What is CPIA 4 Milano (Legnano)        (traduzione in inglese a cura di Federico Magni)

The CPIA 4 - Milano is an organization belonging to the Italian Ministry of Education and it belongs to the category of autonomous School Institutions (Istituzione Scolastica Autonoma). To Italian and foreign citizens we supply services and activities aimed at the education of adults, this considered as a means for the personal, social, cultural and economic growth of the whole citizenry.
CPIA 4 is organised so that we can be in close contact with local autonomous organisations and with the employers present on the territory. It can be considered as an educational laboratory, but also as an organisation fostering the integration process, addressing the demands and needs of the territory.

Who is it addressed to?

Italian and foreign adults older than 16 years who have not yet fulfilled mandatory schooling, who do not own a first instruction cycle final certificate or who are willing to get a high school diploma or even improve their linguistic and digital skills.

Why going back to school?

•             To have more and better employment opportunities

•             To improve your skills in dealing with new technologies

•             To improve your language skills for daily communication, travel and knowledge

It is of fundamental importance for all citizens who want to improve their personal and professional situation – be them workers, unemployed, retirees or housewives – to obtain a qualification.
With a lifelong learning view in mind, the CPIA offers solid growth perspective, study incentives and help in accessing instruction paths to all citizens who wish to undertake (further) formation.

According to the specific needs of the learners, the paths of adult instruction are divided into Italian language literacy teaching and paths of first level and second level:

•             Learning the Italian language is a key step in the integration process of foreign citizens into the territory; thus, to those willing to learn or improve their level of written and spoken Italian, the CPIA offers programs of literacy and Italian language learning finally aimed at the achievement of a language certification not inferior to the A2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CFER) for the knowledge of languages; the A2 level is required to obtain the residency permit (Carta di lungo soggiorno). The CPIA is also a branch where it is possible to undertake this test.
The CPIA is an exam location for the CILS certification of Italian language for the more advanced levels B1, B2, C1 and C2. These certificates are granted by the Università of Siena. Furthermore, in view of a growth of the training offer, the CPIA is also serving as an examination location for the Trinity Certification of spoken English language (levels A2-B1-B2-C1).
Literacy courses are not limited to the teaching of language, but they also comprise notions of civic education so as to foster the integration of foreigners and the intercultural dialogue.
At the beginning of the year entry tests are submitted to the users to assess their knowledge of the Italian language in order to create homogeneous classes in terms of language level.

•             The first level programs supplied by the CPIA are divided into two didactic periods: the first period is aimed at the achievement of the first instruction cycle final certification (licenzia media); the second period is built for the achievement of a certification that attests the acquisition of key competencies linked to the fulfilment of mandatory education and to activities shared by the different typologies of technical and professional high school institutions.
The organisation of educational activities chosen by the teachers operating in the CPIA is a modular one, meaning that it is peculiar because of its flexibility, expendability and transferability and that it embodies the most fitting structure in terms of the needs of an adult users pool by acknowledging all the previous credits, including the informal ones. A module here is meant as a full formation package aimed at the achievement of a certified result and/or of specific competencies. Every module begins with an entry test and is completed with a final test that verifies the achievement of the appropriate results.

•             The second level programs are embedded in the cycle of secondary education (i.e. high school level institutions) and are structured in three didactic periods aimed at the achievement of a secondary education level diploma (diploma di scuola superiore).

The secondary institutions that have a network relationship with CPIA 4 are:

I.I.S. C. DELL’ACQUA - Legnano
I.I.S. A. MENDEL - Villa Cortese
I.S. PUECHER-OLIVETTI - Rho
I.S. A. MATTEI - Rho
I.S. P. LEVI – Bollate
I.S. FRISI - Milano

•             The CPIA, in view of the improvement of key citizenship competencies, supplies modular courses of language and informatics structured in different steps for adults who would like to improve their own skills.