The PCTO is the acronym for Pathways for Transversal Competences and Orientations. It is an Italian innovative training experience governed by training pacts with schools and families, the aim of which is, through a concrete and immersive experience in the world of work, to develop key skills for learning that combines knowledge and know-how and to contribute to the development of pupils' identities, in order to help them make a conscious and responsible choice of their subsequent school or career path.
The training course provides an in-depth understanding of the role and missions of national and international institutions in charge of environmental protection. In particular, emphasis is placed on the United Nations Environment Programme's Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP), the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) and its governance mechanisms and decision-making processes, the role of the Convention's Regional Centres, and a focus on the Institution/Organization promoting the initiative at national level.
The aim of the course is to increase young people's technical knowledge of the national and international institutions responsible for protecting the environment, one of the main issues on which young people have mobilized in recent years.