Italian Journal of Sociology of Education

This paper explores the School-to-Work Alternance (SWA) policy in Italy (now called PTSO, Paths for Transversal Skills and Orientation). This policy addresses a timely issue in Italy, where labour market flexibility, a high incidence of skills mismatch, and a rigid and sequential education system ne…

The expansion of higher education has led to a more diverse student population, theorized around the concept of the non-traditional student. This term is used to describe students whose socio-demographic characteristics, motivations, study engagement and experiences differ from those of traditional …

Despite improving education and better performance, women in Italy remain largely under-represented in the technical-scientific tracks. This form of segregation, due to both enduring gender stereotypes and the peculiar structure of the Italian education system, tends to exclude women from the more r…

The phenomenon of early school leaving by young people and youth unemployment are the major challenges of the education system. The School- Work Alternance (SWA), mandatory since 2015 in the Italian school system, represents a good chance to promote students’ professional curriculum. The work-based …