Who wants to learn forever: why learning is everyone’s job

“We used to learn to do the work, now learning has become our work.” With this statement, mentioned in the Foreword by Andreas Schleicher (OECD), one can summarize the meaning of Leonardo Caporarello’s new book, Who Wants to Learn Forever. Why and How Continuous Learning Is Reshaping Education and Career (Bocconi University Press, 2025). 

The author – Professor at SDA Bocconi and expert in education technology – starts from a simple and radical premise: education is no longer an initial chapter of professional life, but a continuous process that unfolds throughout an entire career. In the age of artificial intelligence, demographic ageing, and ecological and digital transitions, the ability to keep learning constantly becomes a condition for survival, both for individuals and for organizations. 

The book follows a gradual path. The first chapters depict the new context: the global trends transforming work – automation, the green transition, new forms of employment – and the evolution of skill demand. Caporarello shows, with data in hand, that by 2030 more than half of the workforce will need to be reskilled, and that the difference between the winners and losers in the market will depend on how quickly individuals and companies manage to update themselves. 

The second part explores how the supply of education is changing, across universities, business schools, and corporate academies. Four educational models emerge – traditional, online, hybrid, and blended – which the author compares in terms of effectiveness and inclusiveness. The blended model, which combines the flexibility of digital tools with the relational strength of face-to-face interaction, is presented as the most promising solution to foster continuous learning paths. 

At the heart of the book lies the IPOD framework: Integration, Personalization, Organization, Dynamism. Caporarello presents it as a compass for designing educational systems able to integrate research and practice, personalize learning paths, ensure organizational coherence, and stimulate interactivity and ongoing renewal. The idea is to build an ecosystem of lifelong learning, in which the university becomes a “facilitator of growth” rather than a simple provider of courses. 

In the final chapter, Caporarello imagines a future in which artificial intelligence makes it possible to create truly tailor-made learning paths – IPOD journeys – but also raises fundamental ethical questions: who will control educational data, how to ensure fairness and freedom of choice, and what space will remain for the human dimension of teaching. 

Who wants to learn forever is a book that blends scientific analysis with strategic vision. It is useful to those who design or manage education – managers, HR directors, professors, entrepreneurs – but also to anyone wishing to navigate their own professional development. In a labor market that rewards adaptability more than accumulated credentials, Caporarello invites readers to make learning a daily and identity-building practice. An essay that, rather than preaching innovation, teaches how to build it. 

The volume is enriched by a detailed set of assessments and practical exercises designed to translate theoretical reflection into self-evaluation and concrete application. Each section closes with summary sheets and operational checklists that help readers measure their own “learning readiness” and plan personalized growth paths. In the final focus sections, the author also proposes diagnostic tools to assess the skills of the future and the learning culture within organizations. An interactive approach that makes the book also a self-development manual. 

• Publisher: Bocconi University Press 

• Publication date: 2025 

• ISBN/EAN: 9791222980355 

• Pages: 142 

• Format: Carta, e-Pub