In May 2025, Riccardo Ocleppo, founder of the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT), gave the audience at TEDx Parma in Italy an insight into why he created OPIT, a new type of university that is quickly becoming essential in preparing students for an increasingly technological future.

Meet Riccardo

Although Riccardo graduated from Politecnico di Torino with a bachelor’s in electronic engineering in 2006 – followed by a master’s degree in 2008 – he felt unprepared for the challenges he felt he had to face as a professional. He sought to expand his vision by completing the master’s program at the London School of Business.

While studying in London, Riccardo became focused on how he could help other students optimize their studies and ensure they were properly prepared for their futures. This resulted in the creation of Docsity, an international online community where university students could exchange study materials to prepare for exams.

Docsity has grown into a global community with 15 million registered students. Moreover, it partners with over 250 universities and business schools worldwide that interview students and provide that information to educational organizations to help them refine their offerings. This experience of working as a conduit between students and universities shaped Riccardo’s understanding of the higher education sector’s needs, eventually leading to the creation of OPIT.

The Challenges Facing Higher Education

In his TEDx talk, Riccardo asked the Parma audience to imagine themselves on their first day of university – sitting in their classroom as their professor explains the concepts that they will learn over the coming years, designed to prepare them for the future.

But, he asked, how long will the skills in your curriculum be relevant? In the past, the skills learned at university would last someone for the rest of their professional lives. But today, with technology changing faster than ever, we have reached the point where we can’t accurately predict what technologies we will be using in five years. It is even more challenging, he said, to predict what kind of knowledge children sitting in classrooms today will need when they reach adulthood.

The inability to predict the skills that students will need in the future or adapt courses quickly enough to include those skills is why many university degrees are no longer fit for purpose, Riccardo explained. Instead, he stated, they are preparing students for a destination that will no longer exist when they graduate while pushing them over a road with a constantly moving target destination.

Building OPIT

With these challenges and his experiences from Docsity in mind, Riccardo set to work designing the kind of education he wished that he had received. He set out to create a university that would allow learners, at any stage in their career, to adapt and reinvent themselves for the changing world. The result was OPIT, which matriculated its first students in 2023.

With that in mind, OPIT courses are built around three pillars.

Pillar One: Bridging Theory and Practice

Universities often produce students with excellent theoretical knowledge of a subject area but with limited ability to apply that knowledge to real-world problems. It is how Riccardo felt about his knowledge and skills when he completed his electronic engineering degree.

OPIT degrees, on the other hand, are designed to provide students with not only a strong technical foundation but also an understanding of and the ability to develop real-world applications.

The OPIT faculty, recruited from some of the world’s leading businesses, play a central role in achieving this. Instead of relying on polished case studies published years after the fact, they use real-life workplace challenges as teaching tools.

Faculty members include practitioners and thought leaders from some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including Zorina Alliata, Principal AI and Generative AI Strategist at Amazon; Khaled Elbehiery, Senior Director and Network Engineer at Charter Communications; Andrea Gozzi, Head of Strategy and Partnership for the Digital Industries Ecosystem at Siemens; and Sabya Dasgupta, Lead Solution Architect at Microsoft.

For MSc programs, students complete this focus on application with the final Capstone Project, which encourages them to apply their knowledge to the real world through an industry internship.

Pillar Two: International and Multidisciplinary

As well as recruiting professors with an international and multidisciplinary profile, OPIT seeks to do the same with the cohort – people working in diverse fields and looking for ways to leverage the same technology to improve what they do. The diversity of the student profile helps break down both educational and industrial silos, encouraging multidisciplinary thinking and unexpected innovation. It can also give students a greater level of cultural awareness, which they may not have encountered before.

Courses involve online meetups between peers, allowing them to share challenges and learn through application. OPIT also hosts online events that allow students to connect with leaders from companies such as Morgan Stanley, PayPal, and Microsoft, to learn about the professional world today and forge networks for the future.

