PRESS RELEASE
Inapp, education: “Low social mobility, children whose parents have a degree are 3 times more likely to get a degree than those whose father has an eighth grade-level education”
Fadda: “Achieving an adequate level of education is an essential requirement to be able to participate effectively in the civil and economic life of the country”
INAPP AGREEMENT – UNIVERSITY OF SANNIO
Benevento, 25 May 2023. Inapp’s (Institute for the Analysis of Public Policies) latest data shows that social mobility is lacking, especially in intergenerational mobility with respect to education levels. Children whose father has a university degree are three times more likely to graduate from university than those whose father has an eighth grade-level education.
A child whose father has a university degree is more than three times more likely to graduate than a child whose father has middle school-level education. In the 30-39 age group (the “youngest” among those considered), the likelihood of graduating for children whose parents have university education is 61%. This drops to 30% for the child of a highschool graduate and down to 18% for those whose father has a middle school diploma.
These are the findings in the Plus 2022 Report on intergenerational mobility of qualification, mentioned at the “Young people towards the future, training and working in a changing society” event held in Benevento, organised by Inapp in collaboration with the Campania Region and the Province of Benevento. An in-depth day dedicated to young people, covering numerous thematic workshops were also organised on: CVs and job interviews, transversal skills, European mobility (Stage4eu), youth self-entrepreneurship and business creation, mobility for learners and education staff and professional training within the Erasmus+ initiatives, measures in favour of disabilities, artificial intelligence. The Mediterranean Training and Work Exchange (now in its fourth edition) was also presented.
Although the average level of education has increased over the last fifty years, the relative disadvantage for those from less educated families has not reduced significantly.
“Equally important as the low number of graduates is its unequal distribution with respect to the educational and income characteristics of the families of origin – stated Prof. Sebastiano Fadda, president of INAPP – if we also add the phenomena of intellectual unemployment, “under-employment” and “brain drain” we understand how large and complex the problem of the training and use of human capital is in our country”
Demographic considerations must be borne in mind. Despite the increase in the share of university graduates, which went from 14% of 50-64 year olds to 28% of 30-39 year olds, the overall absolute number of young people has decreased, which consequently affects the number of people who can fill job vacancies. Therefore, it is essential to put in place policies and provide services that would allow the country to achieve the European level of tertiary education. This is pivotal to ensure that a solid workforce is properly formed so that Italy can compete with other countries.
There may be many factors underlying these phenomena: parents’ backgrounds, inadequate career orientation services, barriers in the school-to-work transition, insufficient study support tools for young people, and low financial resources. Today, families with lower levels of education do not perceive university diplomas as a key to success, which can lead to parents deciding not to invest in their children’s education. This is also linked to the fact that in Italy the return on investment on education is lower than in other OECD countries.
Finally, it is important to propose policy measures that aim to reduce inequalities (North – South, but also large/small urban centres) taking into account the peculiarities of the various territories. For example, in the South there are still 4 million people that only have secondary school education, in the population between 30 and 64 years old.
“A just and equitable society – continued Fadda – ensures that hardwork and commitment are keys to success instead of family and economic background. The education system should guarantee all boys and girls the opportunity to learn, develop their potential and talent, and defy their origins. This can happen by developing university and professional training courses, guaranteeing continuous upskilling programmes to satisfy the changing societal needs.”
At the conference, Inapp and the University of Sannio signed a framework collaboration agreement that will exploit the competences of the two organisations (legal, economic, statistical, engineering and IT). This collaboration will pay particular attention to the issues of training and development of young people. The collaboration will be structured along specific thematic areas: labour market and industrial relations, labour and employment policies, socio-economic and local development policies, evaluation of public policies. It will be implemented through the organisation and conduct of conferences, research projects, scientific dissemination, and the creation of observatories. But also through training projects, carrying out internships and traineeships.
Furthermore, on the same occasion the foundations will be laid for a framework agreement with the Campania Region, Department of Vocational Training and the Province of Benevento.
For more information:
Giancarlo Salemi – INAPP President Spokesperson (347 6312823)
Allegati
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