Description

The increasing rate of the early school drop is one of the main issues for the Italian school system. On a parallel level, the mismatch between the educational system and the business world prevents the improvement of the youth employment rate and contributes to the increasing number of young people becoming NEET.
Unemployment is one of the critical challenge in Italy today (40% in December 2017 ISTAT source). Different researchers sustain that this is also due to the Italian school system’s situation because of the more theoretical than a practical approach.
Another problem is the early school leaving: 17,6% of Italian students leave the school before 16 years old (UE average is 14%) and the number of NEETs between 15 and 29 years old is 2.5 million in 2015 (26% of all people in that age range compared to 15% of UE average).
Traineeship programs are mandatory for secondary school students in Italy. Several research studies have underlined how students benefit from practical project-work activities, focusing on entrepreneurship. We are looking for a solution that can match work environments with secondary school students in order to activate meaningful and impactful traineeships.
The proposed solutions should include an initial assessment phase for young people to understand their working attitudes and to understand the needs and mechanisms of the labour market. This activity combined with guidance and further training will help young people to develop self-awareness and confidence, believe in their own ambitions. It will also lead them to higher employability. Other phases might focus on challenging the students with analysing and solving problems affecting their local communities, with the support of business mentors: a practice that sets free their entrepreneurial spirit.

Target

The challenge is located in the South of Italy, in Sicily. The prior stakeholder of the challenge are the 16-17 years old students involved in school-work exchange programsIn Italy school-work exchange programs are compulsory activities for all students in the last 3 years of high school. More than 1,5 million of students are involved in these activities since 2015. CGIL the major Italian trade union published a study after the first year of implementation of this new reform.  Overall one out of 4 students did not participate in such programs. The situation in the South of Italy is much worse than in the North. 
The challenge’s goal is to increase the number of students involved in a quality school-work exchange program, improving their entrepreneurial mindset and the interaction with the local business ecosystem and finally - on a long term - to reduce school dropout at local level.

Competencies

In 2004 the organization implemented the “Impresa in azione” program, aiming at developing skills for employability to support students to choose the right career for their future.
In 2017 we started to monitor and to evaluate the impact of the program on the schools with a focus on changes derived from the program (Theory of Change).  
We need to find a correlation between the Investments and resources and tangible results as short and long-term benefits for each stakeholder, students at first:
1.Knowledge:business, economic and financial knowledge and skills and technical skills acquired during the project.
2. Competences:set of soft skills acquired during the training such as a sense of initiative and entrepreneurship with a particular focus on creativity, perseverance,taking initiative, taking responsibility, teamwork
3.Attitudes towards a certain behavior and attitudes towards the labour market

Innovation

In accordance with the organizational mission, Junior Achievement Italy is searching for innovative solutions that combine classroom lessons with the digital tools available on JA digital platform, enhanced by a new approach based on direct experience (previously absent).
- Innovation as a process: new learning experiences for students in cooperation with local partners who have access to a wide range of enterprises, and promote the adoption of digital tools in the learning process.
JA aims to build a cross-organizational program, delegating 70% of the program to the local partner (the Solution provider selected), and to increase the percentage of students enrolled in the digital platform to 90%.

Commitment

Expertise in the issue:
1. One of the most important factors to identify schools would be their difficulties in planning and setting up school-work exchange programs. JA could support the local organization in the selection and identification of the schools to involve in the project. JA will conduct interviews with headmasters and teachers to identify school needs, there interactions with external stakeholders mainly in relation to school-work related activities.
2.Teachers training. Teachers play a key role in modernising education. Entrepreneurial Activities put teachers first and give them the opportunity to experiment new methodologies and to work in an innovative way with their pupils. Teacher training will be done with a blended approach. All teachers will receive a full day of training before the beginning of the project and during the activities will have access to all learning materials online. These materials include video tutorials, exercises, templates and activities teachers can use to implement classroom activities with their pupils
Endorsement and promotion
JA Italy spread its activity in Sicily since 2013 with the support of local PA and private companies. JA built and implemented many connections with the business ecosystem, the universities, the incubators and the part of the PA more oriented in promoting innovation and startups. Many of these partners could been engaged as volunteers and mentors of the students involved in the school – work exchange programs.

Compliance


The challenge is fully compliant with the ethical standards of the project

The Challenge Owner

JA ITALIA