Conference Program

This paper addresses the critical intersection of continuing vocational education, self-employment support systems, and inclusive democratic participation within the Italian context. Drawing on empirical research conducted by INAPP (Institute for the Analysis of Public Policy), the study examines how integrated approaches to lifelong learning and skills development can strengthen democratic inclusion through equitable access to economic participation, specifically via self-employment pathways.
Background and Challenge
Italy presents a paradoxical situation: whilst entrepreneurial propensity declined from 1.1% (2010) to 0.87% (2023), positioning the country 34th of 46 nations in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 2024 witnessed a recovery with 151,910 new business activations (+5.7%). However, this growth masks persistent inequalities and ecosystem fragmentation. Key barriers to self-employment include administrative complexity (reported by 50.2% of entrepreneurs), restricted credit access (23.8%), and acute skills deficits in digital and managerial competencies. Most critically, opportunity-driven and necessity-driven entrepreneurship diverge sharply: the former, predominantly 35–50 year-old, experienced, opportunity-motivated actors, generate sustainable enterprises; whilst the latter, young people, women, migrants, and unemployed individuals pushed towards self-employment by precarity, face elevated failure risk.
Educational Dimensions
Educational attainment patterns reveal pronounced disparities. Only 22.6% of self-employed workers hold university degrees, with notably lower rates amongst under-35s (20.3%) and migrants (13.8%). University-educated women represent 25.5%, suggesting potential for increased female entrepreneurship through targeted educational and mentoring pathways. These data underscore the necessity of embedding entrepreneurial competencies (autonomy, problem-solving, creativity, transversal skills, lifelong learning orientation) systematically within secondary and vocational education, and throughout university curricula.
Ecosystem Fragmentation and Policy Gaps
Current support infrastructure suffers from multi-level institutional fragmentation, weak coordination between universities, trade associations, development agencies, and public bodies, episodic evaluation lacking shared metrics, and significant North-South territorial divides. Emerging good practices, including integrated accompaniment (training + mentoring + digital services), combined measures across finance, training and coaching, and university-led technology transfer, demonstrate the potential for ecosystemic integration.
Policy Framework for Inclusive Democracy
The paper proposes a strategic reorientation from emergency sectoral interventions toward comprehensive integration around five pillars: (1) widespread continuing entrepreneurial education across school and VET systems; (2) digital service infrastructure enabling simplified access to support; (3) specialised mentoring and accompaniment targeted at underrepresented groups (young people, women, migrants); (4) a national observatory providing transparent data and shared evaluation metrics; and (5) interinstitutional coordination linking national and regional actors.
Democratic Inclusion
This integrated approach advances inclusive democracy by: ensuring equitable access to self-employment opportunities across social groups; building resilience in local economies; fostering social capital through intergenerational knowledge transmission; and strengthening territorial capacity to respond to digital and ecological transitions. Self-employment, conceived as qualified, sustainable, and supported economic participation, becomes a vehicle for democratic inclusion, enabling citizens to exercise agency, build social networks, and contribute to collective prosperity.
Conclusion
The evidence suggests that lifelong learning, embedded in coherent, ecosystemically integrated support systems, is essential for transforming self-employment from a precarious necessity into an inclusive opportunity. This requires sustained institutional coordination, evidence-based policy evaluation, and recognition of continuing training as foundational to both economic resilience and democratic participation.

Higher Technological Institutes (ITS Academy) represent the Italian pathway of non-university vocational tertiary education, introducing a dual training model within a traditionally academic-centred system. ITS programmes combine classroom teaching, laboratory-based learning and mandatory work-based training, with a strong involvement of firms in governance, curriculum design and teaching activities. Despite their growing relevance in public debate and policy agendas, the Italian ITS system remains largely underexplored in the sociological and educational literature, particularly with regard to the role played by firms and territorial networks in shaping its functioning.

This paper contributes to the literature on vocational tertiary education and dual training systems by analysing the organisational and relational dynamics underpinning ITS Foundations, focusing on the Tuscan ITS network as a case study. Tuscany represents a particularly suitable context for analysis, as its ITS system has expanded significantly over time and currently covers all national technological areas, operating across heterogeneous productive sectors ranging from manufacturing and advanced technologies to services and tourism.

