The Host Organisations' Point of View on Italian School-Work Alternance Programs

This contribution presents some first results from the research by the Milan-Bicocca unit, within the Project of Relevant National Interest (PRIN)-2017 Evaluating the School-Work Alternance: a longitudinal study in Italian upper secondary schools. In-depth interviews to privileged witnesses in host organisations as well as to institutional representatives were conducted to investigate their point of view on school-work alternance and paths for transversal skills and orientation programs. Through the support of interview excerpts, a reflection upon relevant themes regarding on-the-job experiences will be presented. The analysis was carried out with a predominantly exploratory intent, focusing on the role that host organisations might have on preparing students to labour market demands for soft skills as well as on sustaining their self-orientation competence. All interviewees agree on the relevance of a training experience design that would give space to transversal skills, facilitating students' self-consciousness, as well as awareness on their interests, their aspirations, and, consequently, promoting an attentive entrance into the labour market. The interviews highlight some practical experiences (e.g., time management, teamwork, different styles in relating to colleagues) that represent examples of transversal skills, possibly useful in the school to work transition. Furthermore, a work environment emerges as a fundamental training place for enhancing these skills, in the perspective of learning-bydoing and situated learning. Finally, characteristics of the various productive contexts emerged as crucial in shaping the features of proposals for SWA or PTSO programs available to students.