Increase students’ knowledge of climate change impacts on the environment through dual (learning and working) training projects

Dual training (learning and working) offers to Italian secondary school students the opportunity to acquire theoretical knowledge on a specific topic and to spend some time in an institution where they get to apply their knowledge in practice. The combination of theory and practice gives students a head start for their future. In this contribution, we describe and discuss the dual training projects developed and managed by a team of geoscientists of Milan University from 2019 to 2021. The topic chosen for these projects was the impact of climate change on the environment and society. Students were initially prepared on climate change and its causes, and then they were trained to quantify its intensity and effects by applying different methods and techniques, ranging from the use of GIS and software of image analysis to the application of tools for statistical computing. The activities were attended by about 250 high school students from Milan and neighbouring areas.