A training workshop at the Severi-Correnti Institute in Milan
How will work change in the coming years? Which skills will really be decisive? And what role will artificial intelligence play in the professions of tomorrow? These questions were addressed by “Work and the future”, an intensive training workshop promoted by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and hosted by the Severi-Correnti high school in Milan, led by headteacher Gabriella Maria Sonia Conte. The training session, which took place last December, was designed to offer students tools for understanding the present and concrete keys for orienting themselves in future choices, in an increasingly complex and changing professional context. The meetings, led by trainer Marco Rossi, involved fourth and fifth year classes.
Understanding change starting from data
The starting point for the workshop was data analysis. In particular, students explored the main findings of the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025, focusing on global trends, growth sectors and the skills most in demand in the labour market. This evidence-based approach was useful for overcoming clichés and simplified narratives and for understanding how technological evolution is reshaping roles, professions and opportunities.
Work, technology and artificial intelligence
Ample space was devoted to the transformation of work: from the impact of automation and digitalisation to lessons learned from the past, to the most debated topic of the moment: “Will artificial intelligence steal our jobs?”. With concrete examples and a critical approach, the workshop addressed myths, fears and realities related to AI, highlighting its dual role: on the one hand, as a possible substitute for certain activities, and on the other, as an amplifier of human skills and generator of new professions. The key message is clear: the future of work is not a challenge between man and machine, but an increasingly close collaboration.
The skills of the future: beyond the distinction between hard and soft skills
A specific focus was dedicated to the skills of the future, going beyond the traditional distinction between hard skills and soft skills. At the centre of the discussion were hybrid skills, which integrate technical knowledge, interpersonal skills, critical thinking and adaptability. These are fundamental skills for dealing with constantly changing work contexts and for building flexible and personalised career paths.
Active participation and classroom discussion
The workshop was not just about listening, but also about active experience. Through interactive activities and a mini debate in the classroom, students were directly involved in the discussion, stimulating critical thinking, collaboration and argumentation skills.
This approach is consistent with the methodology of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, which focuses on people and experiential learning.
A toolbox for building your own path
The meeting concluded with a veritable “toolbox” for the future, designed to help young people take their first steps even in the absence of structured work experience and to imagine non-linear paths, which are increasingly common in the contemporary world of work. Among the tools and approaches proposed were:
- Bio-empathy, to face change with awareness;
- survivor bias, to learn to read reality by going beyond what is immediately visible;
- a positive mental approach, summarised by the phrase attributed to Roger Federer: “It's only a point”, to put mistakes into perspective and turn them into learning opportunities.
The school's point of view
The feedback from the host institution was very positive. Teacher Ilario Titonel emphasised the value of the initiative for the students' educational path: "As a school, we are very happy with these interventions. The students are engaged and interested because the topic of work and the future is close to their experience and expectations. It is an important contribution to enriching their cultural and career guidance knowledge, and we hope it will be the beginning of further collaborations."
An initiative within the framework of Remid@ and digital facilitation in the area
The session is part of Remid@, the programme that, starting in September 2025, has been strengthened thanks to the activation of the Lombardy Region's Digital Facilitation Points as part of the PNRR - M1C1 Axis 1 Measure 1.7.2 “Digital Facilitation Services Network”.
The Points are coordinated by Ifoa in collaboration with the Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS and represent a permanent hub for digital inclusion and skills in the local area. Free services and personalised support are available at the neighbourhood centres of the Municipality of Milan for citizens aged between 16 and 74, together with a wide range of training courses designed to accompany people in the conscious use of technologies, access to digital services and educational and professional choices throughout their lives.
