Enhancing Vocational Training Effectiveness Through Active Labour Market Policies

Italian vocational training policies are effective in strengthening human capital of particularly weak subjects. In fact, they are principally targeted towards school drop-outs, low educated adults, migrants and other groups characterized by social exclusion. Nevertheless, such result does not automatically translate into increased employability and higher integration into the labour market. This paper explores the synergic effect of vocational training and other active labour market policies to favour the employment of the disadvantaged subjects. It is based on the results of a CATI survey on a representative sample of Piedmont (North-West Italy) VT students, including a proper comparison group. The net impact evaluation proves a positive impact of training courses on individual employability, but it suggests a sort of "multiplier effect" whenever the trainees experience a well-designed set of active labour policies downstream the training. Hence, it is strongly recommended that policy makers design a conjoint strategy to accompany more disadvantaged targets, overcoming the common separation between education and labour market policy, and embracing a vision centred on the individual and his multiple needs, rather than on the supply of specialised services.