CONFERENCES | School and Work

October 11, 2018

On Thursday, October 11, 2018, at the Palazzo dei Contratti e Manifestazioni in Bergamo, a meeting took place with Vittorio Colao and Dario Di Vico on the theme: “School and Work: What Should Young People Ask of Us?”

School and Work: a dialectical connection between education and experience, an organic link between theoretical knowledge and professional practice, a complicated but achievable duo. This reflection was the starting point for the meeting with Vittorio Colao, moderated by Dario Di Vico. The event also marked the first in Bergamo as part of the new collaboration between Fondazione Pesenti and Fondazione Corriere della Sera.

The collaboration between Fondazione Pesenti and Fondazione Corriere della Sera aims to develop initiatives and meetings on current topics that enhance Fondazione Pesenti’s renewed mission — focused on innovation and support for cultural projects and activities to create new enterprises with significant social content, especially those developed by younger generations.

An effective partnership between businesses and the education system is strategically important to offer young people essential skills and guidance for their professional futures. It is a social responsibility to establish integrated educational paths that structurally connect school and work, creating real economic and employment opportunities in competitive comparison with the global economic context. Social responsibility also means continually emphasizing the value of culture on a technical knowledge level, as an element of social cohesion, a tool for growth, and a defining characteristic of citizens, with the belief that investing in youth is the most profitable investment.

Where does Italy stand on this path? What should young people ask from corporate and institutional leadership? These questions initiated the reflection with Vittorio Colao, guided by Dario Di Vico, marking the first event in Bergamo within the new partnership between Fondazione Pesenti and Fondazione Corriere della Sera.

In the last 10 years, Vittorio Colao has traveled more than 1,250,000 miles by plane and 50,000 kilometers by bicycle, leading Vodafone’s transformation from a telecommunications company to a group spanning media and communication, developing the firm conviction of the absolute necessity for an increasing connection with schools and universities, possible for companies of all sizes. “Speed is accelerating, but there are also changes in direction. We are in a continuously evolving context of technological, social, and political changes. It is an interesting moment that requires less specialization and more humanity.”

After graduating from Bocconi University and completing an MBA at Harvard University, he started his career at Morgan Stanley in London and later McKinsey & Company in Milan. In 1996, he became General Manager of Omnitel Pronto Italia. In 1999, when Vodafone acquired Omnitel, he became CEO of the Italian division. In 2001, he was CEO of Vodafone Southern Europe. In 2002, he joined the board of directors, and in 2003, he became regional CEO for Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In 2004, he left Vodafone to become CEO of RCS MediaGroup. In 2006, he returned to Vodafone as Vice CEO for Europe and subsequently CEO of the group.

Dario Di Vico is a columnist and correspondent for Corriere della Sera (formerly deputy editor from 2004 to 2009). He was among the founders of the blog La Nuvola del Lavoro and the research lab Percorsi di Secondo Welfare. He graduated in Sociology from La Sapienza University in Rome and has worked for the newspaper La Gazzetta del Popolo and magazines such as Mondo Economico, Panorama, and Il Mondo. He authored Industrializzazione senza sviluppo (Interconsult), Profondo Italia (BUR, 2004), co-wrote with Emiliano Fittipaldi Piccoli. La pancia del Paese (Marsilio, 2010), Milano/Nordest: la troppa distanza (Marsilio, 2012), Cacciavite robot e tablet (Il Mulino, 2014), and co-authored with Gianfranco Viesti Il Paese dei diseguali (Egea, 2017). He has won the Premiolino, the Sodalitas Prize, and the Fondazione Il Campiello Prize.