Uniqueness of the Training Needs of Social Enterprise Professionals: Analysis in the European Context

Francisco Javier Gómez González (), Aikaterini Sotiropoulou, Natalia Marzia Gusmerotti, Elina Pöllänen and Argyrios Loukopoulos
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Francisco Javier Gómez González: Department of Sociology and Social Work, University of Valladolid, 47002 Valladolid, Spain
Aikaterini Sotiropoulou: Department of Business Administration, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece
Natalia Marzia Gusmerotti: Management and Law Department, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Elina Pöllänen: Diaconia University of Applied Sciences, 00580 Helsinki, Finland
Argyrios Loukopoulos: Department of Business Administration, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-27

Abstract: This paper analyses the perceived training needs of managers and technicians in social enterprises, as well as the factors that condition this perception. The analysis is based on qualitative and quantitative research carried out with managers and technicians of social enterprises in Finland, Italy, Greece, and Spain. The results show that the different attitudes towards the uniqueness of social enterprises are a fundamental determining factor in explaining the perception of training needs and the tensions generated by the dual mission of this type of organisation. Interviews and surveys have also shown that social competences are perceived as more important and more difficult to find in the labour market, compared to technical competences linked to business management.

Keywords: social entrepreneurship; education; social enterprise; training needs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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