How does the automotive design summer camp in Italy for teenagers work
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When a young person shows genuine interest in cars, design, and technology, the question for many parents is not “whether” they should invest in their child's talent, but “how” to do so in a structured way and with real impact. Online courses teach concepts but don't put clay in your hands. YouTube videos show renders, but they don't open the doors of Italdesign or Pagani. O Automotive Design Summer Camp does just that: it transforms curiosity into competence, in Milan, with industry professionals.
In this article, you will understand how the project works in practice, from the academic structure to everyday residential life, including technical modules, exclusive excursions and the type of project that young people carry out over two weeks. If your child is between 15 and 18 years old and wants to explore the world of design before choosing a college, this content will help you make an informed decision.
What is the Automotive Design Summer Camp?
The Automotive Design Summer Camp is an intensive two-week program designed for teenagers aged 15 to 18 with an interest in future design, creativity, engineering, and mobility. It takes place in Milan, the world capital of design, and combines studio classes, clay modeling laboratories, professional digital tools and visits to real companies in the automotive sector.
The project is conducted in English, with a minimum level of B1, and has a residential format. This means that participants live together in the same space throughout the experience. This coexistence intensifies learning, creates connections between young people from different countries, and prepares students for the collaborative environment they will find in college and in their future career.
What are the project modules?
The curriculum of Automotive Design Summer Camp it is structured around six major areas:
- Car Design Foundations and Sketching: Students learn the basics of automotive technical drawing, vehicle proportions, design lines, and how to accurately translate a visual idea onto paper.
- Clay Modeling and Volume Development: Full-scale clay modeling is one of the most valued skills on the market. In this module, young people create three-dimensional volumes and understand how design behaves in physical space.
- Digital Rendering and Basic 3D Exploration: Use of professional software for digital rendering and basic exploration of 3D modeling, connecting manual labor to the digital flow of large automakers.
- Interior and UX Design Basics: How a car's cabin is designed with the user experience in mind, encompassing ergonomics, materials, embedded technology, and human-machine interface.
- Future Mobility Concepts: The module that looks forward. Students explore electric mobility, autonomous vehicles, sustainable design, and how the cities of the future will influence what we call a “car”.
- Industry Experience: The project is not limited to the classroom. Excursions to real companies are a fundamental part of the curriculum.
What is the workload and daily routine like?
The project has 30 hours of classes and intensive laboratories spread over two weeks. The daily routine is structured to balance technical learning, cultural exploration, and coexistence among participants.
A typical day follows this rhythm:
- Breakfast starting at 8:30am.
- First class from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., with a 15-minute break.
- Second class from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
- Lunch and rest from 12:45 to 13:45
- Two laboratory sessions in the afternoon, with breaks between them.
- Free time and excursions between 17:00 and 19:00
- Dinner, evening activities and pick up at 11pm.
On weekends, young people take part in special excursions. The project is available with arrival on July 5 and departure on July 18, 2026.
What excursions are part of the project?
This is one of the points that sets this experience apart from any conventional online or face-to-face course. Excursions are integrated into the curriculum and include visits to:
- Italdesign: One of the most important design studios in the world, responsible for iconic projects from brands such as Volkswagen, Audi and Alfa Romeo. Students enter the same environment where serial cars are designed.
- National Automobile Museum (Turin): The most complete collection in the history of Italian automotive design, from Fiat to Ferrari, with vehicles that marked eras.
- Pagani Automobili: The artisanal hypercar factory in Modena, in the Motor Valley. Seeing up close how a Huayra or Utopia is built by hand is a lesson in obsession with quality and brand identity.
- ADI Museum (Milan): Dedicated to Italian design awarded the Compasso d'Oro, the highest recognition of European industrial design.
These visits are not sightseeing tours. They are part of the training, as students arrive prepared, with a technical context to ask relevant questions and absorb what they are seeing through the eyes of a developing designer.
Where do young people stay?
The project is residential and the lodging is located in the Aparto Residence, in the center of Milan. The accommodations include individual studio rooms with a private bathroom and an equipped kitchen. The structure has TV rooms, games areas, gym, common areas, terraces and study spaces.
House parents guarantee night supervision and the project team is present 24 hours a day. Meals are included, with breakfast, lunch and dinner (full board). The multinational residential environment, with young people from various countries, is part of the experience: English ceases to be a school subject and becomes the language of daily life.
What is the final project?
The experience culminates in the development and presentation of its own automotive concept. Each student creates:
- Refined concept sketches.
- A complete digital rendering.
- A 1:10 scale clay model.
This project integrates all the modules worked on during the two weeks. The young people present their work to the class and to the instructors, simulating a concept presentation to an automaker, an experience that many design students only experience years later, already in college. The certificate of completion delivered at the end documents the competencies developed and the practical experience with tools and methodologies used in the industry.
Is the project suitable for those who are still in doubt about their career?
Yes, and this is one of the great advantages of immersion like this. Many teenagers arrive with a diffuse interest, like cars, admire design and have an affinity for technology, but they are still not clear about which area to pursue, be it mechanical engineering, industrial design, architecture or IT applied to mobility.
Two weeks in contact with real professionals, in professional laboratories and visiting companies in the sector help young people to calibrate this interest with much more precision than any online survey could achieve. Some leave with the certainty that automotive design is the path, while others discover that what really attracts them is the engineering behind the design, and this is also a valuable result.
For a wider overview of the market and opportunities, it is also worth exploring our curating exclusive programs Through the Complete guide to Automotive Design Summer Camp 2026, which explores destinations, profiles, and career prospects in greater depth. If you're still evaluating options and want to understand how different locations compare, the article on Exchange in a small city vs capital provides a useful perspective on how the urban environment influences experience.
Is B1 English enough?
The project was designed for young people with an intermediate level of English, with B1 being the minimum requirement. This means that the student does not have to be fluent, but must be able to communicate, understand instructions, participate in discussions, and ask questions.
The multilingual environment helps a lot, because as the participants come from several countries, most of them are not native speakers, which reduces pressure and creates a more welcoming communication space. Over the two weeks, confidence in the language tends to grow naturally. For families who want to prepare their child in advance, the article on language exchange abroad explores how this type of experience complements other international plans.
FAQ
Is the Automotive Design Summer Camp suitable for 15-year-olds?
Yes. The age range of the project is 15 to 18 years. 15-year-olds participate together with slightly older students, which is part of the value of the experience to learn in a diverse and stimulating environment.
Does my child need to know how to draw well to participate?
No. The project teaches sketching techniques from the ground up. What young people need to bring is curiosity, genuine interest in design, and a willingness to learn. Prior technical skill is not required.
Is the certificate of completion internationally recognized?
The certificate documents the participation and competencies developed. It is not equivalent to a university degree, but it has real weight as a differential in portfolios and applications for design, architecture, and engineering courses abroad.
Are young people supervised all the time?
Yes. The team is present during all academic activities and excursions. The lodging has nighttime house parents and 24-hour supervision. Participants' safety is an operational priority.
Can my child participate without ever having traveled alone?
It can. The project is structured to receive young people who are having their first international experience without their parents. Arrival is supported, adaptation is accompanied and the residential environment facilitates integration from day one so that he can Build your trajectory.
Be Easy
Na Be Easy, we help families Discover the right program for the ideal time in the life of every young person. The Automotive Design Summer Camp is one of the most complete projects we accompany due to the quality of the curriculum, the exclusive excursions and the environment in which it takes place.
If you want to understand if this project makes sense for your child's profile, our dedicated senior consultancy it can help. Our team evaluates history, interests, and objectives to recommend the best path. For Start your project, contact us.
