who died very young from muscular dystrophy.

The close relationship with the Ferrari factory has continued even after the death of the school’s founder, and involves specific advisory projects, placements within the plant for students, and donations of materials that have significantly improved the school’s workshops and increased their level of specialisation. In particular, Ferrari has provided the high school with an engine testing room and has helped to fund the creation of a mechatronics workshop, in partnership with other local engineering firms.

Due to the specialist tuition it offers, the institute is attended by students from all over Italy. Over the years, the students and teachers have provided important working and research teams working on zero-emissions prototypes, which have competed in international competitions and undergone road trials. There is also an important partnership with the automotive training school at Sakahogi, the Japanese town where the Pajero is built. This blossomed into a twinning of the two towns, finalised in 2011.

Today more than ever before, Enzo Ferrari continues to be a shining example in his ability to appreciate young people’s importance as an essential, valuable resource.