Abstract
The relationship and the synergies between university education and on-the-job learning are the motivation of this experimental project. On the background of a region dominated by sme, the project team tried to find an appropriate education model in order to maximize the osmosis between industrial and academic education. The elaborated model has the target to guide talented students to their degree in BSc in Engineering by combining the normal academic education with a programmed work experience and learning by project program. An ad-hoc apprenticeship contract guarantees a regular compensation for the students also in the university periods, while specific university and industrial tutors assure the regular synchronization between academic and professional steps. The results confirm the "working students program" as a suitable way to speed up students' careers, consolidate the relationship between university and industry and assure a better alignment of academic visions and industrial needs.