SCHOOL-WORK ALTERNATION

From now until 2020 all professions will change face.

This was stated by a report by the World Economic Forum “The Future of Jobs”: within a few years, 30% of today’s strategic skills to perform any job will be replaced by new skills, different from those required in 2017. The real news is the acceleration with which change is taking place.

The future belongs to those who will be able to put together worlds that are apparently distant today.

Young people will have to learn to stay in paths that do not yet know the outcome, to stay where they are experimented doing jobs that not even the market knows yet to look for.

It is no longer worth saying “I do this school and then do that job”.

This perfectly demonstrates that having an entrepreneurial competence is always a beneficial value.

In this scenario, a greater proximity between the world of school and that of business is a necessity to be supported and enhanced, to the advantage of both the production system in search of human resources and the young people who must enter the world of work.

Precisely with this objective, Confindustria Lecco e Sondrio has recently launched a campaign dedicated to school-work alternation.

What is school-work alternation?

With school-work alternation we refer to a model, for Italian high school students, of acquiring knowledge (knowledge) and skills (knowledge, knowing how to do, knowing how to be) based on the integration between the world of education and work, which takes the form of classroom training and application modules in collaboration with companies, allowing students to apply in practice the theoretical contents learned on the benches according to the “learning by doing” logic.

The school-work alternation does not have a value solely in connection with the technical education paths since the experiences that involve the world of work have a high educational potential for all, if well designed and managed.

In reality, knowledge and know-how are no longer sufficient in the knowledge society: we must also know how to communicate knowledge and know-how.

The educational experience of young people must then combine all this, orienting the aspirations of the students and opening up teaching and learning to the outside world.

Consequently, the acquisition of skills in a path that sees the production system as a place of learning, especially for the younger generations who are facing decisive choices for their educational and working future is strategic.

In this context, local businesses have an essential role for a successful school-work alternation.

Naturally, it’s important that school and families support companies in spreading the knowledge of the productive realities of the territory, to make known and to appreciate the entrepreneurial activity with hands-on experiences with enterprises of excellence.

A school connected with the world of work is the most effective structural policy in favor of growth and the formation of new skills, against unemployment and the misalignment between demand and supply in the labor market.

In SpecialCoffee

we really like the idea of making all students protagonists aware of the choices for their future!

For this reason, on May 9th we welcomed the 3rd year students of the “Carlo Donegani” State Scientific High School of Sondrio: to share our testimony by explaining what is done in the company and the possibility of young people’s future roles.

The morning together began by showing the students how the productive activity takes place in SpecialCoffee via a journey discovering the fascinating world of coffee, from planting to the cup, but above all bringing them into direct contact with the world and the values of company.

Telling a successful entrepreneurial story, we told the story of a family, made of life in the company, of dreams and achievements, of challenges faced and of future projects, of productions and innovations, of giving substance to values and creating value to grow, of competences that dictate the “doing business” and the “made in Italy” (so much appreciated in the world), of responsibility towards society and the territory.

We shared the values of the entrepreneurial culture with the students, to convey to them the pride, courage, ambition, tenacity and passion of doing business, but also the skills and knowledge that can bring their present into the school and their future in work.

Hopefully, in a few years these young adults can work with passion, pride and enthusiasm every day while never holding back. But above all, may they work with professionalism and merit, training and curiosity, values and responsibilities, and last but not least, may the personal sacrifices they endure be accompanied by the strength to move forward.

A local business’ testimony offers young people the possibility of integrating theoretical notions with experience. It can have a strong indicative value and represents the most effective way to make companies and their organizational context known. Moreover, it expands the opportunities of contact between students and the business world.

In short, going to the company and breathing its air is a different thing!