The National Report of Italy

Part I: The background and context for workplace learning partnerships in Italy (Draft version 30.11.2006)

Content

Preface 1. Italian Law devices for the developing of work experiences' recognition 2. Policies and practices for the recognition of non-formal (and informal) learning 3. The “training enterprise” issue: local case studies and experimentation 4. SMEs? involved in WLP project and practical experience Conclusions

A.1 – Legislative and planning references A.2 – Publications A.3 – Web sites

Preface

Within the approaching economic and social model – called in different, various ways, as post-fordism (Jessop, 1993; Amin, 1997), knowledge and learning economy and society (OECD, 1996) – competitiveness (of firms and of regions) and economic growth is over and over strictly connected with the increased and recognised importance of human capital and – in a lifelong and life wide perspective (EC, Memorandum on Lifelong Learning, 2000) – of the learning processes to re-produce and develop human resources.

This renewed challenge implies that all the issues of the system can be involved in the producing of an environment conducive to learning and focused on the learner, with the passage from specific training places (schools, classrooms, ...) to plural networked learning settings, which integrate education and vocational systems and workplaces. A workplace in a learning organisation – which mobilise its entire workforce in increasing organisational and individual efficiency – goes beyond informal learning and systematically combines learning and work, by creating a learning conducive environment. Thus the work content becomes the learning content, through continuous thinking on the way in which strategic and everyday tasks are carried out.

In Italy, work experience learning is considered an important issue, above all considering the tacit and informal dimension (Polanyi, 1967; Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995) of the learning processes in a national (and local) productive context of thousands of micro, small and medium enterprises.

However this topic hasn't still been faced in a mainstreaming perspective, work experience learning can be considered as a critical point of the wider theme of managing and improving business awareness about the competitive value of its own knowledge and its core competences, in a continuously changing socio-economic environment.

In other words, work experience learning refers to one of the (many) integrated ways of approaching knowledge management in enterprises, by means of a networked perspective, with bilateral and multiple connections among different subjects: institutions, businesses, training providers, local economy (the socio-economic local tissue), all involved to act as a permanent and dynamic point of reference to firms’ skill requirements.

A large variety of signals will be briefly listed in the following pages, as regarding first of all the (initial) Italian Law devices for the developing of work experiences' recognition; and the numerous (even if not structured) policies and practices for the recognition of non-formal (and informal) learning. Finally, since work experience learning implies a learning environment and thus a “training enterprise ”, some local case studies and experimentation will be presented.

It's however necessary to make some preliminary remarks about the Constitutional reform of 2001 (Constitutional Law 3/2001, Modifiche al titolo V della parte seconda della Costituzione - Amendments to Title V of the second part of the Constitution (decentralisation of the State) aimed at the building up of a decentralised institutional asset and its consequences on education and training and labour market systems. The previous Constitutional dispositions - approved in 1948 - gave the Regions powers over vocational and craft education. The State education system, however, continued to provide vocationally oriented courses in its istituti professionali (State vocational schools). Under the new arrangements, the State retains exclusive power over general rules on education, sets minimum service levels and looks after relations with the European Union. The Regions have exclusive powers over vocational education and training, but must abide by European law and international obligations; they have exclusive responsibility for planning. In performing their tasks, the Regions may delegate or transfer some tasks to the Provinces.

The overall matter about education and training system and labour market system reforms thus concerns complex and frequently still not well defined problems of mutual relationship between State and regional (or sub-regional) competences and spheres of influence and regulating power (subsidiariety), which inform the policies and practices framework.

