AGORA PROMOTING LIFELONG LEARNING FOR OLDER WORKERS

1. AGORAPROMOTING LIFELONG LEARNING FOR OLDER WORKERS Confindustria Veneto Siav Spa CEDEFOP Thessaloniki, Pylea 12-13 October 2006

2. INDUSTRIAL CONFIGURATION OF VENETO REGION Population: 4.73 mill. inhabitants - not positive demographic trend (2005); total immigrants 6.1% - non-EU immigrants 5.8% (2004) Active Enterprises: 456,878 (2005) Unemployment rate: 4.2% - 6.2% Female – 2.9% Male (2005)

3. Comparison of the age group structure, between the population in the province of Venice and the population of Veneto – Year 2005 Comparison of the age group structure, between the population in the province of Venice and the population of Veneto – Year 2025 REGIONAL AGE PYRAMID The maximum extension will move from the age group 34-44 in 2005 to 50-54 age group in 2025

4. THE STATISTICAL DEMOGRAPHIC PICTURE The total employment rate among workers aged 55 to 64 is 27.8%, i.e. falling within the national average, though unfortunately still far from the target set at Lisbon European Council (50%)

5. THE STATISTICAL DEMOGRAPHIC PICTURE Table 2 - Employment rate by gender The favourable trend and increase of female employment is due to the fact that, up to the 1970s, female work was considered in Veneto purely as “temporary, instrumental investment in life and workexperience” (Pristinger, 1983), so that women would typically reach lower levels of education, they would enter the labour market rather early, then would leave it upon getting married or at the birth of their first child. Today, instead, access to the labour market is a process that starts later, and permanence on the labour market increases for less young female workers.

6. THE STATISTICAL DEMOGRAPHIC PICTURE Table 3 - Percentage composition of employed persons by occupation, sector of activity and age

7. THE STATISTICAL DEMOGRAPHIC PICTURE Table 4 - Private sector: employed persons hired in 2000 in Veneto, sorted by qualification, gender and age group. Percentages If compared to other European countries, the low employment rate of the aged population in Veneto can be ascribed on the one hand to a remarkably lower degree of education but, on the other hand, also to the fact that part-time is still fairly low, a common problem all over Italy, particularly for women: despite being above the national average, female part-time in Veneto (23.3%) is extremely low compared with the European average (33.4%); moreover, it is mostly voluntary (over 85%).

8. LEONARDO TACITUS INTERVENTION PROJECTS Research and enterprises sensibilization Enhancement of non-formal learning in older worker Research-intervention at regional level Aims Research Intervention Information desks Mainstreaming Research benchmarking among five E.U. regions Evaluation and competences transfer model (old and young workers) Activities 5 partners: employer and sectoral organizations (F, D, UK, I, HU) 4 Equal DP composed by social partners, municipalities, innovation agencies, chambers of commerce. Networking composed by 15 organizations: Universities, social partners, training agencies. (ISL, I, F, D, P, RO, B) Partnership Period Dec. 2004 – Nov. 2006 Oct. 2003 – Sept. 2005 Jul. 2004 – Nov. 2005 http://www.siav.net/sam.htm www.leonardotacitus.net www.agemanagement.it

9. PRACTICES CLASSIFICATION The practices implemented by the 20 companies interviewed in the Age Management project fall within the following attitude models: “wait and postpone” the company tackles the Age problem only when it appears, and seeks to postpone it as long as possible, by keeping the worker within the organization if he or she possesses distinctive competences; BAD PRACTICE “artisan workshop” (using a metaphor) the company appreciates that the older worker is the owner of skills enriched by experience, and studies strategies on how to pass these valuable competences over to young workers; GOOD PRACTICE “anticipate and develop” the company implements a strategy based on continuous improvement, by anticipating periods of crisis, including age-related ones, and by involving all workers, irrespectively of their age. In this specific case, Age becomes a stimulating factor of excellence. GOOD PRACTICE These practices are closely related with the orientations adopted by enterprises, and they can be pictured best in the following models: “Family-based” concentrated entrepreneurship leads to the customization of the Age process, the company relinquishes the idea of spreading intergenerational experiences, the owner himself/herself is often the person who takes possession again of these competences, unless he or she decides to redistribute them; “Business Oriented” the company seeks the maximum, immediate return, and this factor inevitably inspires the company's policy; “Vision Oriented” the company sets specific goals in the medium and long run, particularly focusing on possible damage or beneficial opportunities missed because of the lack of Age management strategies. Vice versa, the company operates in favour of its territory, its workers, its economic sustainability in a complex framework of reference, which is not restricted to internal priorities, but is aware of context-related, mutual relations.

10. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation • The ageing process of the older worker involves: • Technical skill obsolescence • Accumulation of experience related to his/her professional duties • Role crisis and identity crisis in several contexts (work, family, etc.) • New conditions and opportunities for making new choices

11. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation • The risks for the older worker are: • lower production • social identity crisis • social exclusion

12. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation The ageing process does not only affect the work organization and the production processes, but also the whole social organization in all its components (family, associations, services, etc.)

13. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation Lifelong learning is a strategy aimed at tackling the ageing issue within work organizations (i.e. within companies). Lifelong learning is based on the assumption that learning does not only concern a specific age, but one’s whole life, i.e. also old age. • Intergenerational exchange is a peculiar aspect: • Young people can acquire knowledge through experience • Older people can acquire knowledge through younger people’s skilled competence

14. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation We tried to summarize and schematize our considerations about the exchange of tacit knowledge between experts and novices in a model that we will call “infinity” because of the shape it has, i.e. ∞.

15. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation The model highlights that what can be exchanged are the individual’s resources, i.e. knowledge and knowing how to do. The transfer process (not formal) consists in a double crossing of the central ellipsis: on the one side, the crossing refers to sharing of the stock of resources on the part of the person who is “transferring”; on the other side, the crossing refers to the absorbing of resources on the part of the person who is “receiving”, i.e. the shared resources “provided” by the person who is teaching increase the stock of resources of the person who is learning/acquiring.

16. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation • There are three different approaches to develop lifelong learning, and they influence the contents and the sense of learning itself. • These three approaches are: • adaptation • reciprocity • social responsibility

17. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation Towards adaptation Adaptation means transferring new knowledge and new technical skills to older workers, in order for them to maintain their production efficiency and their integration in the working process, although it has changed (for several reasons) (experience is not expected to be of value) (the already acquired social role is prolonged, possible crises are postponed) (adaptation affects only one dimension)

18. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation Towards reciprocity The experience accumulated by the older worker means value for the company. The contents of this experience need to be acknowledged and to become an input for the work organization and the production process. The assumption (and the goal of training under this approach) is that the business organization gains benefits from the older worker who is trained for new roles (for example monitoring and mentoring activities, internal communication, conveying the company culture, etc). Enhancement strategies may require (internal or external) mobility actions. Training does not only concern the older worker, it considers the whole company context from the point of view of development and improvement (thus acting on more than one dimensional level)

19. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation • Proposal made to the companies through Action Learning Act within intergenerational groups: • Focus on one or more age-related issues of interest for the company • Develop a work project under the supervision of an expert

20. ASSUNZIONE DELLA COMMITMENT COMMITTENZA BENCHMARKING OF RESULTS ANALYSIS/DIAGNOSIS ANALISI / DIAGNOSI ANALISI / DIAGNOSI INTER-GENERATIONAL COOPERATION FORMAZIONE INTER-ENTERPRISE SEMINARS INTERAZIENDALE FORMAZIONE INTERAZIENDALE Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation • Transfer of competences within organizations • Human Resources Management and Corporate Social Responsibility • Issues identified: • Codify and transfer knowledge • Transfer responsibility • Share values

21. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation Age management strategies to implement: LIFELONG LEARNING: targeted towards increasing the Human Resource potential; INTERNAL MOBILITY: associated with career and enhancement; IDENTIFICATION OF NEW TASKS: partnering, mentoring, empowering, coaching; NEW FORMS OF CONTRACT: part-time.

22. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation Towards social responsibility Ageing affects all spheres of one’s own life. Ageing has to be dealt with by considering the whole context of an older worker’s life, by considering not only the business organization, but also the local network that the company belongs to, as well. The assumption (and the goal of training under this approach) is that there are several opportunities to enhance experience accumulated and start new growth opportunities even by taking up new roles and changing identities (e.g. access new markets with different approaches such as gratuitousness, relations, knowledge, amusement, etc.). Within the reference network, the company plays its role in achieving continuous growth and development goals (not only from an economic point of view, but also in terms of well-being) (thus acting on all dimensional levels)

23. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation Policy recommendations Do not oversimplify the problem by dealing with it separately from the context where it appears. Develop policies which can intervene on all dimensions by focusing on the system

24. Promoting lifelong learning for older workers Policy implementation Consider the older worker as human capital, not only for the practical support he/she gives to the production process. Enhance the worker’s intangible components in intergenerational exchange, especially those which contribute to building and maintaining trust, as well as those concerning the exchange and transfer of cultural models and values.