Pillar Three: Education That Fits Your Life

The third pillar of OPIT is that education should be flexible and fit into your life, rather than require you to put the rest of your life on hold to study. This is especially important for established professionals who want to adapt or reinvent themselves but don’t have the luxury of walking away from their work and other responsibilities for a few years to do so.

This is why OPIT courses are online by design – or “remote first,” as many companies brand it. This not only allows students to build study into their existing lives but also to develop experience working remotely as part of a distributed team, which are essential skills in today’s work environment.

OPIT Courses

Today, criteria such as “data literacy” and “comfortable working with AI” are often at the top of job descriptions. With these and other necessary skills in mind, OPIT launched with a BSc in Modern Computer Science and an MSc in Applied Data Science and AI.

Since then, they have also initiated a BSc in Digital Business and MSc degrees in Digital Business and Innovation, Responsible Artificial Intelligence, and Enterprise Cybersecurity. The first cohort of students celebrated their graduation ceremony on March 8, 2025.

In May 2025, Greta Maiocchi, Head of Marketing and Administration at the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT), went online with Stefania Tabi, OPIT Career Services Counselor, to discuss how OPIT helps students translate their studies into a career.

You can access OPIT Career Services throughout your course of study to help with making the transition from student to professional. Stefania specifically discussed what companies and businesses are looking for and how OPIT Career Services can help you stand out and find a desirable career with your degree.

What Companies Want

OPIT degrees are tailored to a wide range of individuals, with bachelor’s degrees for those looking to establish a career and master’s degrees for experienced professionals hoping to elevate their skills to meet the current market demand.

OPIT’s degrees establish the foundation of the key technological skills that are set to reshape industries shortly, in particular artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.

Stefania shared how companies recruiting tech talent are looking for three types of skills:

• Builders – These are the superstars of the industry today, capable of developing the technologies that will transform the industry. These roles include AI engineers, cloud architects, and web developers.
• Protectors – Cybercrime is expected to cost the world $10.5 trillion by the end of 2025, which means companies place a high value on cybersecurity professionals capable of protecting their investment, data, and intellectual property (IP).
• Decoders – Industry is producing more data than ever before, with global data storage projected to exceed 200 zettabytes this year. Businesses seek professionals who can extract value from that data, such as data scientists and data strategists.

Growing Demand

Stefania also shared statistics about the growing demand for these roles. According to the World Economic Forum, there will be a 30-35% greater demand for roles such as data analysts and scientists, big data specialists, business intelligence analysts, data engineers, and database and network professionals by 2027.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, meanwhile, predicts that by 2032, the demand for information security will increase by 33.8%, by 21.5% for software developers, by 10.4% for computer network architects, and by 9.9% for computer system analysts. Finally, the McKinsey Global Institute predicts a similar 15-25% increase in demand for technology professionals in the business services sector.

How Career Support Makes a Difference

Next, Stefania explained that while learning essential skills is vital to accessing this growing job market, high demand does not guarantee entry. Today, professionals looking for jobs in the technology field must stand out from the hundreds of applicants for each position with high-level skills.

Applicants demonstrate technical expertise in relevant fields by completing OPIT’s courses. They also need to prove that they can deliver results, demonstrating not just what they know but how they have applied what they know to transform or benefit a business. Professionals also need adaptability, adaptive problem-solving skills, and a commitment to continuous learning. OPIT’s final Capstone projects can be an excellent way to demonstrate the value of newly acquired skills.

Each OPIT program prepares students for future careers by providing dedicated support and academic guidance at every step.

What Kind of Support Does Career Services Offer?

Career Services is specifically focused on assisting students in making the transition to the job market, and you can make an appointment with them at any time during your studies. Stefania gave some specific examples of how Career Services can support students on their journey into the career market.

Stefania said she begins by talking with students and discussing what they truly value to help them discover the type of career that aligns with their strengths. With students who are still undecided on how to start to build their careers, she helps them craft a tailored job and internship search plan.

