ENTERPRISES-DRIVEN ITS ACADEMY AS A DRIVER FOR LABOUR MARKET DEVELOPMENT AND MIGRANTS INTEGRATION IN LOMBARDIA:A CASE FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION AND SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

This doctoral dissertation explores the potential for Italy's Istituti Tecnologici Superiori (ITS)— which are the equivalent of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)—to be redefined and implemented as a framework for social innovation aimed at tackling two interrelated societal issues: ongoing shortage in labour market skilled-labour and the systematic marginalisation of migrants and refugees from access to quality vocational training opportunities. The research illustrates that TVET, when purposefully designed to promote inclusion and integrated within collective skill development systems, serves as a robust mechanism for both labour market enhancement and the integration of migrants. By conducting a comparative analysis of Germany, alongside original qualitative research involving nine semi-structured interviews with leaders of Italian ITS and their corporate partners in Lombardy, the thesis uncovers a significant paradox: while ITS programs boast employment rates exceeding 80 percent, persistent shortages of students hinder the ability to scale their impact. This imbalance between supply and demand is not attributed to the quality of training but rather to a lack of sustainable financial resources, visibility, cultural obstacles, and inadequate outreach to marginalised communities. The thesis introduces Juvinate (JVN8), an initiative for a social enterprise grounded in research that applies social innovation principles to close recruitment gaps and promote the integration of migrants. JVN8 encompasses pre-vocational training, cultural and lingual orientation, employment through entrepreneurship, employer engagement, and focused job placement support across three levels of innovation—incremental, institutional, and disruptive—showcasing how entrepreneurial initiatives can create social value while addressing entrenched barriers. The research concludes that while social entrepreneurship is essential, it is not sufficient unless social initiatives are integrated within existing institutional governance frameworks and the complementary strengths of public, private, and civil society sectors are harnessed. This thesis contributes to the comprehension of how social innovation and social entrepreneurship can be utilised as effective instruments for fostering more inclusive and efficient labour market systems and societies.