The study adopts a qualitative research design based on ten focus groups conducted between May and October 2025, involving all ITS Foundations operating in the region. Participants included Foundation directors, scientific and teaching coordinators, teachers, company tutors, representatives of business associations and other stakeholders. This methodological approach allows the analysis to capture relational processes, informal practices and organisational tensions that are not easily observable through quantitative indicators alone.

The findings highlight that the effectiveness of the ITS model largely derives from the dense territorial networks in which Foundations are embedded. Firms play a central role not only as providers of internships and employment opportunities, but also as co-designers of curricula, sources of vocational teaching and partners in continuous curricular updating. Territorial networks act as the core infrastructure of the system, enabling ITS to translate heterogeneous productive needs into coherent training pathways and to support incremental innovation, particularly within small and medium-sized enterprises.

At the same time, the analysis reveals a set of structural weaknesses that constrain the consolidation and scaling-up of the model. These include the hybrid institutional positioning of ITS within the education system, discontinuous and project-based funding arrangements, high organisational intensity and uneven integration with schools and universities. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for policy, arguing that strengthening ITS as a stable pillar of vocational tertiary education requires coordinated interventions at both regional and national levels.

The aim is to develop a political economy framework to analyze how self-employment interacts with lifelong learning under the twin digital and green transition. In human capital theory, education and training are forward-looking investments undertaken when expected returns exceed costs (Becker, 1964). For self-employed workers, this logic is particularly strong since they directly internalize productivity gains and bear the full consequences of skill obsolescence, while also facing higher economic risk. As documented by OECD (2021), self-employed individuals typically experience weaker access to social protection, higher income volatility and greater exposure to economic shocks compared to standard employees. In principle, such exposure should reinforce incentives for continuous training, as skill upgrading can increase income and provide insurance against market uncertainty. Lifelong learning becomes essential to preserve employability and reduce vulnerability to technological and regulatory change.

The acceleration of digitalization and the expansion of green regulatory frameworks increase technological complexity and compliance requirements (European Commission, 2022). Digital transformation intensifies demand for advanced skills while accelerating their obsolescence, in line with skill-biased technological change (Acemoglu and Autor, 2011). Simultaneously, the green transition introduces new environmental standards and reporting obligations that reshape market participation. For self-employed workers, who lack internal organizational buffers, these shifts amplify technological and regulatory risks, making continuous skill updating essential for compliance and access to sustainability-oriented value chains. Yet evidence shows that the self-employed engage less in formal training than employees (Eurofound, 2024).

Under these conditions, lifelong learning shifts from a discretionary productivity-enhancing investment to a structural condition. By strengthening cognitive, informational and relational competences, lifelong learning enhances what the capability approach defines as effective opportunities for participation, that is, the conversion of formal rights into real capacities to engage in collective and democratic processes (Bonvin, Laruffa & Rosenstein, 2018). Since economic independence underpins civic participation (Bonvin and Laruffa, 2022), these dynamics extend beyond the labour market, making lifelong learning a condition for both economic resilience and democratic agency.

The framework developed in this paper highlights that while highly skilled and well-positioned autonomous professionals may leverage digital and green transformations to reposition themselves in higher value-added segments, more vulnerable self-employed workers may struggle to meet escalating competence and compliance thresholds. Rather than uniformly increasing training participation, the twin transition may induce selective skill upgrading among advantaged groups and market exit among others, contributing to growing segmentation. A life-course perspective suggests that the returns and risks of lifelong learning and self-employment vary across career stages, producing age-specific patterns in training and entrepreneurship (Kautonen, Down & Minniti, 2014; OECD, 2019). As the twin transition raises required competence thresholds, training becomes less a purely private investment and more a form of public infrastructure; without adequate support and quality assurance, unequal access may deepen segmentation and inequality among the self-employed. By combining human capital theory with institutional perspectives and recent comparative evidence, this survey study contributes to the debate on labour market transformation and provides a framework for designing survey research on barriers and drivers of training investment among self-employed workers.

