Work based learning as a concept “under construction” : evidence from two internship schemes in Argentina

Abstract

With a background of a mainly school and university-based education system (only around 20% of students attend technical education), 1 Argentina has lately started to promote poli-cies that include work-based learning (WBL).2 WBL has been the subject of debates and new legislation. Previously there were few precedents and the country had almost no tradition in this learning modality. In fact, in the middle of the thirties of the last century, an apprentice-ship system was created addressing young persons who worked and attended supplementary training courses. The promoters of these were the employers’ associations. But apprentice-ship was a minor practice that became less common after the 1950s. It was only in the 1990s that internships were introduced into vocational training courses for unemployed young people (as a part of youth transition programmes) and in secondary education institutions (not compulsory but optionally).