1. Italian Law devices for the developing of work experiences' recognition

In Italy, after a decade, during the nineties, of progressive transformation of the education and vocational training systems and of the labour market system, the current government drew up new reform processes, approving the Law 53/03, reforming the education and training system, and the Law 30/03, on the labour market and employment system, which are strictly connected. From the productive system perspective, this new period of innovation began in 2001 with the “Libro bianco sul mercato del lavoro in Italia” [White Paper on the labour market in Italy]? which developed the issue of education and vocational training in a lifelong learning perspective. Successively, Law 53/03 brought the systems of education and vocational training under the same umbrella, recognising that they have the same goals: promoting the growth and advancement of persons and citizens. In the new system, young people completing lower secondary education can continue their education in licei (lycées) or in vocational education and training, which are considered to have equal status, while each having their own identity and specific objectives. The aim is to ensure that all young people obtain at least a diploma or qualification before entering the labour market. The provisions adopted by Law 30/03 cover, in particular, the reform of the employment services, the reform of apprenticeship contracts, the replacement of contratti di formazione e lavoro (work/training contracts) by contratti di inserimento (integration contracts), the reform of part-time work and the introduction of new types of contract (for instance, work on call contracts, staff leasing contracts). In referment to the recognition of work experience learning, this law and the subsequent Legislative Decree 276/03 for its implementation deeply modify the employment relations with a training content, such as apprenticeships. According to articles 48, 49 and 50 of D.L. 276/03 apprenticeship is split from one single type to three alternatives, with the aim to introduce young people in the labour market, by the means of a direct experience in enterprise, distinguishing their specific aims, target, length, training role . It is possible to conclude an apprenticeship contract with a young person aged between 18 and 29 for various purposes, these being: (a) fulfilling the right/duty to education and training; (b) gaining a qualification by means of on-the-job training and technical-professional instruction; and (c) acquiring a diploma or complementing a higher education programme. More specifically: • article 48 - “Apprenticeship fulfilling the right/duty to education and training”, allows to employ young people aged 15 to 18; it can't last more than three years; it's aimed to obtain a vocational qualification. Apprentices must attend an amount of “internal and external (on-the-job and off-the job) training, coherent with the attainment of a vocational qualification”. According to the Legislative Decree 276/03, the task of regulating the training profiles of the apprenticeship for fulfilling the right-duty to education and training is assigned to the Regions and Autonomous Provinces, in agreement with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies and the Ministry of Education, University and Research, after consulting the employers' and workers' associations; • article 49 refers to “Occupationally-based apprenticeship” and it is aimed at recruiting young people from 18 to 29; its length cannot be less than 2 years or more than 6. According to the new system, the apprenticeship contract for fulfilling the right/duty to participate in vocational education and training and the occupationally-based apprenticeship contract must be set down in writing, with an indication of the work performance covered by the contract, the individual training plan and the qualification that may be attained at the end of the employment, on the basis of the outcomes of both on-the-job and off-the-job training. As for the previous kind of contract, the Regions and Autonomous Provinces are responsible for regulating the training profiles of the occupationally-based apprenticeships, in agreement with the social partners; • article 50 refers to “Apprenticeship for the acquisition of a diploma leading to a secondary or university qualification”. It involves young people between 18 and 29 years of age and each Region is responsible for regulating the contract and its duration. Lastly, the regulation of the training profiles is in accordance with the local employers' and workers' associations, the universities and other training centres. This articulated structure meets the productive system's different requirements in order to benefit of workforce with different recruitment levels, from labour market insertion of youngsters to medium-high qualifications of (relatively) older employees. The importance of the decree lays on the availability for enterprises to choose between external training for apprentices or in-house training, becoming real “learning setting” for initial and continuing training, since internal training must have a “formal” character too. This device allows to narrow the differences in investment on training between big firms and SMEs?, since it gives value to those learning activities, more strictly connected with the productive environment. On the other side, it is very important to stress that for “thousand enterprises, training for apprentices has been the first occasion to contact the 'training world'. Where the (external) training centre involved the enterprises in training methodologies and practices for apprentices, enterprises' satisfaction to training activities highly grew” (Confindustria, 2004). Within work experience in enterprise, it is possible for individuals to acquire knowledge, skills and competences – in formal and informal ways – directly able: – to fill gaps of education of different levels (primary, secondary, even tertiary) with reference to single enterprises' needs for a rapid insertion of young people in the labour world; – to deepen and specialise workforce competences with respect to the different business functions, areas and sectors; – to secure business competitiveness by the means of the continuous updating and development of the human resources; – to continuously create new knowledge for process and products innovation. One of the most important challenge for the devices of D.L. 276/03 about training in apprenticeship (besides its financing ) is defining criteria, models and procedures to create a real “learning environment” in enterprises and to develop formal training in business contexts, growing its learning and training value. As a consequence of the Constitutional reform, it's necessary to stress that the effective implementation of D.L. 276/03 for apprenticeship is in charge of the Regions which have to sign agreements (“Protocolli d'Intesa”) with the State to develop their regulatory role. Nevertheless, it's also necessary that an agreement – at national level – with social partners should be created; however, at the moment, it is still in a “work in progress” form. Some efforts on new apprenticeship have been developed – at regional level – before the the reform, and then, after its approval (ISFOL, 2004b), in particular as experimentation of “Protocolli d'Intesa” in Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Piemonte, Lombardia and Tuscany for apprenticeship for the acquisition of a diploma leading to a secondary or university qualification, in order to make training in enterprise recognised by University . Another agreement has been signed by Liguria for occupationally-based apprenticeship between the Region and social partners, while in Abruzzo, the Region, on 10th February 2005, signed an agreement with social partners on “Temporary regulation of occupationally-based apprenticeship” ['Disciplina transitoria dell'apprendistato professionalizzante']?, implementing in the regional context one of the three types of apprenticeship introduced by l. 30/03 and D.L. 276/03. Finally, Marche Region, during its session 218 on 19th January 2005, was the first regional institution to approve a decentralised law (Regional law n. 2/05, “Provisions on employment and work tutorship and quality”) which regulates regional labour market, according to the national reform. More specifically, at art. 17, it regulates the defining of the training profiles of the new three forms of apprenticeship and, at art. 7, the practical management and control of the training activities connected with apprenticeship are on their turn decentralised to Provinces. These protocols have a double role: to develop guide lines for the regional regulation and to implement pilot projects for new apprenticeship: specific attention is given to increase value and recognition to alternate education/training and work, by integrating learning work experience and learning in training and education bodies, according to a “holistic” and lifelong learning perspective. Special attention to the theme of “training enterprise” can be found, for instance, in Veneto, where (after the signature of the “Protocollo d'Intesa”) a regional “call for proposal” about apprenticeship projects – explicitly addressed to partnerships composed of at least a University, a Bilateral Body and an entrepreneurs' association – fixed as “minimum criteria” for training pathways: – 300 hours of “formal training” within no more than 24 months and – at least 20% of the hours (60 hours) developed within the enterprise, with training methodologies customised and fitted to individuals to better integrate him/her in the general context of the enterprise. Another interesting example – preceding the D.L. 276/03 – is of the Emilia-Romagna Region, where the current Law “Bastico”, n. 107/03, about “Provisions on equal opportunity access to lifelong learning for all, by strengthening and integrating education and vocational training” recognizes – as a training methodology – work experience and learning in work environments, by the means of in-house training, apprenticeship and work/training periods (art. 9). However, not all work environments can be considered learning environments: for this reason, according to art. 10, the Region defines including criteria for “training enterprises”, in agreement with social partners. These criteria should refer to excellence in business management outputs and outcomes, propension to continuous improving and developing of human resources, availability of employees for supporting learning processes, presence of advanced technological equipment and signature of national collective labor agreements and, eventually, of integrated agreements. Besides, enterprises should develop their training role within training pathways – once informed trade unions – on the basis of agreements with education institutions, universities and accredited vocational training bodies.

