The talent bridge
What placement strategies or programmes are you implementing to retain and valorise academic talents?
The University of Bologna provides structured career support services designed to facilitate the professional transition of graduates and PhD candidates. Throughout the year, activities have been updated to better align with job market needs and the educational backgrounds of students enrolled in 260 university degree programmes.
These activities include:
- a wide range of diverse job placement initiatives across all campuses, creating direct opportunities for students, graduates and PhD candidates to connect with employers through career fairs, sector events, workshops, company visits and networking events;
- career guidance services focused on helping graduates identify career paths and navigate selection processes, including technical preparation for job interviews and recruitment assessments, CV writing and LinkedIn coaching;
- curricular internships activated as a primary tool for workplace integration;
- specific resources for PhD candidates to translate academic research expertise into professional competencies;
- networking and information exchange facilitated by the Almae Matris Alumni association, connecting current students with professionals already established in their fields;
- guidance and resources to support entrepreneurship and self-employment.
What types of placement and career services does your institution offer to students and graduates? Are specific services provided for international students or students coming from other regions, particularly in terms of welcome, integration and academic–professional orientation?
The University of Bologna offers a comprehensive range of career services, currently being integrated and expanded through the “Reti e competenze, ponti fra Università e mondo del lavoro” project. Services are delivered through an integrated, multi-campus system to ensure accessibility and inclusiveness, and the University maintains strong ties with the regional economic ecosystem to maximise employability.
- Career guidance: the University provides career guidance through both individual counselling sessions and group activities, assisting students and graduates in navigating their transition into the labour market with tools for job searching, personal branding, defining professional goals and preparing for job interviews.
- Internships: comprehensive administrative support for internships is offered, with approximately 16,000 internship agreements active. Specific actions are implemented to enhance and promote curricular internships.
- Professional orientation: sector-focused career orientation events are organised, with alumni sharing insights into their professional journeys and career experiences.
- Job placement initiatives: the University organises large-scale events such as Career Days, recruiting events, sector-specific and departmental events, company presentations and job corners at department level. In addition to the Bologna Career Day — which has seen a growing number of participating companies (around 180) — a Career Day is also organised at the Rimini campus. Some events are held in collaboration with local stakeholders, such as the Job Day in Imola, organised in partnership with the Municipality of Imola.
- Support for PhD candidates: targeted services help PhD candidates transition into non-academic careers, including a PhD Recruiting Day and company visits. A mentoring programme for doctoral candidates is currently under development.
- International student support: dedicated English-language services and specialised initiatives such as “Work in Italy” provide targeted guidance for international profiles aiming to enter the Italian labour market, including support in drafting CVs according to Italian standards, information on key economic sectors and local companies, and personalised career counselling. The University, together with the Metropolitan City, local municipalities and ART-ER, works in synergy to support international students as they integrate into the local community and labour market. The University’s International Desk provides administrative and orientation assistance throughout the students’ path.
How does your institution foster the development of professional, artistic and transversal skills through placement-related activities?
The University organises various activities to support the development of professional and transversal skills, primarily within the framework of the “Reti e competenze, ponti fra Università e mondo del lavoro” project. These include:
- Skill Game Labs: workshops that use gamification to help students identify and evaluate their transversal competencies through simulated exercises;
- Assessment Simulations: guided sessions replicating recruitment and selection procedures used by organisations;
- Mentoring: a structured programme connecting students, graduates and PhD candidates with experienced alumni professionals, providing personalised guidance, career insights and strategic networking advice, developed in collaboration with the Almae Matris Alumni association;
- a dedicated Catalogue of Transversal Skills for PhD candidates, covering areas such as project management, intellectual property, career development and storytelling;
- Career Talks, organised with the Almae Matris Alumni association, giving students and alumni direct observations of professional environments and industry practices.
Which tools and communication channels does your institution mainly use to promote placement opportunities and career-related activities?
The University of Bologna uses a multi-channel communication framework to disseminate information on placement and career activities:
- Institutional platforms: the primary tools are the University website’s Job Placement sections and the degree programme websites. The AlmaLaurea platform is used as an online vacancy job board.
- Mobile tools: the Job Placement Unibo app provides real-time updates on recruitment events and career days, with information on company profiles and required professional profiles.
- Direct communication: information is distributed via institutional newsletters, targeted emails and digital job boards.
- Social media: professional networks such as LinkedIn and social platforms such as Instagram are used to publish notices and professional updates.
- Physical offices: Career Guidance and Job Placement offices across the multi-campus network provide direct assistance through seminars, desk services and on-site events.
How does your institution collaborate with local stakeholders to facilitate internships, traineeships and professional opportunities for students and graduates?
The University of Bologna maintains a structured network of collaborations with local and regional stakeholders to facilitate professional opportunities for its students:
- Institutional agreements: the University enters into formal partnerships with companies, public administrations and cultural institutions to activate curricular traineeships, alongside meetings with HR professionals involved in the events and initiatives organised to connect with the labour market.
- Territorial synergy: the University works in partnership with the Città Metropolitana di Bologna and the local municipalities where its campuses are located, with a focus on talent retention and professional integration within the regional economy.
- Collaborative initiatives with the Almae Matris Alumni association include Bo.Connect (2025) — a series of meetings on innovation and careers in Mechatronics and Big Data, organised together with Bologna for Talent and the Questura di Bologna — as well as the initiative “Starting a life journey in Bologna: Opportunities and Procedures to Start a Career in the Metropolitan Area.”
