Percepción de beneficios sociales sobre la base del criterio de

Financial incentives to encourage the re-engagement of early school-leavers were identified in Italy, Malta, Sweden and the UK. In Sweden, for instance, in the period 2011–2013, unemployed young people aged 20–24 years who do not have an upper second-level qualification receive a higher- than-normal level of student aid to enable them to finish their formal qualifications. In the UK, the Activity Allowance pilot project was run in eight areas between 2006 and 2011, offering an allowance of £30 per week to NEETs (aged 16–17 years) in exchange for their agreement to participate in a personalised plan to re-engage them in learning.

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Youthreach, Ireland

Target group: Early school-leavers aged 15–20 years, who are divided into two priority groups. The first group comprises young school-leavers aged 15–20 years, who have left school, are unemployed and have no or incomplete qualifications from the Junior Cycle in secondary school. The second target group are young people with more complex needs, such as lone parents, referrals from the rehabilitation board, trainees released from detention, Travellers and young people who have appeared before the drug court.

Aims and objectives: To provide early school-leavers with the knowledge, skills and confidence required to participate fully in society and progress to further education, training and employment.

Description: Youthreach is a state-funded second-chance education and training programme aimed to deliver and develop basic education, personal development, vocational training and work experience. It is generally a full-time programme and lasts one to two years. The course takes place at dedicated centres.

Youthreach offers an integrated approach addressing the needs of unqualified young people who have left full-time education and who find it particularly difficult to gain a secure foothold in employment. It entails the development of individualised education plans, career counselling, as well as arrangements for work programme placements and apprenticeships. The curriculum is very flexible in terms of adapting to individual and local needs. It focuses strongly, however, on the development of literacy and numeracy skills, personal development and health promotion, as well as sports and vocational subjects.

Effectiveness: It has been stated that the programme is particularly effective in attracting the target cohort of learners (Department of Education and Science, 2008). An evaluation (Department of Education and Skills, 2010) found that ‘practically all learners were experiencing success to some degree in the centres visited, whether from an academic, personal or social viewpoint’. It is especially important to look at the destinations of learners following the programme, as one of the aims is to foster progress to further education, training and employment. In 2010, 46% of young people who took part in the programme in the previous year were still active in the programme, 15% were in employment, 11% were unemployed, 4% were in a FÁS training centre, and 6% were in further education (Department of Education and Skills, 2010). An earlier study concluded that 61% of participants go on to further education, training or employment. Around 20% to 30% leave the programme early, of whom 32% leave for employment, further education or training (Forfas, 2010).

Stakeholders are generally very positive about the programme’s performance. It is said to provide positive learning experiences for young people who have experienced problems in the past, and to offer a positive and encouraging learning environment. It was seen as equally positive that beneficiaries were involved in efforts to improve the programme and that the programme features well-qualified, dedicated teachers from a variety of professional and vocational backgrounds. However, progression from the centres to more promising options was identified as a challenge.

Strengths and weaknesses

Even where preventive measures are in place, there will always be some young people who drop out of education early. These early school-leavers are at a disadvantage in the labour market due

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to their lack of formal qualifications. Here, initiatives to reintegrate young people into education or training have been broadly grouped in two categories: policies that provide young people with a second or alternative chance to acquire a qualification, and policies that address young people with a higher level of support needs. Some countries also offer financial incentives to reintegrate early school-leavers.

Similar to policies preventing early school-leaving, policies to reintegrate young drop-outs by providing alternative learning environments show some obvious advantages. They revitalise young people’s interest in education, for example by providing a more practically oriented curriculum with hands-on experience, or by reducing class size. Equally, holistic programmes for those with greater needs can offer personalised social and pedagogical support. Their strength is that they offer targeted guidance for those who are very removed from the labour market and who experience multiple disadvantages or barriers to social integration.

Policies to reintegrate early school-leavers can have similar weaknesses as preventive measures. It is important to decrease the stigma attached to attending such programmes and to ensure that these alternative pathways to employment are valued and recognised by employers. Therefore, a close cooperation with employers and their representatives concerning programme design is desirable. Additionally, holistic programmes targeting the full range of issues faced by young drop-outs can be costly and may lead to soft rather than hard quantifiable outcomes. Furthermore, the young participants may become accustomed to such measures and special treatment, which is why a strong focus should be put on encouraging self-responsibility and emphasising long-term developments.

Table 24: Strengths and weaknesses of policies to reintegrate early school-leavers

Type of policy Strengths Weaknesses

Tracking services Track early school-leavers in order to provide focused support when the risk of social exclusion increases.

Additional administrative capacity may not be available in the most disadvantaged areas.

Second-chance opportunities and alternative teaching formats

Revitalise the interest of learners who have rejected formal education.

Qualifi cations obtained may not always be valued or recognised by employers.

Addressing more complex personal issues

Seek to address the root causes and the broad range of personal and educational challenges young people face.

Can help to prevent social exclusion (and associated costs).

Involve long-term actions and results.

Can be costly, even though the costs are often thought to be outweighed by the potential costs of not acting.

Harder to measure the results, outcomes and impact

Financial incentives Can reengage early school-leavers when money is an issue.

Can be costly.