2. Policies and practices for the recognition of non-formal (and informal) learning

We have just seen that the current labour reforms, in Italy, especially the theme of apprenticeship, strongly stress the role of “training enterprises”, nevertheless identification and including criteria have not still been defined, but a growing importance is given to work experiences' learning role and value. Moreover, it is important to underline the increasing development, in the Italian system, of policies and practices of recognition and certification of non formal (and informal) learning (in a more general system of recognition and certification of competences) as devices for a wider effectiveness of work experiences' recognition value. In the last 10 years, it's possible to identify two phases: • a “systemic” phase (second half of the ‘90s) aimed to build a national system of certification of competences (above all, starting from law 196/97, art 17); • a wide experimentation phase (end of the ‘90s – beginning of the 21st cent.) to avoid the numerous legislative and practical obstacles coming – for instance – from the deep decentralisation processes of the recent years. The different integrated aims were: – to integrate the training system with the education and labour market systems; – to recognise and take into account competences everywhere acquired ; – to improve transparency at different levels: inter-regional; inter-systems; national and European; – to better match demand and supply in the labour market; – to customise training supply; – to better fit the needs of enterprises’ competitiveness with individuals’ needs of turning/re-turning to work and/or to training and education systems. In particular, great interest has grown in the area of experimentation of transparency and recognition of non formal and informal learning policies, procedures and devices, above all for learning on the job and during lifetime, especially for the development of workers and weaker categories. The current reforms of the education and training system (l. 53/03) and of the labour market (l. 30/03) have re-started the objective to develop a national framework for standard and certification of competences, in a national perspective and in coherence with EU policies. As regarding the education and vocational system reform, with reference to the right-duty of education and training, in particular, the Agreement of the 15th January 2004 between the Ministry of Education, University and Research, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, the Regions and the Autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano, on Minimum national training standards of basic competences, is relevant. These are a first elaboration to validate during the experimentation of last three years compulsory courses; they are divided in 4 areas (literacy; science; technology; history-society-economy) which joint together the outcome competences of the training processes and not necessarily coincide with single school matters. The structure of the standards is a grid composed as follows:

Minimum competence standards Detailed description

A list of each thematic area It's at the moment a first experimental description of the standards to be validated by Regions’ experimentation

