As part of the Age-It Programme, the LEAA Transversal Committee promotes highly interdisciplinary research focused on Educational and Training Processes throughout the entire life course, which accompany, shape, and guide every human being toward ageing. Education in adulthood and older age is explored as a fundamental dimension of human formation, understood in an integral and holistic sense. From this perspective, learning assumes a strategic centrality as a tool for living, facing existential transitions, and accessing knowledge and cultures, with a view to individual and collective well-being.

We are faced with the urgency of education for older age, where the need emerges to develop life skills and to train professionals, family caregivers, volunteers, and policymakers who are aware of the educational challenges related to longevity and capable of supporting social innovation, contributing to prevention understood as a form of care. Education is understood as a widespread process, articulated across formal, non-formal, informal contexts and embodied and embedded knowledge, with the aim of promoting inclusion and social justice.

A mixed-methods research study conducted on around 50 entities distributed across the national territory (services, administrations, public and private institutions, local and health authorities) enabled the mapping of experiences and projects connected to education and learning. The results highlight the widespread need for territorial networks, reference structures, and initiatives capable of enhancing intergenerationality and life skills. The research work led to the planning and execution of two national events and the publication of a volume, where educating communities are at the center, positioning themselves as key actors in lifelong education, training, and learning processes. The construction of a Pedagogy of Ageing, capable of formulating the terms of an education for ageing, thus appears as an essential step to face the future with foresight, scientific grounding, and rooted in the real needs of people.

The Active Ageing Index (AAI) captures individuals' capabilities and opportunities to age well. We developed a multidimensional AAI, for each Respondent, using data from the SHARE survey: this allows us to identify the determinants of the level of the index, its dynamics and how groups in the population perform. We focus on a set of variables capturing the socio-economic status, health conditions and activities/capabilities. We cover aspects such as demographics, housing conditions, labour force participation, income and pensions, subjective well-being, cognitive function, physical health and social life. The first results show that in the EU, the AAI is declining with age and men “perform” better than women. The next step will be to build a dynamic version of the AAI in relation to important events, both individual events (shocks) and events at the country level (say pension reforms).

Starting from a narrative literature review on active ageing from an educational-pedagogical perspective, the study highlights the central role of the work environment in fostering an identity dimension that recognizes the centrality of the professional self for the well-being of both the community and society, and especially for the ongoing development of the individual. In this context, the research investigates the presence of lifelong learning strategies within Tuscan social enterprises aimed at strengthening life skills (Sala et al., 2020), which are essential for a meaningful transition into retirement and for reinvestment in social engagement activities.
Using a mixed-methods approach (qualitative and quantitative; Trinchero & Robasto, 2019) alongside multiple case studies (Yin, 1989), the findings reveal key levers for promoting a multidisciplinary approach to active ageing that strengthens systemic vision and strategic planning for quality longevity.
Fostering a “culture of longevity” that encompasses all phases of transition is a fundamental pillar, where the enhancement of educational and training processes through an intergenerational perspective plays a predominant role. Moreover, there is an increasing urgency to redefine professional profiles in the educational-pedagogical and social-care sectors to safeguard working conditions, prevent burnout, and facilitate a fair and inclusive transition to retirement. This issue remains underexplored, partly due to the average age of those working within social enterprises. Therefore, an organizational transformation is necessary to recognize the value of transversal and reflective skills which, if properly nurtured in the workplace, become essential tools to support active ageing pathways, generating new forms of participation, belonging, and agency in later life stages.

European policies addressing demographic ageing have largely focused on extending working life to ensure the sustainability of pension systems. This productivity-driven approach often overlooks the diversity of material, relational, and institutional factors that shape ageing trajectories. As a result, public discourse tends to emphasize aggregate employment rates over the complex and situated experiences of older workers. As a result, public discourse tends to emphasize aggregate employment rates over the complex and situated experiences of older workers, neglecting the social and individual implications of this transformation. This study investigates the subjective experiences of healthcare professionals aged 55 and over in Lombardy and Campania—two Italian regions with contrasting socioeconomic and organizational configurations. Through thirty in-depth biographical interviews, equally distributed across both regions and involving doctors, nurses, and technical-administrative staff, the research explores how older workers experience career extension, what challenges they face, and which adaptive strategies they adopt, including stress management, silent disengagement, and redefinition of professional identity.

The Social Quality paradigm (Walker, 2005) provides the analytical framework for interpreting findings, emphasizing the dynamic interdependence between individual agency and structural conditions. Its four dimensions—socioeconomic security, social inclusion, social cohesion, and empowerment—serve as operational tools to assess whether institutional and organizational environments enable or hinder active ageing.

Expected results include the identification of region-specific patterns in senior workforce management: formalized approaches in Lombardy and more informal, adaptive practices in Campania. Common issues likely to emerge include perceived institutional marginalization and high workload pressure, alongside coping mechanisms such as peer support networks and individual resilience strategies.

By linking empirical data to a multidimensional theoretical framework, the study contributes to rethinking active ageing as a socially embedded process and offers policy insights for promoting inclusive, enabling work environments for older employees.

Italy has rapidly aged over the past five decades. This demographic shift, combined with policies to extend working life, has resulted in an ageing workforce. Older workers often face challenges, including skill obsolescence and job insecurity, driven by technological advancements and organizational changes. Promoting lifelong learning is crucial to enhance human capital and mitigate these challenges.

Job satisfaction plays a key role in an ageing workforce, shaping outcomes such as early retirement. However, few studies have explored its determinants among older workers, particularly focusing on the role of skill obsolescence and participation in lifelong learning.

Our analysis draws on an integrated database combining annual panel data from two waves of the Italian Labour Force Survey (2021, 2022), the “Atlante del Lavoro” classification, and an occupational skill requirement indicators from the “Lightcast” database. We apply an OLS model to examine the association between lifelong learning and job satisfaction among workers aged 50-74 in Italy. To reduce selection bias, we perform a propensity score matching analysis. Preliminary results suggest that participation in both formal and non-formal training is positively linked to job satisfaction.