The Experience of Training of Experts in Sustainable Development at the University of Perugia

Abstract

This paper presents the experience of the doctorate in “Rural Sustainable Development, land and environment” of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Perugia (Italy). The entire period of activity of the doctorate, founded in the academic year 2000/2001, including the ongoing cycles, covers a time span of 15 years with 10 cycles completed. Its principal aim was the training of researchers and managers with good skills to address the integration and sustainability of interventions within rural and environmental systems. All the doctoral students who have completed the course until now, six months after the acquisition of the Ph.D., had an employment contract or a job. At the present time 17 % of them are uin permanent employment at Italian Universities, 29 % have a fixed-term contract at the Italian University, 27 % are in Public-authority, 10 % are in Private authority and 17 % are Professional Agronomists. After the last reform of the Italian University, the doctorate has been incorporated into the new doctorate “Energy and Sustainable Development” of the Biomass Research Centre. This will be a single training course in which all major issues related to sustainable development will be handled: engineering, energy, environment, land-use planning, economy and medicine.