The key-role of teachers played within the Italian school-work alternation programs

The EU through the flagship initiative “Youth on the move” promoted by Europe 2020 Strategy (European Commission2010),invites State Members to improve educational outcomes, at every level of education using an integrated approach, as a way to connect formal and informal learning, theory and practice, because only within the experience, can a theory find its vital and verifiable meaning (Dewey, 1916). The aim is not only to offer students opportunities to develop key competences, but also to reduce drop out.The Italian practice of School-Work Alternation (SWA) in secondary schools is a response to the European recommendation and part of Work-Related programs, whose aim is to integrate formal and informal approaches in order to develop students’ soft skills, professional competences, and to allow them to live vocational guidance. This contribution presents the key-role of teachers as being responsible for the realization of SWA programs. The paper is part of a wider research effort and discusses the results of 14 interviews aimed at 7 teacher tutors and 7 teacher coordinators, in 7 different secondary school, (VET and general education), located in five Northern Italian regions