School-Work Alternation, 10 years later: four out of ten high school graduates leave school without completing an internship.

“2026, A Future Odyssey”If the lives of some high school seniors were a movie, this would be a more than fitting title. Because, this year, at least 1 in 3 new graduates he showed up for his exam appointment – ​​theoretically the springboard to adult life – without having clear ideas about what to do "after" and above all without ever having touched with hand a place of work real.

The annual report revealed it "Youth and Orientation" Observatory made by Skuola.net in collaboration with Gi Edu – the division of GiGroup, the first Italian employment agency, which builds concrete connections between schools, universities, ITS and the job market – and now in its fifth edition, which has collected the point of view of around 1.000 students in the final year of high schools, interviewed close to the Maturity 2026.

It must be said that on the two fronts which, more than any other, should represent the cornerstones of the accompaniment towards tomorrow – theSchool orientation and theSchool-Work Alternation – there has been undoubted progress. But there remains a important slice (to be precise the 39,5 %) that of the high school graduates who leave their desks without having never set foot in a workplace as part of school activities, while the 28 % he gets to graduate without being clear on exactly what to do with the “piece of paper” in hand.

Alternation: more organized than in the past, but almost 4 out of 10 remain in school

Introduced 10 years ago with the highly contested Good School Reform, which had the aim of bringing together the two aforementioned directions, which until then had been almost parallel, after various "rebrandings" - first Alternation, then PCTO (Paths for Transversal Skills and Orientation) – what today is called School-Work Training (F.S.L.) does not seem to have reached thedeclared goal.

Because if on the one hand it is true that having completed the minimum hours required by one's field of study is a requirement for theadmission to the final exam – translated: everyone must achieve the goal – on the other hand there are various ways to “hack” the initial intentions of the rule, through Business simulations at school, project work, distance learning. And thus ensure that students gain FSL experiences without ever setting foot, even for a glimpse, in a real workplace.

This is what happened to 39% of the interviewees.At the exact opposite end of the spectrum, 28% completed their FSL hours only in work-related settings, while 33% combined both. This figure is especially striking considering that the practical component was a cornerstone of the reform that introduced Alternanza (Working with Others).

Moreover, if in the collective imagination the workplace where the work takes placeAlternanza is a private company, in reality these contexts represent only 37% of the FSL experiences (not to be confused with the Alternation provided by the professionalizing paths). Differently, 38% of the students carried out the on-the-job training in a public authority and 17% even in one no profit.

Allo same However, as mentioned, compared to previous years, some signs of maturity of the system. For example, a full 67% of high school graduates report having completed the required number of hours by the beginning of their fifth year, a sign of well-established planning by the institutions.

Even on the front of the "Customization” of the experience are recorded progress: 68% say they were able to choose at least in part their own path.

In detail, 38% independently identified the host structure, while 30% selected one of the aunt options proposed by the school. Only a little more than 3 in 10 students found themselves faced with a completely (or almost) forced choice, at most being able to choose from a very limited range of destinations.

Even looking at the usefulness of time spent at the workplace, overall, only the 25% say they have learned nothing, because it is used to carry out marginal tasks (the classic “photocopies”) or parked without doing anything.

So, putting all the points together, the final judgement is all in all positive: not surprisingly, only 24% of high school graduates declare that their FSL experience was totally useless for the purpose of evaluating options – study or work – for the future.

Career guidance: more popular activities, but acceptance remains low

But the assessment cannot be truly complete if, alongside the School-Work Training – which represents contact with work – we do not also consider the quality of the work activities. Orientation, which instead should help students understand “on paper” who they would like to become.

The recent reforms dictated by the PNRR, with the strengthening of the commitment in accompanying girls and boys - above all the introduction of the 30 compulsory hours of orientation in the last three years of high school - have certainly increased the number of initiatives proposals to students.

As the creation of the figure of the mentor teacher: 57% of the graduates had the opportunity to arrange individual interviews and 30% of them found it useful this possibility.

It also improves the quality of guidance, which in the past was often reduced to a mere moment of promotion of university or, when things went well, even some ITS Academy: today 60% of high school graduates have had the opportunity to carry out activities – theoretical or practical – to understand better yourself and their own talents, and then perhaps be directed towards choosing a specific training or career path.

A sign that the path taken is good. But, as in the case of the FSL, there is still room for improvement here too. quite a lot of to do, especially on the front of training of the guidance teachers and tutors or on the quality of the proposals offered to students: overall, only the8% of high school graduates are very satisfied with the 30 hours of school orientation, 28% are limited to being “fairly so”, while the majority are little (37%) or not at all (27%) inclined to express a positive opinion.

More tools, but the future remains scary (even for schools)

Putting the two pieces together – Training, School, Work and Orientation – a rather clear picture emerges.

Compared to the past, schools are called upon to pay greater attention to training not only on vertical skills but also on those transversal, offering students moments of development of the same, and of self-awareness, to lead them to make a less improvised choice of the paths to follow after the high school diploma.

However, at the amount it does not always correspond to the quality of FSL and orientation courses made available by schools: from this point of view an important role can be played carry it out the professionals of theIncoming orientation and IT world; of the work, such as employment agencies.

“Thanks to the recent reforms of the PNRR, school guidance has seen an increase in both the opportunities offered to students and the quality of the initiatives. It is a step forward important, but the data tells us that is not sufficient: almost 4 out of 10 high school graduates graduate without any experience in a work context and satisfaction with orientation activities remains low”. comments Alessandro Nodari, Head of Gi Edu.

“The challenge, then – continues Nodari – è make sure that those additional orientation hours really help girls and boys to identify their talents, discover educational and professional opportunities in the area, and build a career path aligned with their aspirations. On one side, there are young people who often don't know where to look; on the other, businesses seeking skills and struggling to find them; and in the middle, there's the educational system, which cannot be left alone.

“It's here – concludes the manager of Gi Edu – and Gi Edu's work is included, the division of Gi Group that supports schools, universities, and companies from orientation to training courses and job placement. Gi Edu's expertise is complemented by the activities we carry out with the Gi Group Training Hub, based on a highly specialized training model, which translates into courses designed together with companies and top-level training institutions, capable of responding to the real needs of the job market".