Regional actions for older workers
in the Veneto region
OECD Conference Centre, Paris
Roberta Fefè, Pietro Checcucci
OECD LEED Expert roundtable on local
economic strategies for ageing labor markets
OECD LEED Expert roundtable on Local economic
strategies for ageing labour markets2
INDICATORS
Population 4.926.818
Foreigners 487.030(9.8% of total population)
Mean age 44.5
Age dependancyratio (2013)
54.1Italy 54.2EU28 51.1
GDPGDP per capita (2012)
146.605Millions €(9% of National GDP)
29.531
Veneto Region
OECD LEED Expert roundtable on Local economic
strategies for ageing labour markets3
Active enterprises: 403.169 in 2011 (above all manifactouring and construction industry)
About wich 95% SME
Comparing Veneto – Italy
YEAR 2014 (Source: Istat) Veneto ITALY
EMPLOYMENT RATES
Employment rate 15-64 63,7 55,7
Women Employment rate 15-64 54,5 46,8
Employment rate 15 – 24 21,9 15,6
Employment rate 45 – 54 78,3 70,3
Employment rate 55 – 64 45,6 46,2
Women employment rate 55 – 64 35 36,6
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES
Unemployment rate 15-64 7,6 12,9
Women unemployment rate 15 - 64 9,9 13,9
Unemployment rate 15-24 27,6 42,7
Unemployment rate 45 – 54 5,3 8,4
Unemployment rate 55 - 64 3,7 5,5
Women unemployment rate 55 - 64 3,5 4,4
VENETO REGION LABOR MARKET
OECD LEED Expert roundtable on Local economic
strategies for ageing labour markets4
POINTS OF DEPARTUREIn Italy Clothing footwear and textile sector are characterized by:
High risk of losing
competences and
strategic know how
• High international competition, expecially
about producing models and prototyes
• High competition with multinational business
• Need to introduce innovative approaches and
develop organizational skills to address
foreign customers "outsiders" from the known
territory
• Investing in high quality of products
• Handicraft peculiarities of product:, developed by
technical abilities and competences based on
“contextual experience”
• Fiduciary relationships with clients
• Some duties and tasks can’t be replaced
by industrial automation
The added value of Made in Italy
• Tendency to concentrate strategic skills in the
experience of individuals rather than as a common
heritage of the firm (no knowledge management
systems)
• Shortage of activities that would promote the
socialization of strategic competencies
• Shortage of skilled manpower in the area and a few
of young people willing to work in the field
• High presence of family-run business
• SME with a «simple» organizational profile
• High presence of workers aged 45-55, with
low educational attainment but high length of
service and experience
• These workers hold the core competence in a
“tacit way”
• Few active policies for work-life
balance and to stimulate the job
permanence of older workers
High risk of losing
competences
and
strategic know how
OECD LEED Expert roundtable on Local economic
strategies for ageing labour markets5
FLEXIBLY BEYOND PROJECT EXPERIMENTAL MODELS AND TOOLS TO ORGANIZE JOBS FOR AN EFFECTIVE
EXTENSION OF WORKING LIFE INNOVATIVE ACTIONS ART. 6 ESF
The main partnership:
POLITECNICO CALZATURIERO - project leaderFormindustria Emilia Romagna - training institutionCisita of Parma - training institutionFor.P.In - training institutionUniversity «BICOCCA» of Milan – Department of InformaticsUniversity of Ferrara – Department of EconomicsUnioncamere Eurosportello Veneto- Promotional InstitutionCISL/CGIL – Trade Unions
Aim of the project:
To design and test innovative models of business organization and operational
instruments in order to:
Develop in the manifacturing sector both the business and the value of older workers
Experiment alternative models of work organization to enhance senior workers and extending their working
life
Convey cultural changes in business environment
Experiment models for intergenerational transfer of skills and competences
The client:
SMEs from Footwear and Textile
Sector
More than 200 workers aged 45+
Veneto & Emilia Romagna Regions
OECD LEED Expert roundtable on Local economic
strategies for ageing labour markets6
THE CURRENT PROJECT
Analysis of the production
process
Analysis of the specific job
position
Collection of tacit skills
from single workers
Experience of the section
head
Point of viewof the fashion
designer
Training of youngeremployees
Re-training of otheremployees
Vocational Training within the Polythecnic
Vocational Training for unemployed younger
workers
Enterprise
Polythecnic
Higher Technical Schools
Public High Schools
Cloud knowledgebase available for
teacher and traininers to
develop courses
Portfolio and CVsimplemented by
students
Mapping of processesand skills
Inventory of professional profiles
OECD LEED Expert roundtable on Local economic
strategies for ageing labour markets7
WHAT THEY ACHIEVED
• To promote the intergenerational «transfer» and «creation» ofknow how, they did a specific training for older workers asmentors for apprentices and new hires
Training of trainers and “side by side” training Laboratories
School of Competence• At company level, where older worker is recognized as teacherand trainer
Cell production • Experimentation of organizational solutions for intergenerational
dialogue (cell production): intergenerational and semiautonomousworking groups.
