IT
The relationship with businesses is a defining feature of the VET system. Students in VET programmes have the tangible opportunity to engage directly with companies in the local area.
The fulfilment of compulsory education and the achievement of the qualifications within the VET system are accomplished, in part, through a blend of school-based learning (at a training institution) and work experience (at a company or organisation). This so-called “dual” learning model, successfully implemented in other European countries for many years, enables young people to gain valuable professional skills and better navigate the job market, bridging the gap between training and employment.
Currently, more than half of students enrolled in VET programmes are part of dual training schemes.
As stipulated in the Guidelines for Programming and Implementing Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Higher Technical Education and Training (IFTS) in Dual Mode (Linee guida per la programmazione e attuazione dei percorsi di istruzione e formazione professionale (IeFP) e di istruzione e formazione tecnica superiore (IFTS) in modalità duale), issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies in 2022, dual training in the workplace can be delivered through the following instructional models:
- Simulated Work-Based Learning: Simulated experiential learning and/or orientation activities carried out at the training institution (e.g., simulated business, real-world tasks) or during visits to production sites, generally aimed at students under 15. This model also includes lab hours dedicated to supporting and reinforcing learning.
- Enhanced Work-Based Learning: Experiential learning pathways within a company. Enhanced work-based learning includes experiences within educational companies, which act as experiential learning pathways in non-profit organisations (internal or external to the training institution) that may be set up specifically to involve students directly in service delivery or goods production.
- Dual Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship programmes leading to vocational qualifications, diplomas, upper secondary diplomas, and certificates of higher technical specialisation (pursuant to Art. 43 of Legislative Decree 81/2015), in which young people are employed under permanent contracts aimed at training and employment.
Since 2021, with the adoption of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR, Mission 5, Component 1, Investment 3 “Dual System”), efforts have been made to expand the dual system to a broader audience “to better align education and training systems with labour market needs and to promote youth employability and the acquisition of new skills.”
The professional training pathway offers significant employment potential.
Recent research indicates that graduates from vocational training programmes often find employment in a short timeframe.
Surveys conducted by INAPP (INAPP et al., 2023d) on the employment outcomes of VET pathways three years post-qualification present an encouraging picture of the sector: by the end of January 2020, prior to the COVID-19 containment measures, 67.5% of VET-qualified students were employed. This figure rises to 71.5% for those who completed the fourth-year diploma.
However, the labour market is subject to constant and rapid change. New dynamics also affect vocational training. A comparison of monitoring data from INAPP on the VET system and the Unioncamere Excelsior data on hiring forecasts reveals a mismatch between the supply and demand for professional profiles linked to VET qualifications and diplomas in several sectors, particularly in logistics, construction, mechanics, and thermal-hydraulics.lle qualifiche e ai diplomi IeFP in diversi ambiti produttivi, tra cui soprattutto logistica, edilizia, meccanica, termoidraulica.