Pathways to Success - Italy

The Italian unit of Pathways to Success obtained funding later than other national teams, and so is at an earlier stage, and has not yet published results. However, 30 interviews have been obtained with young people of various nationalities (of whom the most numerous are Moroccans and Chinese).

Since foreign immigration only became a mass phenomenon in Italy in the last decades of the twentieth century, the “successful” second generation (most of whom, of course, have a long educational trajectory) is only now establishing itself in the labour market. This is particularly true because entry into the labour market is agonizingly slow and tortuous even for Italian young people. (In fact similar interviews with Italians show many similarities with the trajectories of young people of foreign parentage.) This means that it is not entirely clear for many young people “how the story will end”. Nonetheless, the interviews conducted provide interesting indications of the kind of niches where children of immigrants tend to find relatively qualified posts, and on the channels whereby they gradually build up networks, skills and reputation.