Another example is IFTS courses - Higher technical education and training courses (Istruzione e formazione tecnica superiore) created before the last reforms, with law 144/99 – which are intended to train senior technicians to meet the demand from the public and private working world. They offer occupied people, too, the opportunity to attend higher technical training schemes, as a concrete renewal of the national education and training system, in a LLL perspective. To better integrate labour market with education and training system, IFTS are developed in a partnership logic, since courses are promoted by Regions, but four other main actors are involved in their integrated planning: universities, upper secondary schools, vocational training centres and working world. Entrance requires an upper secondary certificate or certifiable skills acquired from previous education and training courses and from work (as a consequence some parts of the lessons can be avoided and considered acquired). Besides, for IFTS, minimum national training standards of basic competences and transversal skills have been defined with the Agreement between the State, Regions and Local Authorities of 19/11/02. This document stressed on four areas of competences, divided into several credit units (unità capitalizzabili) - set of independently significant (consistent) competences, identifiable as the outcome expected at the end of a training segment. And minimum national training standards of technical skills, have also been successively defined, with the Agreement between the State, Regions and Local Authorities of 30/04/04. Seven sectors of reference have been identified, each of them referring to a certain number of vocational profiles which are given a short description and a list of the most important performances/activities expected and to a list of technical skills, divided into several credit units. In referment to the labour market reform, law 30/03 and D.L. 276/03 re-affirm and develop the role and the importance of alternating education/training and work and stress the need of giving mutual value and recognition to individuals' competences wherever acquired. More specifically, within the present framework given by requirements and experiences at EU, national and regional level, great attention is given to “Libretto Formativo” (Training record) as a key-tool to record all competencies wherever acquired by citizens/workers and to allow credit recognition for formal, non formal and informal learning. “Libretto Formativo” (Training record) was firstly introduced by Agreement between State and Regions 2000 and then by DM 174/01. D.L. 276/03 which explicitly defines it as follows: “personal worker’s record in which the acquired competences during training in Apprenticeship, in “Mixed” contracts (contratto d’inserimento), specialised training, continuing training (made by training bodies certified at regional level and acquired working life long), and non formal and informal competences are registered – according to EU policies in the matter of LLL, as long as recognised and certified”. D.L. 276/03 gives indications about its structure and currently there are regional experimentations and proposals about its skeleton. It should be composed of three dynamic parts: the first contains CV elements and the essential framework of acquired competences and of minimum annexed documents; the second and the third part contain a list of available certifications, proof documents, in order to support the information of the first part. It would be also coherent with the framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences (Europass - Decision No 2241/2004/EC) as defined by the decision made on 15 December 2004 by the European Parliament and the Council. This decision replaces the old Europass–Training that was built on the core concepts of the "European pathway for training" and the "EUROPASS Training" in the decision on the promotion of European pathways for work-linked training, including apprenticeship (1999/51/EC, published in OJ L 17 of 22.1.1999), adopted by the Council on 21 December 1998. Europass now has in fact a wider scope and includes the new Member States. The “Libretto formativo” in conclusion represents a tool strictly connected with individuals and their personal lifelong learning and career which should allow them to transform their competences and experiences in a useful instrument, supporting a better labour market match and transferability, mobility and transparency of qualifications and competences, at local, national and European level. Within the (ongoing) context presented, the role of Regions seems fundamental both in building a qualitative and representative system of relationships between institutions and in real implementation and adoption of institutional devices for transparency of competences and learning. Although this process is highly different from one Region to another, since each of them is planning and adopting various certification and transparency systems and procedures functional to their own local needs and socio-economic strategies, common points of reference and shared principles are emerging: in particular strong attention is given to the relationship between the State and the Regions at institutional level, and, in referment to stakeholders, to the role of partnerships between (national and local) institutions, social partners, education and training bodies, enterprises and economic bodies. As an example, in the Marche Region, Project “Atena 2000” involves different stakeholders (schools, employment centres, vocational training centres, Provinces, Universities, social partners, enterprises) interested in defining a general system for the certification of competences and the recognition of training credits, including personal “training record” (libretto formativo); and minimum standards of skills and competences within training and orientation structures. Emilia Romagna Region, during these last years, experimented a specific tool, called “Portfolio”, collecting all training credits, which means all vocational competences useful to obtain a degree/educational qualification or for entrance in educational/vocational courses. It is valid for the persons whole working life and includes: educational degrees or qualifications; vocational training certificates; competence certification; recognition of vocational experiences; recognition of work experiences in enterprise; declaration of “work-based training” and “work-based guidance” schemes; declaration of competences; recognition of vocational training. Its application is defined by agreements between the managing and the promoting subjects of the training process where it’s awarded. In general, it's possible to affirm that the great majority of Italian Regions is actively implementing procedures and devices for transparency and certification of competences, in a perspective of recognition of formal, and above all non formal and informal learning. In such a framework, beside the institutional bodies, greater and greater importance is given to the role of enterprises and a wide debate is ongoing to well define and focus the characteristics of a “training enterprise”.

