Youth transitions policies in Latin America: new perspectives and their links with research

evidence

Claudia Jacinto

Summary

The presentation will discuss some research evidence on youth transition in Latina America
comparing them with some key features of youth transition policies and analysing in what
extend the policies are based on research evidence. The paper is based in two pieces of
regional research on the subject developed by RedEtis, a regional network supported by IIEP-
UNESCO. The countries included are Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Uruguay but
also a database of 202 policies and programs from the year 2000 was created and analyzed.
Evidence about youth transition shows that its hardly conditioned by weaknesses and
segmentation both in educational system and in labour markets. Trajectories are de-
standarized, showing high rotation and mobility in the beginning of youth careers. All groups
show precarious trajectories but:
 Some lead to formal, decent jobs and stability, or chosen self-employment with
good incomes: around 25 years old labour indicators begin to improve

 Other trajectories do not show improvement, but persistence in precarious, not

chosen employment, with low incomes

 Others show exclusion, long periods of unemployment, or extremely precarious

and/or informal jobs (even illegal jobs). Many types of disadvanges: structural,
household and personal conditions. “Broken subjectivities”.

Among the factors related to misleading transitions it can be mentioned: low educational
levels, lack of training, social and ethnic discrimination, spatial segregation, “constellation of
disadvantages”, in terms of Walther and Pohl.
One mayor finding in qualitative research is that, apart from structural factors and general
formulation of policies, the institutional, pedagogical and tutoring approaches are key to
reinforcing disadvantaged youth subjectivities and to understand why some misleading
trajectories can be changed into “leading” trajectories.
Youth employment policies in recent years, especially those related to undereducated youth,
continue to give strong importance to vocational training, based on training centres and
NGOs and first job programmes has increased. Some new focuses that in part take into
account previous research
 Promoting alternative pathways to finish primary and secondary schools
 Orientation toward “activation” of young people
 Promoting integrated training systems

But, there are still no permanent and articulated policies addressed to youth transition. Many
programmes have been based on a simplistic view of youth inclusion in the labour market, by
supplying too specific and/or low quality training in a ”one shot” approach, disregarding the
importance of diplomas, and of an enlarged skills development approach. Internships and
work experiences are frequently oriented to integrated youth while the poorer are oriented to
self-employment. Mostly the links of the vocational courses with regular vocational training
in a lifelong learning perspective are lacking. Counselling is frequently just to learn “job
seeking skills”, not in a holistic tutoring approach. And concerning the most disadvantaged,
generally programmes do not take their constraints into account, such as lack of information,
social capital, resources, “broken subjectivities”, etc.
In conclusion, recent changes in youth transition policies do not show a new paradigma in
conceiving the youth transition process as a long and complex period and many “segmented
pathways” shown by research.