Labour relations and human capital
PROF. MICHELE COLASANTO; PROF. ROSANGELA LODIGIANI; PROF. ALBERTO VERGANI
COURSE AIMS
Labour, which forged the development and the framework of industrial society
continues to be an essential factor of aggregation and regulation of society as well
as of structuring and a sense of the continuation of people’s lives. Nevertheless, the
advent of neo and post industrialism and the transformations labour undergoes in
such scenarios (fragmentation, dispersion, demanualisation, etc.) necessitates new
categories to interpret it and the innovation of policies to promote it.
The course – organised into two modules – intends to provide students with the
conceptual apparatus necessary for reading and understanding the transformations
of labour and the relevant policies, while placing particular emphasis on the central
role the enhancement of human capital and educational intervention towards
development plays today.
COURSE CONTENT
MODULE ONE: Occupational dynamics and labour relations (PROF. MICHELE
COLASANTO; PROF. ROSANGELA LODIGIANI)
What place does labour have in today’s society, and what role does it play in the
trajectories of life? In what way does labour continue to “produce” social ties, and
how do they contribute to configuring contexts which “produce” labour? Who are
the main players within labour regulation and what are the form do their actions
take? What are the current challenges?
With the aim of answering these questions in mind, the contents of Module One
will be articulated around four topics:
– labour in its relationship with the balance (compromise) inherited from the
twentieth century – democracy, participation and conflict, well-being and social
cohesion;
– social players, particularly companies and organisations for workers and the
type of labour regulation which derives from their (industrial) relations;
– the dynamics of employment and transformations of labour – inequality, risks
and opportunities;
– policies and the role played by institutions in contributing to the solving of
employment and unemployment problems, the mismatch between supply and
demand, workers’ employability during their lives.
MODULE TWO: development and assessment of human capital (PROF. ROSANGELA
LODIGIANI; PROF. ALBERTO VERGANI)
Module two aims to closely explore the main concepts and forms of intervention
related to the development of human capital and skills of organisations via the
creation of training programmes and activities. This will also include their
operative dimension. On completion of the course, students will be able to:
– identify the characteristics of different training interventions which are viable
in a public and private organisations supporting the development of human
capital;
– be in full command of the essential terms of elements constituting the “life
cycle” of training interventions with particular reference to planning and
assessment;
– recognise the main features and specific details of the most common modes of
development and assessment of learning, with a view to utilising them within
organised work contexts;
– identify the main ways of assessing skills.
With these aims in mind, Module Two will focus on the following topics:
– Development and assessment of human capital by means of training: basic
concepts and categories.
– Places of intervention for the training of human capital: public, private and
third- sector organisations.
– Training as intervention towards the development of human capital of
organisations (types of training; history and development; distinguishing
characteristics; current trends and critical issues).
– Training and learning within formal, non-formal and informal contexts (off-thejob and on-the-job).
– The life cycle of training intervention (planning, designing, implementation,
monitoring and assessment).
– On-going training within organisations: types of intervention and forms of
financing (public, private, Intraprofessional Funds).
– Skills: their formation and use.
READING LIST
For MODULE ONE:
G.P. CELLA, Il sindacato, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2004.
R. DAHRENDORF, Quadrare il cerchio ieri e oggi. Benessere economico, coesione sociale e libertà
politica, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2009.
E. GUALMINI-R. RIZZA, Attivazione, occupabilità e nuovi orientamenti nelle politiche del lavoro: il
caso italiano e tedesco a confronto, in “Stato e Mercato”, n. 92/2011, pages 195-221.
S. NEGRELLI, Le trasformazioni del lavoro, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2013.
E. REYNERI-F. PINTALDI, Dieci domande su un mercato del lavoro in crisi, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2013
For Module Two
R. LODIGIANI-A. VERGANI (edited by), Sviluppo e valutazione del capitale umano e degli interventi
formativi, Dipensa EduCatt, available as from October 2014.
Indications regarding the utilisation of the reading material for the examination, in-depth
reading and material will be provided during the course and accessible on Blackboard.
TEACHING METHOD
The course is based on interactive learning, as well as lectures, it also includes personal
accounts, seminarial meetings and tutor-led exercises.
ASSESSMENT METHOD
Oral examination.
There will also be a mid-term test at the end of Module One.
NOTES
Further information can be found on the lecturer's webpage at
http://docenti.unicatt.it/web/searchByName.do?language=ENG or on the Faculty notice
board.