Speech by Consul General Mr Lavanya Kumar
 at the Career Connect event organized by the Consulate on 
15 May 2025

(Venue: Consulate General of India, Milan)

Good evening to you all.

I warmly welcome all students to the Consulate. Let me take this opportunity to thank

Ms Lucia Salmaso, Managing Director, BKT Europe

Mr Santiago Priario, Country Manager, TCS

Mr Fabio Novelli, CEO, Noltec

Mr Gabriele Porta, Owner of Naked Studio

Ms Giulia Tricotti, Co-owner of Rise

We have about 4,500 Indian students enrolled in various courses at Italian universities, with about half of them studying in Northern Italy. Most of these students are pursuing graduate and post-graduate courses in automobile engineering, fashion and design, architecture, finance, and management. We anticipate that the number of Indian students will continue to rise in the coming years.

In the past seven months, I visited PoliMi, Bocconi, DOMUS, NABA, Marangoni, the University of Bergamo, and the University of Pavia, interacting with the Indian student community and the Rectors of these universities. I am happy to share that all the Rectors regard Indian students very favorably as hardworking.

We have observed that Indian students face significant challenges in securing internships, whether for project work or to gain experience after graduation. Today’s event has been organized to provide guidance and support in this regard. Italy, as a leading manufacturing hub in Europe and a global center for fashion and design, offers invaluable opportunities for professional growth. Acquiring work experience in Italy—particularly in its management practices and engineering technologies—will greatly benefit students, whether they return to India or pursue careers in other countries.

Indian students need no special introduction to TCS and the BKT. They have a global presence, including in Italy, and are shining examples of Indian entrepreneurship and vision. The other three firms- Noltec, Naked Studio, and Rise- are local Italian firms with niche areas of activity. I request them to share a few details about their business in Italy and advise the students on internships and the qualities they look for in the recruits.

For my part, I would like to emphasize the importance of learning the Italian language. B1 level of language proficiency is essential for integrating into Italian society and accessing various job and internship opportunities.

This is our first attempt at connecting students with the industry. Based on your feedback, we can fine-tune it for next time. Once again, I would like to thank the speakers for accepting our request.

I also would like to thank SASSI and ISAI associations for helping the Consulate to reach out to the student community.

Thank you

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