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Vol. 11 No. 2 (2020): Pedagogia dell'oggi: le sfide del presente. Percorsi di ricerca. Ricchezza e pluralità dell'indagine contemporanea

Bridging the gap between academic learning and workplace learning to foster youth employment. A research project on supporting the competent mentoring in apprenticeship

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/ess2-2020oa9480
Submitted
marzo 30, 2020
Published
2020-12-01

Abstract

In today’s digital world skills mismatch and lack of employment opportunities for young people around the world constitute serious challenges. In response to these challenges, there is increasing recognition of the key role that apprenticeships can play in enabling young people to acquire the relevant competencies to facilitate their transition from the world of education to the world of work.

Pedagogy is therefore called to reflect on the possibility of thinking about integrated learning models that are based on the possibility of establishing connections between education/training and employment in new ways.

Among the criteria for effective and quality apprenticeships, pedagogical support, offered by staff within companies, with the task of working closely with formal institutions, appears central. Although the importance of mentoring in apprenticeship is well established, research has not always paid adequate attention to the pedagogical skills that mentors should possess to prepare students as agentic learners. Through our study we contribute to the body of research by defining a training model for mentors involved in the apprenticeship scheme. The study – describing an international research project (ApprEnt) – includes findings about pedagogic practices for training of competent mentors.

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