The unprecedented population ageing and socio-economic inequalities between developed and developing countries create a strong nexus between the high demand for H24 and personalised long-term care and the offer of low-paid and under-skilled healthcare migrant workforce. On the one hand, the lack of knowledge and competences exposes migrant care workers (MCWs) to a high risk of work discrimination and social exclusion and older people to a higher risk to receive low quality care. On the other side, there is a scarce offer of health and eldercare education tailored for migrants.

This study presents the results of the HERO project (Erasmus+ Program, ID: KA204-0C583C5), which co-designed and implemented an original eldercare training curriculum for migrants and refugees in four countries (Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Portugal). The training consisted in 100 hours of lesson (78 face-to-face lessons and 22 of internship). It was implemented in 2022 and reached 83 migrants and refugees (58 women and 24 men) in the four study countries.

The impact of the training on the 83 trainees’ quality of life and social inclusion was assessed through a mixed-method approach including the WHOQoL-BREF questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and participant observation. A SWOT analysis highlighted strengths and weaknesses of the training, while four ideal-types of migrant learners were drawn, in order to optimise the learning process by designing tailored educational pathways. Some tips for future research and policy are given to improve education and social inclusion as well as to promote social rights of migrants and refugees even in a gender perspective.

The lack of an effective reception system not only hinders the integration of migrants, but also increases the risk of social exclusion and exploitation. Without adequate access to education, work and health services, people housed in temporary centres and CASs remain trapped in a limbo of precariousness.

The absence of structured programmes for integration into the labour market prevents migrants from achieving economic autonomy, forcing them to depend on informal networks often linked to undeclared work or exploitation. Furthermore, the lack of adequate language support limits their ability to communicate and build ties with the host society, reinforcing dynamics of isolation and marginalisation.

From a human rights perspective, the reduction of services in the centres has led to a deterioration in the living conditions of asylum seekers. In many facilities, sanitary conditions are inadequate, spaces are overcrowded and the quality of food is poor. In some cases, there have been incidents of violence and ill-treatment, without the institutions ensuring adequate monitoring of the situation.

Southern Italy is also subject to demographic dynamics marked by ageing and depopulation, especially in inland areas. This marks a double abandonment: not only are existing residents leaving, but also immigrants who arrive with the desire to realise their migration project.

Reception centres could instead be a lifeline for the rebirth of these territories, especially inland areas. However, for this to happen, functional and indispensable projects are needed to activate the precursors of development consistent with the characteristics of the territories and their economic history, which over time has been undermined by processes of abandonment and emigration. These projects must also be geared towards the recovery of specific knowledge and skills capable of activating new production and employment processes, with a long-term vision.

This contribution analyses and presents the initial results of a monitoring activity of a service aimed precisely at enhancing the Lucanian territory, involving migrants hosted in reception centres managed by the Filef Cooperativa Sociale, young unemployed Italians and agritourism facilities. The activity under investigation consists of the creation of guidance courses on business activities in the sectors of tourism and social agriculture in particular, but also in the sectors of the environment, culture and intangible assets. Specifically, four thematic itineraries are being organised to visit specific communities and learn about their cultural, environmental and gastronomic characteristics. The initiative consists of training on existing regulatory opportunities for businesses and support activities for business creation.

The research involves users of the initiative, operators and privileged witnesses from the local area.

This paper presents a middle-term assessment (2021–2025) of the Delphi survey The Future of Self-Employment: Professional Development, Representation and Support Policies, originally designed with a ten-year forecasting horizon. The interim analysis is based on a new consultation involving a panel of experts in labour markets, continuing training and support policies for the self-employed drawn from academia, professional associations and trade unions. The aim is to evaluate the consistency between the trajectories anticipated in 2021 and the dynamics observed in the first half of the decade, with particular attention to the role of continuing training in fostering sustainable autonomy and inclusive democracy.

The 2021 Delphi survey identified three structural trends shaping the evolution of self-employment: first, the growing polarisation between highly qualified forms of professional autonomy and structurally vulnerable self-employment; second, the expansion of hybrid work arrangements situated in a “grey area” between autonomy and subordination; and third, the increasing relevance of continuing training and welfare reform in supporting sustainable professional trajectories.

