Inefficiency of the Italian training system highlighted
Published: 27 February 2000
A survey promoted by the Cisl trade union confederation, presented in January 2000, examines the problems of Italian teenagers as students and workers. One of the main causes of social exclusion lies in Italy's high level of school "drop-outs", and the social partners have questioned the role and strategies of schools and vocational training bodies in this respect. Teenagers' education and their preparation to enter the labour market are thus at the centre of debate, with parliament currently examining a proposed reform of the educational system.
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A survey promoted by the Cisl trade union confederation, presented in January 2000, examines the problems of Italian teenagers as students and workers. One of the main causes of social exclusion lies in Italy's high level of school "drop-outs", and the social partners have questioned the role and strategies of schools and vocational training bodies in this respect. Teenagers' education and their preparation to enter the labour market are thus at the centre of debate, with parliament currently examining a proposed reform of the educational system.
The 1999 Annual Report of the Institute for the Development of Vocational Training (Istituto per lo Sviluppo della Formazione dei Lavoratori, Isfol) highlights a high drop-out rate among Italy's 2 million or so teenagers. As table 1 below indicates: out of 1,000 students who start middle school at the age of 11, 56 do not complete compulsory schooling, while 944 do so; of these 944 young people, 67 then abandon school studies while 877 attend secondary school; only 701 complete the school educational cycle, of whom 463 then attend university but only 158 achieve a university degree.
| Educational level | Enrolled students | Students completing studies | Drop-out rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary school (6-11 years) | 1,000 | 94.4% | 5.6% |
| Middle school (11-14 years) | 944 | 92.9% | 7.1% |
| Secondary school (14-19 years) | 877 | 81.6% | 18.4% |
| University | 463 | 34.1% | 65.9% |
Source: Isfol Annual Report 1999.
These data confirm the inefficiency of the Italian training and education system on the whole, and in particular the inefficiency of the lower educational levels which concern adolescents. This is why Italian training and education policies are now at the centre of an important debate, with a new reform of the educational system under discussion in parliament. The reform should raise the school-leaving age from 14 (at the end of the second educational cycle) to 16 (after the completion of the first two years of secondary school).
This measure is considered insufficient in some quarters, and there is a widespread opinion that both educational and training policies are not appropriate for guaranteeing young people a successful entry into the labour market. School is seen as generating a sort of "social awkwardness" among young people which is reflected, as outlined above, in high drop-out rates from the very first educational cycles.
In this context, the Cisl trade union confederation has promoted a study on the education of young people and their preparation for the labour market, conducted by the Venice-based Fondazione Corazzin. The results of the study were presented to the consultative National Council for Economic Affairs and Labour (Consiglio Nazionale dell'Economia e del Lavoro, Cnel) on 19 January 2000. Two other associations that have dealt with young people's problems for many years also contributed to the study: the Italian Federation of Volunteers (Federazione Italiana Volontariato, Fivol) and the Association of Young Christian Workers (Gioventù operaia Cristina, Gioc)
Young workers
As noted above, there are about 2 million teenagers in Italy. The survey conducted by Fondazione Corazzin indicates that a quarter of them are "regularly" employed in the labour market and as many again, according to estimates, may be employed in the "underground" economy.
| Age | Employed | Self-employed | Student | Jobless |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-18 | 6.2% | 1.4% | 88.8% | 3.6% |
| 19-24 | 26.4% | 2.6% | 50.9% | 20.0% |
| 25-29 | 49.4% | 9.1% | 14.0% | 27.5% |
Source: Fondazione Corazzin, 1999.
Overall, as table 2 above indicates, 11.2% of young people aged between 15 and 18 in Italy do not attend school. Of this 11.2% of the age group, 6.2% are employed, 1.4% are self-employed and 3.6% are jobless (first-job seekers or unemployed).
| Age | Without compulsory school diploma | Middle-school diploma | Drop-out | Vocational qualification | High-school diploma | University degree |
| 15-18 | - | 61.0% | 34.9% | 4.1% | - | - |
| 19-24 | 1.3% | 32.0% | 8.8% | 13.0% | 44.6% | 0.3% |
| 25-29 | 3.3% | 40.9% | 7.1% | 14.3% | 25.1% | 9.4% |
Source: Fondazione Corazzin, 1999.
Table 3 above highlights that younger workers, in the majority of the cases, have only a middle-school diploma (61.0%) - the diploma achieved at the end of compulsory education - and only a small percentage of them have obtained a vocational qualification (4.1%). Most important of all, about one-third of the 15-18-year-olds interviewed (34.9%) had abandoned school prematurely.
It seems that for the majority of those young people aged between 15 and 18, taking up work after having completed compulsory education represents a genuine choice. Nevertheless, for more than one-third of them, this choice is the result of failure at school. The survey underlines that this decision to start working early affects both young men and women to the same extent.
Geographical factors also play an important role. Young people living in the north-east of Italy - an area characterised by full employment and by many small and medium-sized enterprises, especially artisanal companies - and those living in the south of Italy are more likely to start work at a young age. However, it is clear that, given the economic situation of the south (a high unemployment rate, economic stagnation and a major underground economy), the living and working conditions of young people living there are very different from those of their counterparts living in the north-east.
According to the study, young people aged between 15 and 18 work predominantly in the artisanal sector and in the industrial sector, very often in companies with fewer than 10 employees. They are usually hired on work/training contracts or on apprenticeship contracts, and are mainly blue-collar workers.
The survey indicates, alarmingly, that 24.1% of these young workers have already changed job - which probably means that they started working during the period of compulsory education. The report states that the work carried out by these young workers represents a "source of identity" for them: 47.4% believe that their job defines them; only 32.1% are looking for another job; and 100% of the young people interviewed are very satisfied with their job. Current training and school policies appear to be a failure: only 36.9% of the young people interviewed consider them useful in choosing a job.
Savino Pezzotta, confederal secretary of Cisl, pointing out the degree of satisfaction with their jobs expressed by teenagers, said that the challenge "is not making these young people go back to school, but rather supporting their entrance into the labour market through training and apprenticeship programmes. This is the only way to provide a qualifying alternative to school." Giuseppe de Rita, president of Cnel, focused on the training issue: "we are faced with the incapacity of the institutions to offer young people an efficient training system as an alternative to school. Today, like 10 years ago, training and apprenticeship courses are either non-existent or not carried out properly."
Raffaele Morese, under-secretary of labour, explained the government's intentions: "to make school more interesting for young people, to insist on the reform of the school system, to increase training funds, to include work placements in educational curricula in order to introduce young people to the labour market, without dropping out of school".
Commentary
The Italian education and training system does not provide appropriate solutions to prevent the problem of school drop-outs and to foster the entry of young people with qualifications into the labour market. There are various reasons behind this situation. In Italy there are no structures and strategies for educational and vocational guidance, and young people and their families do not have enough information to decide their future. There are no training paths, offering an alternative to school and providing the same qualifications in vocational terms. The social partners are convinced that compulsory schooling must be transformed into compulsory training and that the school-leaving age should be raised to 18 years. People must acknowledge that a significant percentage of young people will not accept "normal" school but are willing to attend vocational training courses which offer the possibility of doing practical activities and of preparing them appropriately for their entrance into the labour market.
In this context, the social partners have put forward a proposal, which has not yet been taken up in the concrete actions of the government, to create an system combining vocational training and work, which is able to "recuperate" school drop-outs and to prevent young people's social exclusion. (Domenico Paparella, Cesos)
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2000), Inefficiency of the Italian training system highlighted, article.
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