Competenze per l’ageing nei luoghi di lavoro: il caso di studio dei responsabili delle cooperative sociali nel territorio toscano

The contribution explores the challenges and opportunities related to the transition from work to retirement within the context of demographic ageing and the extension of working life. Adopting a pedagogical and educational perspective, the study examines the role that social enterprises – particularly social cooperatives in Tuscany – can play in supporting active and conscious transitions into retirement. Grounded in the concepts of active ageing and educational care, the work highlights how the post-working phase can be enhanced through lifelong learning processes, the recognition of acquired competencies and the creation of generative relational environments. Using a mixed-methods approach (narrative interviews, questionnaires, and document analysis), the research underscores the need to overcome the current fragmentation of organizational practices and to build a new educational pact among individuals, organizations, and local communities. Within this framework, longevity is understood as a social and cultural resource and ageing as a phase of life to be inhabited with intentionality, care, and participation.