Abstract
Young apprentices in South Tyrol (Italy) move between the worlds of school and work on a daily basis. Each of this worlds comes with its own demands, cultures and expectations. For apprentices who have only recently arrived to South Tyrol, limited language skills, a lack of understanding of the local dual vocational education system, but also structural discrimination and everyday racism can create significant barriers to finding their place within these two worlds.
Drawing on data collected through a survey, expert interviews with teachers, policy-makers and employers, and design-based participatory workshops with apprentices in the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol (Italy), this paper explores, first, the strategies apprentices apply to navigate their apprenticeship experience and the way they narrate this experience: What factors impact – negatively and positively – on their path to becoming skilled workers? What are their future expectations upon completion of their apprenticeship?
Second, what strategies – if any – do schools and companies apply with regards to the increasing number of apprentices with migrant background, particularly with regards to language training and non-discrimination?
And third, how do the personal experiences of apprentices with migrant background and the institutional experiences of schools and companies challenge, but also potentially contribute, to the resilience of an increasingly heterogeneous society?
Finally, I present some of the recommendations developed with key stakeholders in the fields of education, training and economy, to prevent discrimination and remove the barriers that may limit apprentices success in ultimately entering the local labour market.