Evaluation of policies to ease the school to work transition: internships and apprenticeships from the employer point of view

The study is part of the joint IRPET-Tuscany Region activities for 2024, commissioned by the ESF Management Authority (Activity No. 2.C_1/2024). The research was conducted by Francesco Bogazzi, Simona Lorena Comi, and Laura Resmini of the University of Milan-Bicocca, coordinated by Patrizia Lattarulo, head of the Public Economics Research Area at IRPET. Silvia Duranti and Valentina Patacchini (IRPET) participated in the working group. Editing by Elena Zangheri (IRPET).

This report analyses the impact of hiring apprentices and trainees on the performance of Tuscan companies, offering a comprehensive overview that integrates descriptive and counterfactual analyses. The results show that hiring an apprentice has a significant and positive impact on firm productivity, both in terms of Value Added per Employee and Total Factor Productivity (TFP). These benefits are particularly evident in larger companies and in some specific sectors, such as manufacturing and non-knowledge-intensive services.

The analysis showed a less strategic use of internships -consistent with a training tool primarily aimed at leading young people’s occupational prospects- with less significant average effects on productivity than other way of entering the labour market. However, in technology-intensive sectors, traineeships can be an effective tool for selecting and integrating highly skilled resources.