3. The “training enterprise” issue: local case studies and experimentation

As we have seen, changes in the global competitive environment and in the organisational structure of enterprises tend to increase both the demand for skilled workers and the need for training and continuing training. In the medium term, in the face of competition, the only comparative advantage lies in innovation and, by extension, in the qualification of workforce. In this framework, increasing attention is paid in Italy to the enterprise's training role facing and integrating the “traditional” education and training systems. Such a kind of enterprises should act as an active and overall “training subject” for young people and for adults, developing the value and recognition of work experience and learning. From one side, researches and data (Confindustria, 2004; Delai, 2004; ISFOL, 2001; ISTAT, 2002) confirm that, also in Italy – although later than in other European countries and above all in large firms – a greater number of enterprises is increasingly activating training pathways for its employees, both formal (by means of internal and/or external courses) and non formal, both oriented to the insertion in enterprise and to employees' continuing training. On the other side, a certain number of local experimentation, also as a consequence of the reforms described above, are focusing on the “training enterprise” role and its consequences. The new forms of apprenticeship, specifically, are considered an interesting field for experimenting new way of approaching the “training enterprise” theme, since in Italy this contract has improved its training value, with the importance given to alternate training/learning and working experience, as we have seen in the first part. For instance, one experimentation implemented in Emilia Romagna on apprenticeship gives some indications, starting from the idea to consider – for this learning/working process: – the cognitive interaction between the level of individuals' theoretic knowledge and the practical learning which they are interested to acquire: one of the fundamental implicit pedagogic perspective is to integrate basis knowledge (“fundamentals”) with the opportunity to exercise it in complex working processes (integrating tasks, technologies, organisational needs). As a consequence, the need to find solutions is stressed for: • the lack of methodologies for effectively alternating learning and working within prevailing formal learning pathways; • the low levels of responsibility and the low learning value of tasks given to apprentices; • the not always good results for apprentices in the implementing of formal knowledge in the workplace. The critical point of these situations depends on the low interaction between formal and non formal learning, deriving both from an under-evaluation of individuals' learning potential (not considering the various and discontinue processes of its evolution and development) and from a low integration between explicit knowledge (object of formal) and tacit knowledge (object of non formal). Likewise, the project pinpoints the importance of: – the relationship between individual and organisational learning. Learning from apprenticeship is actually considered as “in charge of” individuals who “have to take the chances given by the workplace”, through their necessary involvement. Frequently, problems are firstly put down to individual behaviour (low motivation, low learning potential, ...), but rarely the organisation's learning potential is considered as a cause, too. However, it has a significant role for instance: • enterprise's capability in identifying, representing and transferring its own core knowledge; • enterprise's capability in managing organisational processes able to support (or not hamper) workplace learning processes; • enterprise's capability in human resources managing – starting from recruitment and selection processes to workforce maintenance and development; • enterprise's capability in sharing values and vision – as intangible assets as human capital, knowledge, relationships, As a consequence of this starting point, the learning and training process for apprentices cannot be either than a customised, personalised, individualised process composed of different tools of intervention. These can refer to individual-oriented devices, in order to define individual learning potential, recognise acquired competences, guide succeeding pathways, personalise training modules; and enterprise-oriented devices, in order to support enterprise's training needs and overall human resources development and/or management needs, to strengthen enterprise's knowledge management capability. According to this approach, apprenticeship can be considered a “specific example” of an overall process of knowledge management which is becoming the necessary approaching organisational model in the new competitive environment for every enterprise. Especially for SMEs?, this implies to give importance to the key relationship between explicit (and in general formal) knowledge and tacit knowledge (in general connected to work experience, on-the-job training, learning by doing, ...). Besides, apprenticeship (and work experience learning in general) is based on the cognitive relationship between individuals – their knowledge, competences, skills, motivations, learning potential – and the enterprise's learning potential – considering, for instance, the quality of resources, tools, support to develop a learning environment for apprentices/employees. The aim is thus the development of both learning and knowledge management capability of apprentices/employees and of enterprises (which should in this way effectively develop a learning environment). In the Italian example this implies: – the presence of an enterprise's tutor, with a role of facilitator of overall organisational knowledge management; – the presence of a teaching tutor, an external resource able to support enterprise in its KM and training planning processes; – training pathways for apprentices oriented to strengthen above all their learning capability in the workplace, through the development of key knowledge and competences integrating formal and non formal learning; – (possible) support activities of continuing training in enterprise, in a KM logic; – the recognition of the apprentices as “exogenous knowledge holders” - at least for those with higher education levels. A possible model can be thus designed as follows:

4. SMEs? involved in WLP project and practical experience

Implementing and test partners:

1. Gruppo Biesse (BIESSE GROUP) operates in the machine tool industry sector Biesse Corporate School is a specialized training centre of BIESSE GROUP. The mission is to contribute to the success of the group, through the development of competences and diffusion of good practices and values of the enterprise.

