Business Education at the Estates General of the Italian Government

RELAUNCHING ITALY REQUIRES A MAJOR INVESTMENT IN HUMAN CAPITAL. THE SPEECH MADE BY GIUSEPPE SODA, DEAN OF SDA BOCCONI SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

Management education to drive the relaunch of the country’s competitiveness. This was the theme of the speech of Giuseppe Soda, Dean of  SDA Bocconi School of management, to the States General consultations, organized by the Italian government. A viewpoint shared together with colleagues Massimo Bergami (Bologna business school) and Paolo Boccardelli (Luiss business school).

"Studies and empirical evidence show that the dissemination of the best management practices is closely linked to the levels of exposure of managers and executives to continuous education," explains Giuseppe Soda, "and this is valid for both the private and public sectors, and regardless of whether they are management practices oriented towards competitiveness, sustainability or social responsibility.”

Italy, however, in terms of continuous education, as also regards schools and universities, always appears towards the bottom of the list in comparison with the rest of Europe. Few women, for example, have access to lifelong learning, so much so that Italy appears in the last positions and distant  from the most advanced EU countries. "In addition to a gender problem we also have a generational problem (the exposure to lifelong learning is 20% more concentrated on the 25-34 generations than on the 55-60) and above all a cultural one (access to this type of training is mainly for graduates)", comments Soda.

But that management education has never been considered a priority in Italy is also evident from the observation that supply and demand come from the private sector: business schools are private and respond to needs that come mainly from companies.

"For these reasons," concludes Soda, "we have presented the States General with a package of concrete proposals aimed at: aiding the diffusion of continuous education with interventions in favour of people and companies; attracting talent; strengthening the management skills of the public administration sector; investing in technologies and structures for teaching". 

by Barbara Orlando