• Filo di Arianna – to manage & store informations about employeeworking life since the moment of hiring
• Case Base Reasoning & PDM (project data management) – todescribe and codify the fases of the production process
Softwares for HRD and Intergnerational knowledge
management
Job organization Laboratories
• Business advice to redefine older workers job roles
• Promotion of flexibility models for work-life balance: «In and outflexibility», bank of hours, «menu»timetable, annual contract forolder workers after their retirement…
OECD LEED Expert roundtable on Local economic
strategies for ageing labour markets8
WHY THIS INITIATIVE WAS GOOD
New inputs to the learning activities: new demand for a «contextual» role of the
vocational training and for the development of «organizational competence» in
order to connect tradition and innovation in a business continuity perspective
Mutual trust between local community, institutions and stakeholders
Holistic and «preventive» approach
Win Win strategy in prolonging working life(envolvement of a lot of stakeholders,
considering together Business’ and workers’ development)
Cultural change in knowledge management
approach: from the controll and ownership of key skills to
their production into the intergenerational exchange
relationships during the working life
Tools to address the recognition of «tacit» skills
OECD LEED Expert roundtable on Local economic
strategies for ageing labour markets9
WHAT WE DID NOT ACHIEVE -
METHODOLOGICAL “CHALLENGES”
Sometimes intergenerational diffidence
need to improve older and younger workers committment to
the intergenerational exchange
need to develop the role of public employment services
Strong link between local culture and socioeconomical structure
of the Region
Need to develop training and consulting methodologies focused
not only on technical skills but also on a contextual reflection on
relationships and sensemaking process.
OECD LEED Expert roundtable on Local economic
strategies for ageing labour markets10
Skills required in the perspectiveof extending working life within SMEs(ISFOL 2014)
25.6%
16.9%
9.9%
18.6%
22.8%16.3%
7.9%
21.2%
39.5%
4.9%2.4%
Base computer skills
Advanced computer skills
Management skills
Team-working
Relational skills
Problem solvingAdministration and
accounting
Foreign languages
Technical skills related tospecific tasks
Oral and writtencommunication skills
Reading comprehensionand base mathematics
2.6%
5.4%
7.1%
28.2%
76.3%
Replacement of older employeeswith younger workers
Personnel reduction
Improvement of career guidanceand skills maintanance
Adaptation of the organization ofwork
Retention of current employees
Human resources strategies for the
following 3 years – SMEs(ISFOL 2014)
1.4%
4.4%
7.7%
10-19 20-49 50-249
Number of employees
Concern of 50+ issues within Trade unions
negotiations in the following 3 years(ISFOL 2014)
OECD LEED Expert roundtable on Local economic
strategies for ageing labour markets
LET’S TALK TOGETHER
Thank you for your attention!
ISFOL
ISFOL – Corso d’Italia, 33
00198 Rome, Italy
Tel: +39 06 85.447.119 - 466
Fax: +39 06 85.44.71.28
www.isfol.it
11
Politecnico Calzaturiero
Stefano Miotto
Mauro Tescaro
www.politecnicocalzaturiero.it
