Evaluation of policies to ease the school to work transition: internships and apprenticeships from the worker 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_2/2024). The research was conducted by Silvia Duranti and Valentina Patacchini in the Public Economics Research Area of ​​IRPET, coordinated by Patrizia Lattarulo. Editing by Elena Zangheri (IRPET).

The research analyses apprenticeship and extracurricular internship both from a regulatory and descriptive point of view and from the point of view of the impacts on the working careers of young people.

In particular, the descriptive part of the research shows that apprenticeships concern about 30 thousand young people every year in Tuscany (i.e. 14% of the total number of newly hired under-30s), while internships involve 10 thousand people (4%).

The impact analysis of apprenticeships and extracurricular internships on workers careers takes into consideration both work and income outcomes in the first five years after entering the labor market. The results show that entering the labour market with an apprenticeship guarantees better employment outcomes in the first 5 years; the effects in terms of income over 5 years are not statistically significant. The effect of an internship compared to other types of entry is overall not statistically significant, even if a positive effect emerges with statistical significance for blue-collar and service professions. Furthermore, when the internship is evaluated as an active labour policy, i.e. with respect to people registered with the Public Employment Service, a statistically significant effect emerges. The effects in terms of income compared to other types of entry into the labour market are not statistically significant.