99673 - POLITICHE DI ATTIVAZIONE E RESKILLING

Learning outcomes

The course aims to address the issue of activation with particular reference to the arena of labor policies and work-life balance. The first part of the course will focus on the concept of activation, its historical changes and the identification of the links with education and family policies. Subsequently, the different activation models, their aims and the variety of interventions will be examined. The analysis will be carried out by comparing national cases, also considering the impact of the interventions provided at the local level. At the end of the course, students will be able to: a) recognize the diversity of activation patterns; b) develop intervention plans at national and local level.

Course contents

The course aims to provide students with the theoretical baggage necessary for understanding and evaluating various phenomena taking place in modern societies: the dynamics of transformation taking place in the labor market, with particular attention to how the characteristics of the various occupations evolve and how the contents of the job change; active labor policies, as a factor in removing obstacles to work and reducing inequalities on the labor market; the need for retraining and longlife learning of workers, exposed to the technologization and digitization of work processes and at risk of technological unemployment.

 

The course uses an iterative approach between commentary on the literature and analysis of empirical case studies, so as to magnify the connections between theory and practice, stimulating the substantial application of the notions learned during the hours of frontal lessons. Furthermore, great importance is given to the intersectional view of the phenomenon, so as to understand to what extent different dimensions of inequality interact and impact on the phenomena under study.

 

At the end of the course the students will: - possess the necessary knowledge to evaluate the dynamics of occupational change existing in advanced capitalistic societies, understanding the prevailing trends and major criticalities; - possess analysis and understanding tools relating to the processes that are necessary for male and female workers to deal with the changes taking place in the workplace, in order to avoid the obsolescence of their skills and improve employment outcomes

Readings/Bibliography

The two texts to which reference will mainly be made for the topics covered in the course are the following:

 

Oesch, D. (2013). Occupational change in Europe: how technology and education transform the job structure. Oxford University Press, USA.

Scarano, G. (2022). Active labor policies and employment services: between myths and reforms. EGEA spa.

 

All other materials will be available, together with a detailed syllabus, at https://virtuale.unibo.it. All students are required to register on the aforementioned platform.

 

A total of 40 teaching hours are foreseen.

The topics discussed during the course are the following:

• 27,28 September: Occupational change in Europe: technology and institutions 

Warning: the 04th of October lectures will be suspended due to the San Petronio celebration

• 05, 11 October: Active labor policies and employment services

• 12, 18 October: The Italian context and regional models: a focus on Lombardia and Emilia Romagna
  
  
• 19, 25 October: Labor policies and changes: new responses for new challenges

Warning: the 01st of November lectures will be suspended due to the All Saints celebration

• 26 October, 02 November: Age management: theory and practice
  
  
• 08, 09 November: The digitalization in labor policies
  

• 15, 16, 22 November: The robotization: effects on unemployment and work experience
  
  
• 23, 29, 30 November, 06, 07 December: How to deal with new trends in the world of work

 

Teaching methods

The contents of the course are presented and discussed through lectures in a seminar format, in which brief moments of frontal explanation using slides alternate with group discussions. The teaching method is therefore interactive, centered on the collective discussion of questions, texts and concepts and group activities in class.

Students are requested to always refer to the detailed course guide uploaded on Virtuale for the exact scheduling of the topics covered in each lesson. For the correct development of the course, it is essential that the students complete the readings assigned for each lesson

Assessment methods

Attending students (at least 80% attendance).

Mid-term essay (1,200 words) (30% of the final grade) – to be delivered by 11/15/2023 by answering two questions on the topic of labor policies.

Final essay (2,000 words) (40% of the final grade) – final essay on a topic of your choice related to the topics covered in the course, to be delivered by 15/01/2024, agreeing the title with the teacher.

The remaining 30% of the final mark will be determined by the participation of the students during the lessons.

Non-attending students.

During the exam session, non-attending students will have to submit an essay of 3,000 words on a topic of their choice related to the topics covered in the course, previously agreeing the title with the teacher.

Teaching tools

Virtual platform.unibo.it, to which all students must register at the beginning of the course

Office hours

See the website of Giorgio Piccitto