Abstract

Corporate academies represent an important new element of the Italian continuing education scenario, and can constitute a significant feature of the network of actors contributing to the development of human capital of an area. Corporate academies are often top-ranking structures set up by companies, which invest, innovate, and support the development of knowledge and skills, and therefore aim to be included among the actors of the training offer system. This article presents the findings of an exploratory research on the phenomenon of corporate academies, with the aim of identifying the different features and experiences. The analysis was aimed, in particular, at framing the development of corporate academies within the context of the ongoing transformations occurring in the continuing education system. The findings point out that the number of Italian academies is growing and that they are gaining more and more experience, as well as opening up to cooperation patterns with other territorial actors, making the boundaries of the company more porous