School failure and youth unemployment in Spain. Analysis and proposals for educational policy

Abstract

This article deals with school failure in Spain and its consequences on youth unemployment. This type of unemployment is reduced as young people reach higher levels of education. Moreover, since the less educated receive less training during their professional career, the reduction of school failure is a key to the subsequent reduction of youth unemployment. Failure is defined and analysed (within an European framework) in three ways: lack of competences acquisition, not finishing compulsory education at the corresponding age, as well as the percentage of the population aged 18-24 with at most lower secondary education and not in further education or training. In the paper we review national and international studies on the causes of school failure (especially those at school or higher level) and, considering the financial situation of the Spanish public sector, we suggest the implementation of several educational policies to reduce school failure (and, therefore, youth unemployment).

Keywords

• fracaso escolar
• abandono escolar
• desempleo juvenil
• políticas educativas