Stefania has also worked with students who want to stand out during the job application process among the hundreds of applicants. This includes hands-on help in reframing resumes, tailoring LinkedIn profiles, and developing cover letters that tell a unique story.

Finally, Stefania has assisted students in preparing for interviews, helping them research the company, develop intelligent questions about the role to ask the interviewer and engage in mock interviews with an experienced recruiter.

Connecting With Employers

OPIT Career Services also offers students exposure to a wide range of employers and the opportunity to build relationships through masterclasses, career talks, and industry roundtables. The office also helps students build career-ready skills through interactive, hands-on workshops and hosts virtual career fairs with top recruiters.

Career Services also plays an integral role in connecting students with companies for their Capstone project in the final phase of their master’s program. So far, students have worked with companies including Sintica, Cosmica, Cisco, PayPal, Morgan Stanley, AWS, Dylog, and Accenture. Projects have included developing predictive modeling for natural disasters and fine-tuning AI to answer questions about EU tech laws in multiple languages.

What Kinds of Jobs Have OPIT Graduates Secured?

Stefania capped off her talk by sharing some of the positions that OPIT graduates have now fulfilled, including:

• Chief Information Security Officer at MOMO for MTN mobile services in Nigeria
• Data Analyst at ISX Financial in Cyprus
• Head of Sustainability Office at Banca Popolare di Sondrio in Italy
• Data Analyst at Numisma Group in Cyprus
• Senior Software Engineer at Neaform in Italy

OPIT Courses

OPIT offers both foundational bachelor’s degrees and advanced master’s courses, which are both accessible with any bachelor’s degree (it does not have to be in the field of computer science).

Choose between a BSc in Modern Computer Science for a strong technical base or a BSc in Digital Business to focus on applications.

Meanwhile, courses that involve a final Capstone project include an MSc in Applied Data Science and AI, Digital Business and Innovation, Enterprise Cybersecurity, and Responsible Artificial Intelligence.

Source:

• Medium, published on March 24th, 2025

By Alexandre Lopez

• Medium

Source:

• Il Sole 24 Ore, published on March 24th, 2025

Just two years after its launch, the online and European-accredited academic institution, whose rector is former minister Francesco Profumo, confirms its growth with over 300 students from 78 countries and an international faculty of excellence.

OPIT (Open Institute of Technology), the European accredited academic institution (www.opit.com), has achieved its first milestone since it entered the higher education market in 2023: 40 students from 6 continents have completed the first master’s degree in Applied Data Science & AI, whose classes began in September two years ago.

The graduation ceremony took place at the central Casino Maltese in Valletta, Malta, where OPIT is regularly accredited, in the presence of Francesco Profumo and Riccardo Ocleppo, respectively Rector and founder, the Maltese Minister Clifton Grima (Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation), and Rose Anne Cuschieri, CEO of the MFHEA authority. In addition to the graduates, the guests included some of the internationally renowned professors of the academic institution, such as Pierluigi Casale, Tomislav Vazdar, Art Sedighi and Francesco Derchi.

The students’ thesis projects have developed on innovative topics: the use of large language models for the creation of chatbots in the ed-tech field, the digitalization of customer support processes in the paper and non-woven industry, up to personal data protection systems and the use of Artificial Intelligence for environmental sustainability, predictive models for the prevention of disasters linked to climate change, the fight against money laundering, new perspectives of generative AI in the legal field (with a focus on Italian startups such as Giurimatrix). All of this has also been developed thanks to the launch of strategic collaborations with partner companies such as Neperia, Sintica, Cosmico, Dylog, Buffetti Finance and Hype, demonstrating the concrete approach and strong practical component that characterize the OPIT training experience.

“Today we celebrate the first chapter of a journey that will continue to grow with a consolidation of the current educational offering, new courses, doctoral programs, applied research and increasingly advanced training opportunities. We are only at the beginning, but this day demonstrates that OPIT is already a consolidated reality in the international academic panorama and a point of reference for those who want to be protagonists of the digital future” – declared the Rector Francesco Profumo.