The training centre plans and realizes training courses in three main sectors:

 Development of the management capacity and leadership;  Strengthening of the specific competences of the different enterprises within the group;  Continuous training of all employees in basic competences, such as English and Information Technology;  Technical and vocational training courses, for the insertion of young qualified people within the group.

Another specific operating field of Biesse Corporate School is constituted of stages within the enterprises of the group and cooperations with the education and vocational training systems. The school has classrooms and equipment for specific courses and a web platform for distance training. Informal learning is one of the main professional growing modalities of the employees belonging to the group. In the enterprise’s realities, in fact, competences become concrete during everyday work and with continuous research for improvements. In the same realities though, the risk of dissipating the developed knowledge is very high; this is due to objective difficulties in systematizing and to the scarce attention in implementing the knowledge in other contexts.

Biesse Corporate School, has experimented some programmes addressed to valorisation and diffusion of the group’s competencies:

On-line training programme.

In 2003 an on-line training platform, integrated with the enterprise’s intranet, has been developed, which allows all employees to access training resources. Through an identification system every user can access: multimedia courses available for his/her profile; an auto-certification and evaluation system of the training activities carried out; on-line library resources. While using this tool, three fields of valorisation have emerged:

 Widespread diffusion  Reinforcement of formal didactics  Definition of the enterprise’s Know How

The system allows: the codification and officialization of informal training moments which are frequent within the enterprise but could be under evaluated; to start a training session, on behalf of qualified figures, managing common on-line parameters (aims, material, evaluation, logistics, automatic alert of participants, autocertification of participants).

The recognition, as certified training moments, of organized meetings for professional updatings, which favour the development of a learning culture, making evident – and therefore usable and efficient – the transferred know how .

The availability of multimedia training supports, focalised on the enterprise’s specific know how, has allowed to identify a training expert for systematizing the enterprise’s know-how. The creation of specific material and tools, which allow the organization of training sessions where an internal expert presents a case study through multimedia material and guides the discussion activating a real cooperative learning process and at the same time experimenting a coaching role.

From the first phase of the experimentation the necessity of strengthening some employee’s training competences emerged. In fact the concept of training linked to business was diffused and therefore the necessity of professionalized trainers within the enterprise. For this reason a training of trainers course was activated, finalized to reinforce the specific training know how of certain figures which use the “training lever” for continuous improvement. The training course is finalized to develop the internal training efficiency. “Internal training” is to be considered as all moments in which the know how of the enterprise is transferred, developed or diffused, mainly by internal personnel.

The course is addressed to employees which manage directly or indirectly training processes:

• People which carry out the training task (of technicians, clients, commercial network) • People which plan, manage and buy training courses for the updating of own collaborators.

Which are: • trainers (training centre, tech centre) • product specialists (brand e product managers) • Technical and automation offices (responsibles, project leaders) • process owners.

2. COMEC INNOVATIVE SRL

Comec Innovative srl is specialized in production of tool machines, industrial machines and tools in general. It has 50 employees. The staff is trained through internal and external activities depending on type and specialization of person needed within the enterprise. Training is carried out by internal and external trainers and also through the participation to specific courses. The enterprise has foreseen the creation of a virtual network which will involve the enterprise and suppliers for product management and training.

03. SAN MARCO - FINE MECHANICS INDUSTRY San Marco SPA is an enterprise constituted of various specialised operational divisions in production of: production barriers, bearing pipes, lorry assembling, treatments of metallic products. The staff is trained through internal and external activities depending on type of figure and specialization of the person required within the enterprise. The enterprise within it’s Uni EN ISO 9001/2000 certification has defined minimum standards of qualification for the personnel to be employed within special or critical production processes. Training is carried out by internal and external trainers. New employees are trained/informed within the enterprise on processes, security and organization of the enterprise by various internal responsibles.

4. SILVER CAR Silver Car srl is a production enterprise: two−tier car carriers, semitrailers, tipper lorries, assistance means of transportation, construction machinery and ecological tools. Formal and informal training is carried out within the enterprise. The employees participate in formal training courses offered by external training organizations while informal learning is perceived as transfer of know how from managers and production team leaders to their collaborators. Furthermore new employees are inserted within the enterprise with a tutorialship so that theoretical knowledge can then be transferred into practice on the job.

