PCTO

 PCTO

 PCTO Projects  ( Ex Work Related School Experience) are required for all the students of the last three years of the upper schools, also in high schools. It represents one of the most important  innovations in accordance qith the Law 107/2015 in conformity with the principle of the " open school".  

As a matter of fact, the School Institution must be  the most efficient structural policy in favour of development and establishment of new skills, against unemployment and misalignment between supply and demand in the market world. Therefore, the school must be territory- focused, asking the society to make all students conscoios protagonists of their future choices.   

With the  PCTO projects is universally  introduced a teaching and learning approach attuned to the needs of the needs of the world outside bringing into play the adults, in their role of internal tutors ( teachers) and external tutors ( contact persons of the hosting realities).  . 

The Work Related School Experience promotes the communication between generations and lays the foundations for a sharing of experience and mutual growth. 

Not only businesses and companies, but also sports associations and voluntary organisations, cultural institutions, entities and professional chambers can become educational partners of the school in order to develop in concert experiences that are coherent with the attitudes and the talents of every student.  

The fact that PCTO projects concern high schools represents an european unicum. Even in Germany, with the dual system, the work related school experience concern the technical and vocational institutions. Our model crosses the divide among the study programmes founded on the theory and others that give preference to the practical experience.  Knowledge, practical skills and competences must go together.

A cultural change for the building of an italian way to the dual system,  that regains good European practices, by connecting them with the particulars of the production sector and the italian socio-cultural context. 

IMPLEMENTATION TIMES 

From the school  year 2015/2016, the PCTO projects are required for all the students of the third year.  
From the school  year  2016/2017 , the PCTO projects are required for all the students of the third and fourth year. Operatively, from the school year  2017/2018,  all the students of the last three years will be involved: about a million and a half.  
Before its obligation, the students of the school year   2014/2015  that have experienced PCTO projects are 270.000: numbers that correspond to the 18% of the totality of the students of the upper schools and of the 42, 3% of schools. 

PCTO projects are an educational experience, projected by the school with other entities and institutions, targeted to offer their students training opportunities of high standards. .

PCTO projects give their students the opportunity of working - in concert with the host structure - in precise contexts that encourage their creative spirit. The understanding of the activities and of the processes experienced in an organization to provide its services or develop its products, support the development of the  “Sense of Initiative and of enterprising spirit". This means the so-called concept of " learning by doing". It's a European skill that has to do with creativity, innovation and risk.taking, but also the capability of planning and designining projects to achieve their objectives.It's a particular skill that helps their students to become aware of their working context and seize the given opportunities.  
The student in a PCTO project is not a worker but he succeeds in learning skills concerning their study programme in operating realities.  
Despite the difference of roles and skills, the school institution and the job market are required to cooperatete together for a stronger collaboration in the social and educational field with the aim of enhancing the students' ambitions from the perspective of an intelligent, inclusive and sustainable growth.