With two degrees already started in September 2023 – a three-year degree in Modern Computer Science and the aforementioned master’s degree in Applied Data Science & AI – and four more starting in September 2024 (a three-year degree in Digital Business, and the master’s degrees in Enterprise Cybersecurity, Applied Digital Business and Responsible Artificial Intelligence, which brings the total offer to 6 degrees), today OPIT is a point of reference for those who intend to take on the challenges of a job market increasingly oriented towards artificial intelligence and technology in the broad sense. Entirely in English and online, OPIT is enhanced by a high-profile international teaching staff, coming from leading universities and companies at a global level: 45 professors with international experience in both the academic and business worlds. Many of them have collaborated with Amazon, the European Parliament, NASA, Philips and numerous other leading companies, demonstrating the approach based on excellence that the institution has pursued since its foundation.

As part of the development roadmap, OPIT is completing the evolution of its educational offering. Alongside the training programs already underway, 2025 will also be the year in which the research area will develop, paving the way, in the coming years, for doctoral programs and aligning itself even more with what universities around the world are already doing. In particular, OPIT has already started applied research projects with some companies on the topics on which its teaching is based: AI, computer science, cloud computing and cyber security. This year, a pre-degree Foundation Program will also be introduced, designed to provide solid academic foundations to aspiring students who do not meet the admission requirements for three-year degrees.

• Il Sole 24 Ore

Source:

• Avvenire, published on March 20th, 2025

Diploma to the first 40 students of OPIT, Open Institute of Technology. Rector Profumo: “It is the first chapter of a path of continuous growth with new courses”

First graduates from OPIT (Open Institute of Technology), an exclusively online academic institution accredited at European level based in the Maltese capital Valletta. At the end of a study program that began in September 2023, 40 students from 6 continents have obtained a master’s degree in Applied Data Science & AI. The topics chosen for the theses are innovative: use of large language models for the creation of chatbots in the ed-tech field, digitalization of customer support processes in the paper and non-woven fabric industry, up to personal data protection systems and the use of Artificial Intelligence for environmental sustainability, predictive models for the prevention of disasters linked to climate change, fight against money laundering, new perspectives of generative AI in the legal field (with a focus on Italian startups such as Giurimatrix). The theses were also developed in collaboration with partner companies such as Neperia, Sintica, Cosmico, Dylog, Buffetti Finance and Hype.

“With these 40 graduates we celebrate the first chapter of a path that will continue to grow with a consolidation of the current educational offering, new courses, doctoral programs, applied research and increasingly advanced training opportunities”, underlines the rector of OPIT, Francesco Profumo.

OPIT currently offers six degree courses (a three-year degree in Modern Computer Science, a master’s degree in Applied Data Science & AI, a three-year degree in Digital Business and the master’s degrees in Enterprise Cybersecurity, Digital Business and Innovation and Responsible Artificial Intelligence), with a total catchment area of ​​over 300 students from 78 countries and 6 continents, with an average age of 35. 80% of the enrolled population is represented by working students, destined to double based on projections on the number of students enrolled in degrees starting in 2025. This year, moreover, the research area will also develop, paving the way, in the coming years, for doctoral programs and aligning itself even more with what universities around the world already do.

“The success of this first class of graduates represents a significant milestone for OPIT and confirms our mission: to offer a high-level technological education, accessible globally and able to concretely respond to the needs of a constantly evolving job market”, recalls Riccardo Ocleppo, founder of OPIT.

