FONDAZIONE ITS TAB

What FONDAZIONE ITS TAB does

Fondazione ITS TAB (full legal name: Fondazione Istituto Tecnico Superiore per Tecnologie Innovative per i Beni e le Attività Culturali - Turismo, Arte e Beni culturali - TAB, rebranded as "Istituto tecnologico superiore, Turismo Arte e Beni culturali - TAB ITS Academy" in July 2024) is a non-profit foundation constituted on June 30, 2015 and headquartered at Villa Strozzi, Via Pisana 77/A, Florence, Italy. The foundation operates post-diploma higher technical vocational training (ITS — Istituto Tecnico Superiore) across Tuscany, delivering Level V EQF diplomas recognized throughout Europe in tourism, hospitality management, cultural heritage, goldsmith arts (oreficeria), event management, destination marketing, and digital skills for the tourism and cultural sectors. Programs combine approximately 1,000–1,100 hours of classroom and laboratory instruction with 800–900 hours of mandatory internships at partner enterprises, with the foundation citing a graduate placement rate above 90% into the internship-hire company.

Technical infrastructure centers on three generations of the LAB-TAB educational laboratories: the original LAB-TAB (€142,587, 2019), LAB-TAB 4.0 (€506,070.85, 2020-2022), and LAB-TAB 4.0-IA (€314,741.74, 2024-2026). These laboratories house proprietary didactic platforms — Booking System CRM, Forecast Analysis, Marketing Design, Start Up Business Plan, 4.0 ERP, and Web Infrastructure — alongside hardware including 30 workstations, 15 VR headsets, LIDAR scanners (standalone, tablet, and drone-based), high-performance notebooks, and large-format displays. Course delivery spans 7 Tuscan provinces (Firenze, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa Carrara, Pisa, Siena) with sites in Florence, Siena, Lucca, Arezzo, Pisa, Follonica, Livorno, and Scandicci.

Revenue derives almost entirely from public sources — Regione Toscana, PNRR, POR FSE/FESR, and the Fondo per la Repubblica Digitale - Impresa sociale — making courses entirely free for students aged 18-35 with high school diplomas and for adults aged 34-50 in the Digital Future program. Governance rests with 71 member organizations including 5 founding promoters: Comune di Firenze (which presides over the Giunta esecutiva and provides the Villa Strozzi concession), Università di Firenze, ITT Marco Polo, UNA SpA, and Centro Studi Turistici di Firenze. The foundation has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no traditional equity ownership; students are net recipients of subsidized training rather than paying customers, and the effective economic customer is the regional public funding administration.

Name

FONDAZIONE ITS TAB

Legal name

Fondazione Istituto Tecnico Superiore per Tecnologie Innovative per i Beni e le Attività Culturali - Turismo, Arte e Beni culturali - TAB

Website

https://fondazionetab.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fondazione ITS TAB is a Florence-based non-profit providing free, publicly-funded post-diploma technical training (ITS, Level V EQF) in tourism, hospitality, cultural heritage, goldsmith arts, and digital skills across 7 Tuscan provinces through LAB-TAB laboratories featuring AI, AR/VR, and LIDAR capabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Education and Training

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Technical and Trade Schools (61151)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

Keywords

• Higher technical education
• Vocational training courses
• Tourism and hospitality training
• Cultural heritage education
• Goldsmith and jewelry courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Firenze

