Digital skills, 10 million for the managers of the future: how to access funds

Companies also need managers trained in digital skills, thanks to plans training that can keep them up to speed with the pace of technology. This is why it is right at thedigital innovation which is dedicated the first national notice of the year (Notice 1/2024) from Fondirigentithe interprofessional fund for financing the continuous training of managers, promoted by Confindustria and Federmanager, which provides 10 million euros for training plans on digital skills at the service of business competitiveness.

“Fondirigenti’s data and research,” he said the general director of the Fund, Massimo Sabatini,” they indicate clearly the growing need for managerial skills necessary to govern these processesi, both to exploit the opportunities related to innovation, and to deal with the insecurities that risk upsetting the job market in the coming years. Managerial training can be one of the main tools to accompany this transformation, which transversally affects the main areas of operation of companies”.

“It is an important notice – he states the president Marco Bodini – to which we dedicate an equally important allocation of resources, to put managerial training at the service of one of the fundamental missions of the Pnrr, that of the digital transformation of the country. Today more than ever, in times of artificial intelligence increasingly present in corporate investments, what can make the difference is updated and responsible management, capable of guiding the innovation processes in the various corporate functions with foresight”.

THE digital transformation processesamplified by recent ones evolutions of technologies related to artificial intelligencethey need to be supervised by a trained management, in order to guarantee significant impacts in terms of performance for companies, employability of workers and company results with respect to ESG sustainability indicators. This is where Notice 1/2024 was born, with which Fondirigenti intends to continue the path undertaken in supporting innovation through training.

There are two macro areas of priority skillsnecessary to drive change: on the one hand the technical-managerial skills, linked to the use of technology and digitalisation in processes and management of relationships with the innovation ecosystem, on the other soft skills, regarding leadership and the so-called managerial mindset, including the ability to promote organizational learning processes in companies.

Are provided rewards to encourage the participation of small businesses, who access digital transition paths in a lower percentage than medium and large ones, and companies from the Southern regions, which still use training in a too limited way, with significant delays in digitalisation and innovation.

The Notice is aimed at all members and new members of the Fund with the exception of large companies that have already benefited from financing through the Notices promoted by the Fund in 2023.

The Training Plans may be presented in single or aggregate form. The aggregate plan will be characterized by an identification code common to all the plans of the participating companies and must be made up of a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 companies, including a leader.

Every company will be able to present a single training plan and ask for a maximum financing of 12,500 euros.

There are four areas of intervention identified: all characterized by the key role of digital transformation: strategies, processes, organization, individual capabilities. The contents of the proposals may concern training interventions to exploit the digital lever in strategic planning and innovation processes for the sustainable transition in key Exg (reduction of consumption, resource efficiency, sustainability and circular economy, etc.) or interventions to innovate production processes (digital lean, internet of things, business intelligence, big data, marketing 5.0, cybersecurity, etc.), or interventions to improve work organization (design and planning of work processes, recruiting, performance evaluation, etc.) or, finally, interventions to govern technological innovations and guide technological change through mindset innovation and the ability to consciously use digital tools, also taking into account ethical aspects.

The presentation of the training plans must take place atThrough the reserved area of ​​the companies, on the Fondirigenti website, starting from 12.00 on 8 May 2024 until 12.00 on 20 June 2024. The full text of the Notice and the Guidelines for presentation are available in the dedicated section on the Fondirigenti website from which it is possible to register for the national webinar in program for next May 6th at 3:00 pm to find out the priorities and characteristics of the Notice and receive useful information for participation.

All plans presented within the single deadline will be subjected to a formal evaluation by the Fund structure, and to an evaluation of merit by an external Commission which, at the end of the work, will draw up a ranking. The ranking will be published on the Fondirigenti portal within 90 days of the single deadline for the presentation of the Plans. The activities must be completed by 7 months from the date of publication of the ranking.