HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE, EUROPEAN EDITION: Why Italian Unemployment Is So High:

Like people in other rich countries, Italians tend to look down on manual work, however skilled, and families prefer to push their children towards careers in the professions and the public sector. The education system, at all levels, generally provides a poor preparation for working life. Italian universities are full of youngsters studying subjects in which they are not interested but which their parents think are good, regardless of the job prospects.

The outcome is poor.