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Educational Funding: Primary revenue source from government funding. Courses are entirely free for students as they are publicly funded through Regione Toscana, PNRR (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza), POR FSE, FESR, and Fondo per la Repubblica Digitale - Impresa sociale. Funding includes specific project allocations such as 'Formazione Toscana Futura' at €5,651,429.58 and LAB-TAB laboratory projects.
2. PNRR and Regional Grants: Major projects funded through PNRR including 13 training courses (€4,424,355), individual orientation sessions (€29,250), group orientation (€71,668.80), scholarships (€636,295.20), teacher training (€46,991.91), and tutoring services (€442,868.67). Additional FSE co-financing through Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Fondazione ITS TAB is an Italian non-profit educational foundation that delivers post-diploma higher technical vocational training (ITS courses, 2000 hours including 900 hours of internship) in tourism, hospitality, cultural heritage, goldsmith arts and digital specializations. It awards Level V EQF diplomas recognized across Europe and operates advanced educational laboratories (LAB-TAB, LAB-TAB 4.0, LAB-TAB 4.0-IA) equipped with VR/AR, LIDAR, CRM, Revenue Management and ERP platforms. Courses are entirely free for students as they are publicly funded by Regione Toscana, PNRR, FSE and European programs.

Product overview

FONDAZIONE ITS TAB (Istituto Tecnologico Superiore per Tecnologie Innovative per i Beni e le Attività Culturali - Turismo, Arte e Beni Culturali) is an educational foundation offering post-diploma higher technical vocational training courses (ITS) across Tuscany. The organization operates as a unified platform offering multiple course families: hospitality management programs (HOMA series), goldsmith arts (Gold&Luxury, Meccan-Oro, Te.S.A.O.), event management (MICE, EVENTS), destination marketing, digital skills (Digital Future), and specialized laboratories (LAB-TAB, LAB-TAB 4.0, LAB-TAB 4.0-IA). Programs combine 1000-1100 hours of classroom training, laboratories, and 800-900 hours of mandatory internships in partner companies. The foundation also provides scholarship programs and orientation services. All courses lead to V level EQF diplomas recognized throughout Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ITS Academy TAB Higher Technical Courses Post-diploma higher technical education programs (2000 hours including 900 hours of internship) awarding Level V EQF diplomas in tourism, hospitality, cultural heritage, goldsmith arts and digital sectors for young adults aged 18-35 with a high school diploma.
• HOMA Hospitality Management Series Hospitality management course series (HOMA 4.0 through HOMA 8) training technicians for hotel and accommodation facility management, covering digital skills, revenue management, PMS and guest services.
• Gold & Luxury / Meccan-Oro / Te.S.A.O. Goldsmith Courses Goldsmith arts and jewelry design courses combining traditional artisan techniques with Industry 4.0 technologies such as CAD 3D modeling, CNC machining, laser welding, and 3D printing.
• MICE / Events Management Courses Event management course (MICE - Meeting, Incentives, Congress, Events) training professionals to organize, promote and manage events across cultural, congress, sports, tourist and gastronomic sectors.
• Destination Manager Course Territorial marketing and destination development course training professionals to promote and develop local tourism using digital marketing, revenue management and augmented reality technologies.
• Digital Future - Cyber Security Course Free digital upskilling courses for adults aged 34-50 in Cyber Security and other digital skills for the tourism and cultural sectors, funded by the Fondo per la Repubblica Digitale - Impresa sociale.
• Borse di Studio (Scholarship Program) Scholarship program supporting students with transportation, accommodation and living expenses for ITS course attendance and internships, including support for students residing more than 50km from course locations.
• Orientamento (Career Guidance) Career guidance and orientation services for prospective students, including individual and group counseling sessions (325 individual and 216 group sessions funded under PNRR) to match aptitudes with appropriate ITS courses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Placement rate exceeding 90% for graduates finding employment in their field of study
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Centro Studi Turistici di FirenzecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding promoter member of the foundation. Provides tourism research expertise and industry connections for curriculum development. Contributes to the Digital Future project for adult digital training. Aldo Frigeri serves as Director of Courses and is involved in course direction.
• Comune di FirenzecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding promoter member and President of the foundation's Giunta (executive board). Provides Villa Strozzi headquarters premises through concession agreement. Active participant in course development and student placement.
