IFOTER, is a Professional Training Institute in the tertiary sector, it was created in 1992 out of the needs of the Confcommercio of Livorno, as an answer to all the requirements of professional training and qualification of the commercial, tourism and services operators. It provides a specialised instrument for those who wish to have a professional success in the tertiary sector.

From 5th February 2003 I.FO.TER is a Training Agency sponsored by the Tuscany region (cod. 380).

From 18th May 2005 I.FO.TER is a Certified Agency ISO 9001.

Our activities.

We promote and manage initiatives such as:

• Providing continuous training and professional refreshing courses to commerce, tourist and service sector operators.

• Organizing professional training to those who need to undertake activities in the trade, tourism and services sector.

• improving knowledge in economics, technical and social sector, either for operators or organizations of the sector and for the Public Administration and the Public Opinion.

• providing training to non-employed/unemployed. We promote new periods of training, very much close to the emerging needs of the work market and enterprises. This enables IFOTER together with the backing of Confcommercio to maintain a special dialogue channel.

IFOTER works through the following channels:

• Inter-professional funds (FO.RTE AND FON.DIR)

• ESF

• National Law (L. 236/96 and L.53/00, L. 215/92 L. 125/91, )

• Through Provincial and Council notifications in matters of research and innovation.

• Community plans and programmes.

• Through courses and activities for private research.

• Through activation and tutoring of trainingships in commerce, tourist and service sector. (IFOTER manages a data bank and provides a service of inter-change between demand and offer it offers probation training to firms and potential trainees, and always taking special care of the start up and the appropriate tutoring.)

• More activities are promoted with the cooperation of TAC (Technical Assistance Centre) of Confcommercio Livorno.

IFOTER works with the cooperation of TAC Confcommercio. TAC is a centre for technical aid to companies. They give support in projects and coordination of any activity inherent to the improvement of competitions, productions and re-qualifications of operators of the sector or commerce, tourism and service. It has taken part in the building up of the Natural Shopping centres of the province of Livorno and in the city of Livorno. Working together with the council and the regional administration. It has taken part also in important projects of research in the commercial sector of the Livorno province and has taken part on the creation of PIR for The “ Porta a Mare” (a re-qualification plan for the city of Livorno, in conjunction with the council administration.

IFOTER has also tested and established a large web of partners on all the provincial territory and has joined, since 2002, the Consorzio Performa Toscana (This consortium includes and coordinates, at a regional level, all the plans in charge of training within the network of Confcomercio) Regional schemes are carried out by Performa Toscana.

Our schemes

The personnel belonging to IFOTER is made up of qualified people and with several years experience in professional training and upgrading training. The scheme that IFOTER has carried forward through the years is based essentially on some focal points, which have proved great success.

-We take care and programme the management of activities, such as (training, research and teaching), together with their own initiative and their own existing personnel. IFOTER accepts assignments directly from companies, private and public organizations.

-We provide continuous update; IFOTER analyses periodically the training needs of their own partners and provides on going up date to their own resources.

-We operate interchange with experts, companies and qualified providers. Making sure they are matching their target of quality and supply capability. IFOTER manages two data banks. One relating to the suppliers of good and another relating to the teaching staff and qualified experts in training. They always tap into it every time they retain valid the need to reach the training or planning targets. The data banks are updated periodically according to careful analysis of the curricula and the feed back of the experiences in the subjects.

-We use the channel of Confcommercio with privileged interlocutors in the world of business, companies and institutions, local, regional or national (through Perform Toscana and Confcommercio Regional’s TAC).

Our Framework

The main office of IFOTER is in Livorno. IFOTER has a teaching framework with two lecture rooms and a multimedia laboratory, which are used for training purposes with the help of very advanced computers. IFOTER is also researching on remote-training modules and “work from home” scheme.