Conclusions

In the present report, we have considered the various ways of approaching the work experience learning theme in the Italian context, both at national and at regional and local level. As we have seen, this issue – although hasn't been still developed in a mainstreaming perspective – it has been faced from different points of views. A large variety of signals indicate that it's acquiring a crucial role in the overall debate in Italy about the education and training systems and the labour market reforms and in the increasing enterprise's “training role” debate. The two focus points to stress when considering the Italian system essentially refers to: – the constraints of the mutual relationship between State and regional (or sub-regional) competences and spheres of influence and regulating power (subsidiariety), which inform the policies and practices framework, as a consequence of the constitutional reform of 2001; – the presence (and the need – above all considering that the Italian productive system is mainly composed of SMEs?) of a networked approach, as a preliminary condition for assuring most firms wishing to develop the necessary skills in their workers and to become effective “learning environments”. This includes above all those SMEs? which, due to their limited financial resources and their subordinate position in the production process compared with large enterprises, have problems to act independently in planning their needs for a constant updating of skills and competences. The issue is thus linking enterprise's training role, competitiveness and employability at the local level. This implies the involvement of the main stakeholders: individuals, practitioners, social partners and policy makers. It is clear that the full range of interest groups and actors, from all sectors of civil society, must be actively involved if this is to succeed in bringing learning positively into everybody’s daily life at the workplace.

Legislative and planning references

Agreement between the State, Regions and Local Authorities of 19 November 2002, per il completamento delle linee guida per la programmazione IFTS 2002/03 e relativi allegati (Standard delle competenze di base e trasversali) [Supplementing the planning guidelines for higher technical education and training for 2002/03 and related annexes (basic and transverse competence standards)]? Agreement between the Ministry of Education, University and Research, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, the Regions and the Autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano of 15 January 2004, per la definizione degli standard formativi minimi relativi alle competenze di base [Minimum national training standards of basic competences]?. Agreement between the State, Regions and Local Authorities of 30 April 2004, relativo agli standard minimi delle competenze tecnico professionali delle trentasette figure professionali individuate nell’allegato A dell’Accordo sancito in Conferenza Unificata il 1 agosto 2002, sulla programmazione dei percorsi di Istruzione e Formazione Tecnica Superiore (IFTS) anni 2002-2003 [Minimum national training standards of technical skills of the 37 profiles reported in Annex A (Agreement of August, 1st 2002)]? Memorandum (Circolare) 40/2004, Il nuovo contratto di apprendistato [The new apprenticeship contract]? Constitutional Law 3/2001, Modifiche al titolo V della parte seconda della Costituzione [Amendments to Title V of the second part of the Constitution (decentralisation of the State]? Decision No 2241/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2004 on a single Community framework for the transparency of qualifications and competences (Europass) Ministrerial Decree 174/01, Certificazione delle competenze nel sistema della formazione professionale [Skill certification in the vocational training system]? Law 196/97, Norme in materia di promozione dell'occupazione [Provisions to promote employment.]? Law 144/99, Misure in materia di investimenti, delega al Governo per il riordino degli incentivi all'occupazione e della normativa che disciplina l'INAIL, nonchè disposizioni per il riordino degli enti previdenziali [Measures on investment, delegation to the Government for the overhaul of employment incentives and the regulations governing INAIL, and provisions on the restructuring of social security institutions]? Law 30/03, Delega al Governo in materia di occupazione e mercato del lavoro [Delegation to the Government in respect of employment and the labour market]? Law 53/03, Delega al Governo per la definizione delle norme generali sull’istruzione e dei livelli essenziali delle prestazioni in materia di istruzione e di istruzione e formazione professionale [Delegation to the Government to draw up general standards for education and minimum service levels in education and in vocational education and training]? Legislative Decree 276/03, Attuazione delle deleghe in materia occupazione e mercato del lavoro di cui alla legge 14 febbreio 2003 n. 30 [Implementation of the delegation to the Government in respect of employment and the labour market]? Libro Bianco sul Mercato del Lavoro, October 2001 [White Paper on the labour market]? Patto per l'Italia, July 2002 [Pact for Italy - National agreement on the labour market, the tax system and the South of Italy]? Regional Law 107/03 “Bastico” – Emilia Romagna, Norme per l’uguaglianza delle opportunità di accesso al sapere, per ognuno e per tutto l’arco della vita, attraverso il rafforzamento dell’istruzione e della formazione professionale, anche in integrazione tra loro [Provisions on equal opportunity access to lifelong learning for all, by strengthening and integrating education and vocational training]? Regional Law 2/05 – Marche, Norme regionali per l'occupazione, la tutela e la qualità del lavoro [Regional Provisions on employment and work tutorship and quality]?