• Università di FirenzecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding promoter member. Contributed to development of LAB-TAB 4.0 software platforms through Dipartimento Scienze per l'Economia e dell'Impresa. Provides academic legitimacy and potential credit recognition for courses.
• ITT Marco Polo (Istituto Tecnico per il Turismo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding promoter member and reference school (ente di riferimento) for the foundation. Previously housed the LAB-TAB laboratory. Represents technical education sector in the foundation's governance.
• UNA SpAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding promoter member representing private sector tourism industry. Provides industry perspective and business network for student internships and employment.
• Elior SpA - Itinere (Trenitalia)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospitality On Board (HOB) course partner. Employs students under apprenticeship contracts during training. Provides on-board train service training for the Frecce high-speed trains. Exclusive concessionaire for Trenitalia hospitality services.
• Why The Best Hotels, Hotel Montreal, Villa Carlotta, Solo Experience Hotel, Terme di ChiancianominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHospitality businesses consulted for training needs assessment and providing internship opportunities for students. Representative of the foundation's industry network for practical training.
• Fondazione EATminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in PROM-AGRI course (agritourism hospitality and promotion). Co-financed project as mandante (lead partner) in Regione Toscana decree 6156/2020.
• Poli Tecnici Professionali toscaniminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSix Professional Technical Poles covering Firenze, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa Carrara, Pisa, and Siena provinces. Collaborate on course delivery and student recruitment in their territories.
• Istituto Professionale Margaritone (Arezzo)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTechnical school in Arezzo planned to host LAB-TAB Toscana Futura jewelry laboratory. Also partner school for Tecn-Oro and Te.S.A.O. courses.
• Fondazione Campus (Lucca)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTraining foundation in Lucca hosting HOMA courses and planned to house hospitality teaching laboratory. Partner in Tourism for Fashion course.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CAST Alimenti: Major Italian vocational training school for food, pastry, and hospitality professions. A larger, more established player operating in overlapping post-secondary vocational territory, particularly relevant given TAB's F&B Management course.
• Università IULM: Major Italian private university specializing in communication, marketing, and tourism arts. Competes with TAB's destination management and tourism marketing courses for Italian students seeking tourism-related careers through a degree-granting path.
• Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne: Globally leading hospitality management school. Represents the international upper-tier benchmark for the kind of career-focused hospitality training Fondazione TAB provides, though at a much higher price point and degree level.
• Università di Firenze - School of Economics: Founding-promoter university partner of Fondazione TAB, offering undergraduate and graduate programs in tourism economics and management. Represents the traditional academic alternative students consider before choosing ITS paths.
• Les Roches International School of Hotel Management: Swiss-based international hospitality school competing for the same global pool of hospitality management talent. Relevant as a benchmark for curriculum scope and an aspirational positioning reference for TAB's HOMA courses.
• ALMA - International School of Italian Cuisine: Established Italian higher-education institution for culinary arts and hospitality. While narrower in scope (focused on cuisine), it competes for the same pool of Tuscan hospitality students and employer placements.

Emerging players

• Accademia del Turismo: Italian vocational training provider focused on tourism professional development. Smaller and more recent than TAB but operates in the same training niche with similar post-diploma positioning.

Direct peers

• Fondazione ITS EAT: Co-partner with Fondazione TAB on the PROM-AGRI agritourism course. Another Italian ITS Academy operating in the same Tuscan regional ecosystem under the same Regione Toscana funding framework, making it the closest structural analog.
• ITS Academy Turismo Liguria: Italian ITS Academy dedicated specifically to tourism, hospitality, and food & wine training. Direct functional competitor training technicians for the same tourism-sector employers in an adjacent Italian region.

Others

• Giunti Psychometrics: Educational technology and assessment partner to Fondazione TAB for LAB-TAB 4.0 platforms. Ecosystem participant rather than competitor, but illustrative of the type of edtech suppliers that increasingly overlap with vocational training delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fondazioneitstab
• Facebookfacebook.com/fondazioneitstab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fondazione-its-tab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FONDAZIONE ITS TAB