• Avvenire

Source:

• MediaKey, published on February 27th, 2025

For the third consecutive year, Open Institute of Technology has entrusted Simone Guzzardi’s agency with the PR activities and management of the LinkedIn profile of the rector, former Minister Francesco Profumo

Throughout 2025, the L45 team will support OPIT in the most strategic PR activities to strengthen brand awareness and reputation, leveraging the many visibility opportunities that the panorama of excellent online education offers today. In fact, it is a market that is experiencing unprecedented economic growth, thanks to the growing demand for quality skills to face the challenges of this fundamental transition era. In fact, it is estimated that the global online training market in 2026 will double the value it had in 2020, going from 185 billion dollars to 388 billion dollars, and even reaching, according to some, 1000 billion by 2032.

Thanks to the commitment of the founder and director Riccardo Ocleppo, OPIT has recently expanded its educational offering, including 6 degree courses, less than three years after its birth: two three-year degrees in Digital Business and Modern Computer Science, alongside the master’s degrees in Digital Business & Innovation, Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Enterprise Cybersecurity and Applied Data Science & AI.

• MediaKey

Source:

• Times of Malta, published on March 18th, 2025

Ricardo Ocleppo, founder of OPIT.

OPIT’s high-profile international teaching staff have been recruited from some of the best universities in the world, including Tier-1 institutes in the US, UK, Canada, Sweden, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Poland, Lebanon, and Spain.

On his part, Ricardo Ocleppo shared his reflections on how OPIT is dedicated to producing graduates who are not only job-ready but also prepared to lead the way in an ever-changing technological landscape.

Both Ocleppo and Profumo say they are on a mission to unlock students’ progress and employment on a global scale by providing high-quality and affordable education – a model based on the need for quality, flexibility, inclusivity, and the acquisition of crucial skills in future-ready sectors such as Artificial Intelligence.

OPIT’s student-centric approach delivers a combination of online learning and interactive discussions within a collaborative environment fostering advancement and innovation, including live lessons, masterclasses, videos, quizzes, exercises, and more internally developed digital content that students can access at any time.

With several students and faculty joining remotely, the ceremony also saw graduates present their capstone projects, many of which exhibit real-world applications of emerging technology.

More information about OPIT is available here.

• Times of Malta

Soon, we will be launching four new Degrees for AY24-25 at OPIT – Open Institute of Technology
I want to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the Product Definition process that has shaped these upcoming programs.

🚀 Phase 1: Discovery (Late May – End of July)

Our journey began with intensive brainstorming sessions with OPIT’s Academic Board (Francesco Profumo, Lorenzo Livi, Alexiei Dingli, Andrea Pescino, Rosario Maccarrone) . We also conducted 50+ interviews with tech and digital entrepreneurs (both from startups and established firms), academics and students. Finally, we deep-dived into the “Future of Jobs 2023” report by the World Economic Forum and other valuable research.

🔍 Phase 2: Selection – Crafting Our Roadmap (July – August)

Our focus? Introducing new degrees addressing critical workforce shortages and upskilling/reskilling needs for the next 5-10 years, promising significant societal impact and a broad market reach.
Our decision? To channel our energies on full BScs and MScs, and steer away from shorter courses or corporate-focused offerings. This aligns perfectly with our core mission.

💡 Focus Areas Unveiled!

We’re thrilled to concentrate on pivotal fields like:

• Cybersecurity
• Advanced AI
• Digital Business
• Metaverse & Gaming
• Cloud Computing (less “glamorous”, but market demand is undeniable).

🎓 Phase 3: Definition – Shaping the Degrees (August – November)

With an expert in each of the above fields, and with the strong collaboration of our Academic Director, Prof. Lorenzo Livi , we embarked on a rigorous “drill-down process”. Our goal? To meld modern theoretical knowledge with cutting-edge competencies and skills. This phase included interviewing over 60+ top academics, industry professionals, and students and get valuable, program-specific, insights from our Marketing department.

🌟 Phase 4: Accreditation and Launch – The Final Stretch

We’re currently in the accreditation process, gearing up for the launch. The focus is now shifting towards marketing, working closely with Greta Maiocchi and her Marketing and Admissions team. Together, we’re translating our new academic offering into a compelling value proposition for the market.

Stay tuned for more updates!