School-to-work transitioning programmes: the experience of the Bank of Italy

Work experience programmes (previously known as Alternanza Scuola-Lavoro) have been mandatory in Italy since school year 2015-16 for students attending the last three years of upper secondary school. The regulatory framework was revised in 2018 when these 'dual learning' experiences took the name of 'Transferable Skills and Orientation Programmes' (PCTO). Between 2016-17 and 2022-23 the Bank of Italy carried out more than 1,000 PCTOs involving almost 11,000 students in all Italian regions. This paper takes stock of that experience, framing it within the debate on the relationship between school and the world of work, also in light of similar foreign programmes; it also illustrates the contents and characteristics of the PCTO model offered to students and underlines its value in terms of the heterogeneity of schools involved and of inclusiveness. The data collected through approximately 6,000 questionnaires over three school years from 2020 to 2023, show that the PCTOs contribute to the development of transferable skills in students (especially team-working, searching for reliable information sources, public speaking); they also stimulate reflection on the future direction of students' studies and career paths, and improve their levels of financial literacy and knowledge of the institutional functions of the Bank of Italy.