X ASFOR Learning Survey: Italian education after the recession

The ASFOR survey focuses on large and medium-size companies that have a solid organizational and management structure; they use training as a competitive tool to gain and consolidate competitive advantages; and, last but not the least, devote tangible and intangible resources to organizational units that design and deliver training programs. The organizations that usually participate in the Survey have the reputation to be “leading companies” at least from the point of view of training. Typically they use to introduce innovations which often spread throughout the economy.

From March to September 2014, ASFOR received 78 responses to on line questionnaires from the main Italian companies: manufacturing (e,g. Eni, Ferrero, Finmeccanica, Pirelli etc.); financial and insurance activities (e.g., Assicurazioni Generali, Società Reale Mutua, etc.), services (e.g. Chloride, ENEL, etc.); subsidiaries of multinational companies located in Italy (e.g. Auchan, Basf, Denso, IKEA, Merck Serono, Osram, Robert Bosch, Skf Industrie, Sky Italia, STM Microelectronics, Webasto, Whirpool,etc.) and well know medium size companies (e.g. Ariston Thermo, Aziende Chimiche Riunite Angelini Francesco, Brembo, Bticino, Chiesi Farmaceutici, Landi Renzo, Loccioni, Lombardini,  ecc.). HR executives, Corporate University and Academy directors have participated in the Survey. Many companies have a high level of internazionalization. The average number of employees is 5.036. The majority of the companies that have partecipated in the Survey (55%) have a Training and Education Department, 24% have a Corporate University or an Academy and 21% have decentralized educational units located in different divisions or business units. 

The education is supporting the internationalization strategy of Italian innovative firms. Many organizations provide training programs all over the world and in the main foreign markets: Europe, Nothe and South America, China and India.

Main results
 
The budget: the growing role of social Funds
Italy is living the eight year of recession and even the investments in education have been heavily reduced. 2013 showed some signs of recovery and the trend has been confirmed in 2014. A significant amount of the organizations (50.0%) maintained the budgets at the same level of previous year. In 2014 there are more companies that have increased the budget (16.4%) than companies that have decreased the resources devoted to training (15.1%). In any case the persistence of high level of uncertainty and turbulence suggests caution and prudence in reading the data. All the Italian organizations of training and development continue to be concerned about efficiency. They are more attentive to all training costs (facilities, travel expenses, professional fees). 
Almost all the organizations are more interested on using the public funds that have been available to finance the education and training programs such as those inflowing from the European Union, the Italian State, and the Italian social funds. The Survey confirms a growing trend that emerged for the first time in 2013: the Italian social funds have been more substantial than the resources coming from the parents companies. It is still early to establish whether this tendency is becoming structural. In any case the Survey confirms that the social funds constitute a "strategic player" who influence the dynamics of the education and training market. 
Although companies recognize an improvement on efficiency and an effort to simplify the administrative aspects, they strongly request a higher level of innovation. As a matter of fact leading companies require greater attention to the cutting edge issues: internationalization, innovation, and change management.
 
The learning priorities
Like in 2013, the Survey confirms two trends: most of the Italian organizations are focusing their training activities on the customised programs as well as on topics able to improve business results quickly. Learning strategies try to find a fair balance between education and technical training although the most relevant part of the learning budget is focused on technical training. The development of human capital is a necessary condition to innovate products, increase the productivity and to speed up operational and managerial processes. 
The leadership development is the priority of management education. Many companies and organizations are, indeed, engaged in an huge effort to implement strategies and projects that require new and more diffused leadership skills to be successful. Motivation and empowerment are needful factors to achieve more challenging results in shorter time and fewer resources. The leadership development is the glue that connects people, organizations and processes of innovation, internationalization and organizational change.
The 2014 Survey shows a new aspect that must be monitored in the next editions of the research: a growing relevance of the manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain issues.
 
The methodologies
Classroom is the most widely used methodology in management education in Italy. Almost 60% of the overall learning activities are provided at classroom. Sometimes company’s executives provide lectures to their colleagues. Training on the job and coaching have a growing role in management education. The e-learning does not go beyond 11%, while the most innovative Italian organizations are testing social learning networks: for example, some of them are using Youtube and Facebook to promote new ways and methodologies to promote learning and knowledge sharing. 
 
Conclusion

In a highly fragmented context and with the persistence of the longest and hardest economic recession of the recent Italian history, management education is providing a strong support to speed up the competitive repositioning of the excellent companies. Italian companies are developing customized programs and, in many cases, are forming strategic alliances with business schools and some executive training companies. Create strategic partnerships is the most relevant way to deliver an effective and efficient management education able to face the most challenging times. The main focus of Italian management education is on creating and adding value for the people and the organizations. It is a management education that develops integrated projects in which the key players are business leaders, HR and training directors.