The expected achievements were to: 1) Improve the ability of schools to identify early and understand in detail the specific determinants related to school dropout. 2) Increase the effectiveness of support interventions through structured pathways on a broad spectrum of specific risk and protective indicators Before the start of the project, both schools had systems in place that monitored attendance of students. However, these systems did not go beyond that - that means that the specific problems of students, e.g. academic, in context with the school, problems at home, or health issues, were not reflected in these registration systems. The aim of the project was therefore to be able to detect early on where problems lie that may lead to drop out from school. In a second step, the project wanted to develop a tool case from which teachers, social workers and others could develop measures that would directly address the problems of each student who is struggling and is therefore at risk of drop out.
Drop-out from VET schools is a significant problem across Europe, and both Italy and Norway experience high drop-out rates, with completion rates of just 60-70% in Italy and 70-75% in Norway (within 5-6 years). Not completing VET school can have major negative impacts on students’ lives, like difficulties entering the labor market, lower lifetime income, and impact on mental health. Also, societies are affected through higher public spending on social welfare, lost productivity and increased inequality. To address this issue, the project aimed to on the one hand detect risk of dropping out of school early on for each individual student, and on the other hand to address the specific issues that students deal with to avoid school dropout. The project consisted therefore of two phases: 1) early interception and assessment of at-risk students 2) individualized and modular support pathways based on specific school dropout behavior The project group has worked on the issues and have systematized knowledge about the issue, and developed helping tool for school professionals, and also developed a support pathway to work further with, which helps working on the issue.