If Italy is losing the challenge of competitiveness, among the various plausible reasons (excluding the risky one of entry into the single currency) there is certainly that of educational vacuum of its ruling class. In fact, according to a study conducted by Manager Italia, a reference organization for managers and high-level professionals in the tertiary sector, companies focus too little on the so-called "corporate welfare" and on intergenerational policies, management training and professional integration tools that "would improve - second Monica Pontiroli of Manager Italy – productivity, organization and ethics”.
From research, carried out on a sample of companies in the trade-tourism-services sectorindeed, it emerges that much more attention is paid, for example, to cost reduction than to company welfare (21%) and even less to intergenerational policies (only one company out of ten). "With greater training of managers - Pontiroli explains - these would be better prepared and the company better organized, thus also allowing for a reduction in costs", which therefore is not done only through cuts but by focusing on intergenerationality, which also allows meritocracy , flexibility, ethical and organizational sustainability.
As? Through four operating models, proposed by Manager Italia. There Relay, which favors the hiring of young people on permanent contracts and the gradual departure of seniors through part-time contracts which, however, do not jeopardize pension treatment. The Tandem, i.e. the formation of working couples based on affinities and aspirations. The Mentoring, training plan for junior collaborators with talent management for seniors. And then, allowing further savings to the company, the salary partly fixed and partly Variable, linked to the achievement of agreed and mathematically measured objectives. All of which has already been tested, with companies of the caliber of Idm and above all Bulgari, one of the most prestigious luxury houses celebrating its 130th anniversary.
To support training, still unexplored terrain for too many companies (especially small ones, who think they can't afford it) there has also been a law since 2000 which has allowed the establishment of joint inter-professional funds on which the INPS - until then the only recipient of contributions for training (included in those for unemployment and equal to 0,3% of total wages) - at the request of the individual companies can divert the sum paid to a fund which then, following a detailed report – will reimburse the training activities.
"For some years now, companies have been choosing who to allocate the contribution to, and the funds give the opportunity to finance training policies at no cost which qualify the presence on the market of companies and which enhance the professionalism of managers", he explains Alessandro Vecchietti, president of Fondir, which has just turned 10 and which for 2014 has reached 14 million euros to be allocated to its 6 client companies, which have 30 executives.
Fondir, co-organizer with Manager Italia of the conference in which the research was presented, was made up of Concommercio, Ania, Confetra, the same Manageritalia, FederDircredito, Fidia and Sinfub and Abi, which allows for example to have 100% coverage of the banking sector. “The greatest requests – specifies Vecchietti – above all concern internationalization: language courses for those who want to open a branch abroad, technologies, human resources, but if the project is serious we finance across the board and across the board, companies from all over Italy and of all sizes".
In fact, the novelty is that the tool wanted by the Ministry of Labor and created - among others - by Fondir "facilitates access to training, which was previously only the prerogative of large companies". "In the tertiary sector - concludes the president of Fondir - around 4 million people work and we have a lot of micro-enterprises among our customers: for them, the challenge of growth starts right from training".
