What Affects the (In)Effectiveness of School to Work Alternance in Italy: an Overall Assessment From the Point of View of Host Organisations

This paper explores the School-to-Work Alternance (SWA) policy in Italy (now called PTSO, Paths for Transversal Skills and Orientation). This policy addresses a timely issue in Italy, where labour market flexibility, a high incidence of skills mismatch, and a rigid and sequential education system negatively affect young people’s transition from school to work. Using a mixed methods approach, the research (conducted from 2019 to 2023) focuses on the less-explored experience of tutors from host organisations, taking into consideration the entire national context. Although the research reveals the external tutors’ general satisfaction with PTSOs, some criticisms concerning its effectiveness also emerge. Above all, a lack of cooperation between schools and host organisations and limited organisational resources for small and micro enterprises involved in the projects. Therefore, policy implications and suggestions on how to redesign the instrument to achieve greater effectiveness are advanced.