Formare gli insegnanti della scuola secondaria di secondo grado in tema di orientamento formativo-professionale: una proposta fondata sui risultati della ricerca educativa

With the issuance of the new "Linee guida per l'orientamento" (2022), significant importance has been placed on students' professional life projects as a cognitive and operational framework built through the contribution of multiple actors (students, families, schools, and local entities in network). In the process of constructing this framework, career counselors and teacher-tutors in upper secondary schools play a central role. Fulfilling the functions assigned to these institutional figures is neither immediate nor easy, as it requires not only theoretical training but also practical-operational preparation. This enables them, on the one hand, to correctly select and apply tools for exploring each student's personal situation and, on the other, to carefully interpret data concerning students' family and social contexts, with whom they establish an educational and guidance-oriented relationship. The training of teachers in career guidance skills should be aimed at assisting students in building their personal and professional life projects, which involve formulating hypotheses about possible choices, taking on the commitments these choices entail, and accepting the associated risks. This paper highlights key factors contributing to the effectiveness of teacher training in career guidance, supported by findings from educational research conducted over the past fifteen years in Italy on the professional development of upper secondary school students.