The European Union is investing significant resources to support young people in actively participating in society, preparing them for better Student Work-Integrated Learning (STWT) opportunities (OECD 2024). Despite Italy's policies aimed at improving youth employability, the employment rate of Italian students remains below the EU average (ISTAT, 2024). Italy's educational efforts are rooted in the introduction of school-work alternation programs (SWA) in 2003, which were replaced in 2019 by the "Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e l'Orientamento" (PCTO). While the Alternanza integrated practical training into school curricula, PCTOs emphasize the development of transversal skills in addition to technical ones, in line with European recommendations on lifelong learning and career guidance (European Commission, 2018).

To ensure the quality of PCTOs, specific guidelines were issued in Ministerial Decree No. 774 of September 4, 2019. These guidelines suggest a flexible design for PCTOs, liked to the subjectcs and adapted to the local context of implementation and student needs. Moreover, active student involvement in the design of the program is encouraged, fostering continuous reflection, as well as the evaluation of experiences. Another crucial aspect highlighted is the role of internal tutors, who must support students throughout the entire program. Despite these efforts, studies conducted on PCTOs so far have mainly focused on governance and content, without deeply exploring the active involvement of students in the development of transversal skills. Furthermore, the recent health crisis has slowed both the implementation and the assessment of PCTOs.

This paper presents some results from the PRIN 2022 project "PCTOs as a tool for the development of personal resources and the fight against school dropout" [Project Code: 20224984HS CUP/master CUP: B53D23019220006]. The project aims to evaluate the state of the art of PCTO programs and involves the universities of Rome, Milano-Bicocca, and Bologna, with three main lines of research: the analysis of 200 Three-Year Educational Offer Plans (PTOF), case studies conducted in schools, and a retrospective study of university students to investigate the influence of PCTOs on career choices. Among the expected results is the creation of an open-access digital platform that will allow schools to independently assess the effectiveness of their programs, thereby promoting the dissemination of best practices.

In particular, this paper presents some findings from the quantitative study, focusing on the impact of specific practices on career orientation variables and school dropout. Based on these results, some best practices for PCTO planning will be outlined, such as active student involvement in the design process, the importance of a precise needs analysis, and formative assessment as a crucial element of the process. Although specifically developed for PCTOs in the Italian context, these practices can also be applied in other settings that encourage the implementation of educational tools to support career guidance and combat school dropout.

Keywords: PCTO, orientation, transversal competencies, good practices.