On the way to graduation. The transition from lower secondary school to post-compulsory education in the Canton Ticino: dynamics and institutional support

Abstract

According to the most recent OECD data (OECD, 2013) the phenomena of school dro-pout and of the difficulties met by young peo-ple in the entry into the labour market affect many European and non-European countries, even if with a different intensity. The main goal of this paper is describing, through the results of a longitudinal study that has involved over 3000 students, the transition from the compul-sory to the post-compulsory school education in a Swiss region, Canton Ticino, which is geo-graphically and culturally proximal to Italy. Another goal is the review of the main measu-res and initiatives provided by the Canton and aimed at lending support to young people du-ring the above mentioned school transition. Although also in Ticino there are people with a fragmented and broken school career, two years after having completed the secondary lower school, most of the young people remain in one of the post-compulsory educational tracks in Ticino.