Recent empirical evidence confirms the relevance of these dynamics. Studies on the European labour market highlight the persistent heterogeneity of self-employment and the coexistence of highly skilled professionals capable of investing in innovation and lifelong learning alongside a wider segment exposed to income instability, weak bargaining power and limited access to social protection (Eurofound, 2024; OECD, 2025). At the same time, the diffusion of hybrid configurations has become increasingly visible. The adoption of the ICSE-18 international classification provides a useful framework for identifying formally self-employed workers who experience economic dependence and reduced organisational autonomy, enabling better analytical clarity and international comparability (ILO, 2023).

Within this context, continuing training emerges as a crucial dividing line between qualified autonomy and structural vulnerability. Access to lifelong learning opportunities remains unevenly distributed among the self-employed and strongly influenced by sectoral and income inequalities (Barricelli & Carolla, 2023). Consequently, continuing training represents a key lever not only for supporting professional resilience in the context of digital and ecological transitions but also for strengthening equal opportunities for economic participation and social citizenship.

Finally, the paper reflects on the implications of these developments for welfare and labour policies. Despite recent European initiatives aimed at extending social protection to non-standard workers, significant gaps persist in the coverage of self-employed workers. The middle-term consultation therefore provides an opportunity to reassess future trajectories of self-employment and to explore policy directions capable of integrating continuing training, adaptive welfare systems and new forms of representation.

Self-employment thus emerges as a strategic arena in which lifelong learning, job quality and social citizenship increasingly intersect.

The transformations within contemporary labour markets are profoundly redefining the relationship between employment, learning, and professional development. The increasing prevalence and diversification of self-employment across European economic systems highlight lifelong learning as a pivotal dimension in sustaining an individual’s ability to navigate productive contexts characterized by technological innovation, volatile career trajectories, and the growing individualization of skills management.

From a sociological perspective, self-employment serves as a prime vantage point for analyzing the processes of individualization inherent in contemporary labour markets, where individuals are increasingly required to autonomously design and sustain their own professional paths (Beck, 2000). Simultaneously, the proliferation of independent and discontinuous forms of work can engender new vulnerabilities, resulting in greater barriers to accessing educational opportunities (Standing, 2011). This contribution offers a theoretical reflection on the nexus between self-employment and adult learning, specifically examining how working conditions influence access to education and the feasibility of constructing lifelong professional development pathways.

The capabilities approach allows for an interpretation of lifelong learning not merely as participation in training programs, but as the genuine potential to expand professional opportunities and career choices (Nussbaum, 2011). In this light, access to educational opportunities represents a decisive factor in bolstering professional autonomy and countering the reproduction of inequalities within career trajectories.

Parallelly, research on workplace learning emphasizes that development occurs largely through informal and social processes embedded in daily professional practices. Communities of practice and professional networks constitute fundamental environments for the production and circulation of knowledge (Wenger, 1998), while the workplace learning framework interprets learning as a progressive participation in meaningful work activities (Billett, 2011).

In self-employment, these processes take on specific characteristics. The absence of consolidated organizational structures and a weaker integration into institutional systems make learning more dependent on individual resources, self-organization, and activated social and professional networks. Empirical evidence from major national and international surveys corroborates this configuration. Data from the INDACO Adults survey (by Inapp) reveal in Italy a sharp polarization in training participation among self-employed workers, contrasting highly qualified profiles with more traditional segments of independent work characterized by fewer resources and more restricted access (Barricelli & Carolla 2023). Such elements demonstrate how working conditions profoundly shape learning opportunities and, more broadly, the capacity of individuals to maintain and develop their professional capital (Angotti & Di Castro 2024).

In light of these theoretical and empirical perspectives, self-employment can be interpreted as a critical space for analyzing the redefined relationship between education, labour, and economic citizenship in contemporary societies. Finally, this paper discusses the implications of these dynamics for lifelong learning policies, highlighting the need to strengthen territorial and professional learning ecosystems capable of supporting access to training opportunities outside of traditional organizational contexts, thereby contributing to the reduction of educational inequalities across the various segments of independent labour.