Workshop Schools: From Employment Creation to Employability

Abstract

Workshop Schools are an alternance scheme which combines periods of education and training in educational institutions or training centres for young people at risk of social exclusion between the ages of 16 and 25. The present work of research aims to analyse the logic models underlying the design of these schemes from a historical perspective, specifically from their formation in 1985 up until the year 2020, paying special attention to both individual and structural aspects. Methodology: A qualitative study is carried out based on the analysis of 58 policy documents. Results: The results establish three different phases since the creation of the scheme (employment creation, lifelong learning and employability), analysing the changes produced in the design and relating them to international trends. A progressive self-responsibility forced upon young people rather than a concern on structural problems and barriers characterising the current labour market is also highlighted. Conclusions: Different international trends, such as job creation and the promotion of lifelong learning and employability, have had an influence in the logical models underlying the regulatory documents of the Workshop Schools and, therefore, the social problems and solutions the scheme seeks to provide.