Agreements on apprenticeship Accordo quadro per la disciplina transitoria dell'apprendistato professionalizzante nella regione Abruzzo – 10/02/05 [Agreement with social partners on “Temporary regulation of occupationally-based apprenticeship”]? Protocollo d'Intesa tra la Regione Emilia Romagna e il Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali per la realizzazione di un percorso sperimentale nell'alto apprendistato – 13/12/04 [Agreement between Emilia Romagna Region and Ministry of Labour and Social Policies for the experimentation of apprenticeship projects]? Protocollo d'Intesa tra la Regione Liguria e le Parti sociali per la realizzazione di sperimentazioni per l'apprendistato – 08/07/04 [Agreement between Liguria Region and social partners for the experimentation of apprenticeship projects]? Protocollo d'Intesa tra la Regione Lombardia e il Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali per la realizzazione di un percorso sperimentale nell'alto apprendistato – 03/11/04 [Agreement between Lombardia Region and Ministry of Labour and Social Policies for the experimentation of apprenticeship projects]? Protocollo d'Intesa tra la Regione Piemonte e il Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali per la realizzazione di un percorso sperimentale nell'alto apprendistato – 14/12/04 [Agreement between Piemonte Region and Ministry of Labour and Social Policies for the experimentation of apprenticeship projects]? Protocollo d'Intesa tra la Regione Toscana e il Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali per la realizzazione di un percorso sperimentale nell'alto apprendistato – 26/01/05 [Agreement between Toscana Region and Ministry of Labour and Social Policies for the experimentation of apprenticeship projects]?toscana Protocollo d'Intesa tra la Regione Veneto e il Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali per la realizzazione di un percorso sperimentale nell'alto apprendistato – 29/07/04 [Agreement between Veneto Region and Ministry of Labour and Social Policies for the experimentation of apprenticeship projects]?

Publications

Amin A. (ed.), Post-Fordism: A Reader, Oxford, Blackwell, 1997. Cedefop, The vocational education and training system in Italy - Short description, Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2003 Confindustria, RAPPORTO EDUCATION 2004 - Capitale umano, qualità e competitività: quando la formazione anticipa lo sviluppo, Area Welfare e Risorse Umane Formazione e Scuola, http://www.confindustria.it/rapedu/index.html Delai N., Capitalizzare la formazione implicita in azienda, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2004 EC, Memorandum on Lifelong Learning, Brussels, SEK(2000) 1832, 30.10.2000. ISFOL, Contesto normativo sui temi della certificazione e dei crediti formativi, Roma, ISFOL, 1999. ISFOL, La Formazione continua in Italia – Rapporto 2001, Roma, ISFOL, 2001 ISFOL, Rapporto 2003, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2004a ISFOL, Rapporto 2004, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2004b ISTAT, La formazione del personale nelle imprese. Anno 1999, in Statistiche in breve, Agosto 2002. Roma, ISTAT, 2002. Jessop B., “Towards a Schumpeterian Workfare State? Preliminary Remarks on Post-Fordist Political Economy”, in Studies in Political Economy, n. 40, 1993. Nonaka I., Takeuchi H, The Knowledge creating company, Oxford University Press, 1995. OECD, The Knowledge Economy. Science, Technology and Industry Outlook, Paris, OECD, 1996. Polany M., The tacit dimension, Garden City, Anchor Books, 1967.

Web sites

Institutional bodies

MIUR - Ministero dell'istruzione, dell'università e della ricerca [Ministry of Education, University and Research]? http://www.istruzione.it

MLPS - Ministero del lavoro e delle politiche sociali [Ministry of Labour and Social Policies]? http://www.welfare.gov.it

Regione Abruzzo [Abruzzo Region]? http://www.regione.abruzzo.it/xportal/index.asp

Regione Emilia Romagna [Emilia-Romagna Region]? http://www.regione.emilia-romagna.it/

Regione Liguria [Liguria Region]? http://www.regione.liguria.it

Regione Lombardia [Lombardia Region]? http://www.regione.lombardia.it

Regione Marche [Marche Region]? http://www.regione.marche.it/

Regione Piemonte [Piemonte Region]? http://www.regione.piemonte.it/

Regione Toscana [Tuscany Region]? http://www.regione.toscana.it

Regione Veneto [Veneto Region]? http://www.regione.veneto.it/channels

Public bodies

CEDEFOP - European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training http://www.trainingvillage.gr/etv/default.asp

EWON - European Work Organisation Network http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/soc-dial/workorg/ewon/index_en.htm

ISFOL – Istituto per lo Sviluppo della Formazione Professionale dei Lavoratori http://www.isfol.it

Tecnostruttura – Tencostruttura delle Regioni per il Fondo Sociale Europeo http://www.tecnostruttura.it/

Social partners

Confindustria - Confederazione generale dell’industria italiana [General Association of Italian Industry]? http://www.confindustria.it

CGIL - Confederazione generale italiana del lavoro [Trade Union]? http://www.cgil.it/

CISL - Confederazione italiana sindacati lavoratori [Trade Union]? http://www.cisl.it/

UIL- Unione italiana del lavoro [Trade Union]? http://www.uil.it