MECSPE comes back for the third time to Bari Nov. 27-29, 2025 at the Fiera del Levante with a program designed to enhance the talents of the future, including the 5.0 Training Square, created with the ITS Academy A. Cuccovillo Foundation – Mechanics-Mechatronics System Institute.
Manufacturing continues to represent one of the fundamental pillars of the industrial sector of southern Italy, fitting into a dynamic national context, with more than 500,000 [1] companies active throughout the country.
From Nov. 27-29, 2025, this manufacturing ecosystem will meet again at the Fiera del Levante during the third edition of MECSPE Bari, the benchmark event for the manufacturing industry organized by Senaf.
Difficulties in finding skilled labour
In an increasingly dynamic but also complex labor market, the mismatch between the skills required by companies and those available on the market remains one of the main critical issues for the Italian production system.
A difficulty that rises in strategic sectors such as mechanical engineering, where companies struggle to find adequately trained technical professionals, thus jeopardizing their ability to innovate and grow.
According to Excelsior data from Unioncamere and the Ministry of Labor, in the mechanical and electronics industries, more than 68 percent of technical job profiles-such as mechanics, maintenance workers, and assemblers-are classified as “hard to find”, with percentages rising to 73 percent among young people under 30 years old [2].
A shortage mainly due to a lack of candidates (78 percent) and preparation not “tuned” with business needs (16 percent).
Yet, the ITS (Higher Technological Institutes) Academy system has shown encouraging results: 84 percent of ITS graduates find employment within 12 months of graduation, and for 93 percent of the cases it is employment consistent with the training they have done [3].
This is an evidence that confirms how post-high school technical education is one of the most effective tools aimed at filling the skills gap required by industry today.
As proof of this, it is enough to also see the increase in ITS training offerings, which increased by 28.9 percent compared to the previous year, and compared to 2013, the pathways multiplied by five.
Piazza della Formazione 5.0 (Training Square 5.0) at Mecspe Bari
In this scenario, the third edition of MECSPE Bari aims to be an active platform for connecting school, training and business, with a wide-ranging program dedicated to the development of human capital.
The beating heart of the commitment to young people will be the Piazza della Formazione 5.0 (Training Square 5.0), created in collaboration with the ITS Academy A. Cuccovillo Foundation, a reference point in the panorama of technical education in the mechanical-mechatronics field.
«Today, human resources represent the real added value for the growth of Companies and, therefore, it is increasingly necessary to provide, with care and attention to real needs, the acquisition of innovative and always up-to-date skills with respect to existing technologies» says Roberto Vingiani, manager of ITIS Academy “A. Cuccovillo” in Bari.
«In this logic, the appointment of the Piazza della Formazione 5.0 (Training Square 5.0), within MECSPE Bari, is renewed in order to make people understand the importance of the direct involvement of companies in practical training through the experience of ITS students, in order to make girls and boys discover more and more, the fantastic world of Digital Manufacturing and, at the same time, invite more and more companies to invest in the training of resources through ITS. Successfully motivating young people today to involve them in a process of personal growth that will result in satisfaction in companies and in the protection of the Made in Italy brands.»
Mecspe Bari: a qualified meeting place for central and southern Italian industry
«With MECSPE Bari we want to offer Central-South companies a concrete opportunity for growth, inspiration and exchange» comments Maruska Sabato, MECSPE project manager.
«The success of the previous editions shows how much there is a need for a qualified meeting place for Central-South industry that can enhance local excellence and support the transition to a more competitive and efficient production model.»
Following the success of the 2023 edition, which welcomed 15,000 professional visitors, 511 exhibiting companies and more than 150 events including conferences and workshops the 2025 edition aims to strengthen its impact on the territory with an offer that includes 20,000 square meters of exhibition space, several thematic halls, an area dedicated to startups, and spaces designed to foster dialogue between young innovators and companies.
During the opening event on Nov. 27, new data from the MECSPE Observatory will be presented to provide an updated snapshot of the state of the Italian manufacturing industry, with a special focus on the needs of companies in southern Italy.
A strategic appointment that follows the success of the 23rd edition of MECSPE Bologna, which concluded last March with record numbers: 66.573 professional trade visitors, more than 2,100 companies attending, more than 120 conferences, 13 exhibitions, 17 special initiatives, and will come back on March 4-6, 2026 with its 24th edition at BolognaFiere.
The figures of MECSPE BARI 2023
15.000 professional trade visitors, 20,000 sq. m of exhibition area, 511 companies attending, more than 150 conferences and workshops, 11 special initiatives, 3 halls, and the Exhibition Core “Transizione energetica e industria 4.0: sostenibilità nell’industria manifatturiera (Transition and Industry 4.0: Sustainability in the Manufacturing Industry)”.
Facts and figures of MECSPE BOLOGNA 2025
100.000 square meters of exhibition space, 66,573 professional visitors, more than 2,100 companies attending, more than 120 conferences, 13 trade shows, 17 special initiatives and 2,000 square meters of MECSPE LAB – Innovation Space.
[1] 526.342 – Movimprese: year 2024 – Industry sector, Italy.
[2] Excelsior, data processing, April 2025.
[3] INDIRE, ITS Academy 2025 Monitoring.
