School drop-outs falling also due to good results of IeFP

There are also the good results of dual-mode IeFP pathways that have an impact on early school leaving, especially in the South. This is explained in a ministry statement

As announced a few days ago by the Minister of Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara, Italy's school dropout rate has fallen to 8.2 per cent by 2025, reaching the target of 9 per cent set by the European Union for 2030 five years early. This was certified by Istat data, which record a significant improvement even in southern Italy, where the figure stands at 8.4 per cent.

The result, explains the Ministry of Labour, is part of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies' investment in the Vocational Education and Training (IeFP) system and, in particular, in the dual learning model supported by PNRR resources (Mission 5 - Investment 3). At the national level, the dual system exceeded its targets by 100 per cent: 189,000 young people trained compared to the planned 90,000, with an extraordinary participation of the southern regions, which achieved results equal to 250 per cent of the initial target.

"We have supported a system capable of putting young people and their talents at the centre," says Labour and Social Policy Minister Marina Calderone. "Dual-mode IeFP training courses are proving to be among the most effective in combating early school leaving. Thanks to a customised, inclusive and experiential approach, they offer a concrete opportunity especially to students who have experienced educational failure and school drop-out, with particularly significant results in the regions of Southern Italy'.

The latest data available to the Ministry confirm unprecedented growth. In the Campania Region, enrolments in dual pathways rose from 734 in the 2020-2021 training year to 4,315 in 2024-2025, an increase of 588%. At the same time, the training success rate rose from 42% to 75% over the same period. Significant results also come from Sicily, which - first among the regions of Southern Italy with 24,631 successfully completed IeFP pathways in dual mode - ranks third nationally after Lombardy and Veneto, contributing decisively to the reduction of the historical gap between North and South.