Page 135 - Guiding-at-risk-youth-through-learning-to-work-Lessons-from-across-Europe

Guiding at-risk youth through learning to work
Lessons from across Europe

comprises both theoretical and practical training and gives participants the
chance to work towards a secondary school qualification.
Alternance training initiatives highlight the importance of providing young
people with a chance to access the working world. They show that young people,
who may have had negative experiences of traditional theoretical learning, can
be supported to develop relevant skills and competences, to gain increased
confidence and motivation and to make informed decisions about their careers,
through collaborative measures between education and training providers and
employers.
In Italy, a number of success factors have been identified which can help to
make alternation programmes work more smoothly. Schools stress the
importance of working closely with employers when planning such activities; to
enlist employers in the first instance, it is important to engage credible partners
from the business community. In Italy both schools and business have identified
the crucial role played by the Chamber of Commerce: without its mediation,
schools would find it extremely difficult to engage the business community.
Similarly, for the enterprises the engagement of the Chamber of Commerce gives
more credibility to the project and it is seen as a guarantee that pupils are going
to take the work experience seriously.
Finally, work experience placements need to be of a suitable length. Italian
businesses have recommended longer work experience placements (from four to
eight weeks), as this is considered to be the necessary timeframe to become
familiar with the working environment and to acquire and consolidate practical
skills.

6.4. Supported transition: what works?

The measures explored in this chapter have highlighted a number of factors,
which can help to ensure that the maximum benefits are achieved for the
partners and young people involved in initiatives.

6.4.1. Challenges in developing career management skills approach
The chapter showed that practice and theory concerning career management
skills are still in their infancy and that many aspects remain open to debate and
improvement. Some countries have expressed concern that the current
understanding of career management skills could create an image of young
people as lacking life-skills (Sultana, 2009a). CMS should acknowledge that
young people learn a series of career management skills throughout their daily

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