Dal "vecchio empirismo" alla "tecnica razionale". Alle origini della formazione professionale alberghiera in Italia

The question of professional training for hotel personnel should be addressed within the more complex framework of the relationship between education and economic development. The problem manifested in Italy in the late 19th and early 20th century as a result of transformations in the tourist sector as regards both the gradual increase in flows, above all from other countries, and the birth of big luxury hotels. Under the influence of developments launched in other European countries such as Switzerland, Austria, France and Germany, discussion also began in Italy early in the 20th century on the need to set up training courses for hotel staff. The question was addressed repeatedly, both by the Italian Holeliers’ Association (the employers’ union) and by the Touring Club Italiano, but it was not until 1914 that the first training school for restaurant and room service personnel opened in Milan. The problem reappeared with still greater strength after an interval during World War I and the 1920s saw an increase in training initiatives in the hotel field, not least through the efforts of the National Organization for Tourist Industries. Schools were set up in major cities like Milan, Turin and Rome as well as leading resorts like Montecatini, Bolzano, Stresa and Rapallo. As a result of a reform of professional training introduced by the Ministry of Education, the 1930s then saw the creation of vocational schools. In this context, specific provision was made in schools of com¬merce for the hotel sector along the same lines as those existing for em¬ployment in other sectors, thus recognizing the growing economic importance of tourism. Particular significance attaches in this connection to the case of Genoa, where efforts on the part of the local administration and the Navigazione Generale Italiana shipping company led to direct training schemes for personnel to work on “floating hotels”. Particular importance attached to such personnel also in promoting the image of Italy, given their role as the initial interface with rich foreign tourists arriving in the country by sea. Given their particular conditions of work on luxury ocean liners, stewards must not only be capable of providing the various hotel-type services and communicating with the passengers in the major foreign languages but also possess sufficient understanding of nautical matters to take appropriate action in the event of difficulties arising in connection with sea travel. The school in Genoa proved quite successful in terms of enrolments and was considered one of the best examples of what a vocational school really should be, pinpointing the need to involve not only public bodies but also businesses interested in hiring the qualified students. This makes it possible to identify specific forms of both theoretical and practical training in the professional skills in demand on the job market and therefore capable of contributing to the development of the sector in which they are to be used.