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Population aging is exacerbating the loss of competences in the workforce and simultaneously young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEETs) are struggling to be reengaged in employment. These issues, which are deemed priorities for the European policy agenda, could be addressed by triggering active aging dimensions, valuing and exploiting older adult entrepreneurs' knowledge for enhancing youngsters' entrepreneurial attitudes, through mentoring. This paper reports the results of a study based on an intergenerational learning program, carried out in 2018 in Germany, Italy and Slovenia. The study was aimed at developing and testing one training on mentoring addressing 41 older adult entrepreneurs (55 and over), and two intergenerational learning trainings aiming at boosting entrepreneurial competences of 33 NEETs (aged 18–29). The impact of the program on older adult entrepreneurs and NEETs was assessed through a pre and post-evaluation using qualitative and quantitative tools. Findings at country level were treated as national case-studies and then the latter were compared by considering them as a multiple embedded case-study. Results indicated that, to different extent in the study countries, mentors learned and enhanced mentoring competences, e.g. active listening and the capability of orienting, improved well-being and self-esteem, social inclusion and active aging attitude. Moreover, NEETs acquired entrepreneurial and socio-relational competences by benefiting from the full exploitation of mentors' know-how and the trust relationship with them. Companies, trade unions, educational and voluntary organizations should cooperate to adopt intergenerational learning programs as good practices for older adults and NEETs' lifelong learning promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central hypothesis presented here refers to the economic importance of the development of new products and design participation as an innovative and creative activity. This paper shows the industrial design perspective. There are two points of view here: the first point is global, and it shows the historical evolution of industrial design in the development of new products. There is a two-case analysis over two countries: Italy and Germany. They based their strategies upon the creation of new products. This last fact played an important role in the post-war period and after it. The article also analyzes the Mexican case and design application, which is still limited when talking about new products. On the other hand, the second perspective presents an approach into the process of developing new products, but just inside the company. This study considers the different languages used by industrial designers who search for understanding and fulfilling both owners/ entrepreneurs' requirements and consumers' needs and wishes, adapting them to manufacturers' ability. The designer needs to interpret the information in a proper way. This information is relatively subjective when it comes from the consumer, and it must be translated into a tangible fact. Marketing studies and surveys on consumers are generally synthesized in the design brief. However, the information needs to be complemented by another kind of information which is frequently required, that is to say: commercial, market, regulatory and legislative, technologic and scientific information; finally, political information is demanded too. Designers may have access to this information through several means: the mass media, institutional and human sources, and then combine the gathered information with the existing knowledge and experience. The development of new products is an important part of the company strategies. This last point is crucial when considering the company survival in the mid- and long-term. Design plays an important role and may serve as a distinguishing tool for a company to satisfy the consumers' needs with regard to price and quality. It is also important that the interface existing between product and consumer be satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]