Competenze digitali e divari regionali nelle PMI italiane

[Autom. eng. transl.] In our article the theme of digital competence is addressed with particular reference to the peculiar condition of weakness of Italian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the digital transition, relating the development of skills digital with the development gaps in the country. To date, the Italian digital divide has been the subject of numerous reflections, above all from an educational and training point of view (Guy et al. 2017; Mascheroni 2017, Sartori 2006), but more rarely has it been the subject of reflections on the level of socio-economic outcomes and related to the territorial development gaps that characterize the Country. To achieve this, data was collected on a sample of companies participating in a specific program developed nationally on the basis of an agreement between Google and Unioncamere, called Digital Excellence (Eid) (2017 edition). The digital training program was specifically aimed at Italian SMEs and 83 joined the initiative Chambers of Commerce. It envisaged the provision of 12 digital tutors, experts in training and business support for the realization of 500 theoretical and practical training seminars with companies throughout Italy. The program is unique on the national scene and a privileged observatory of the relationship between digital competence, development and transformation of SMEs. The article has the following structure: after an introduction, the first paragraph analyzes the topic of digital competence relating it to the digital divide in Italy; in the second paragraph the objectives and the methodology of study adopted; the third paragraph presents the main results; the fourth outlines the main conclusions and implications of policy and for future studies on the subject.