Trajetórias de vida de jovens egressos(as) do Projeto Aprendiz Recife (PAR): analisando os sentidos atribuídos à aprendizagem profissional

Abstract

The present study focused on analyzing the relevance and social impact of a professional apprenticeship program as an important instrument of public youth policy, addressing the segment of young people in situations of social vulnerability. From the interface between professional apprenticeship, education, and social assistance policy, the study sought to discuss the Projeto Aprendiz Recife (PAR), developed since 2018 by the Recife City Hall, based on the same models and criteria as the Programa Jovem Aprendiz (PJA), established by Law No. 10.097/2000, known as the Apprenticeship Law. The pedagogical context in which this experience is situated is characterized as a non-formal educational space. The guiding research problem consisted in investigating how professional apprenticeship can contribute to promoting significant transformations in the life trajectories of former students. Thus, the aim was to analyze the impacts of PAR on the trajectories of its apprentices, according to the meanings they attributed to the process of professional apprenticeship. The theoretical framework engaged with authors linked to Critical Pedagogy and Reflexive or Praxeological Sociology, particularly drawing on Pierre Bourdieu. In methodological terms, this is a qualitative, descriptive study, guided by the parameters of narrative research. Accordingly, the Narrative Interview (NI) was used as the data collection technique, and the theoretical-methodological approach of narrative analysis was applied for the interpretation of results. In the fieldwork, two groups of participants were included: the first, composed of program managers; the second, composed of alumni. For the first group, a mixed questionnaire (Google Forms) was applied; for the second group, a narrative interview guide was used with former apprentices who had completed their professional training in the last two years. The results indicated that through PAR, the trajectories of young apprentices experienced a turning point toward personal and economic autonomy, accompanied by improved self-esteem; the training process was integrated into the completion of basic education, and the youth developed a professional identity. Among the meanings attributed, the alumni associated PAR with a network of protection and inclusion, the acquisition of personal and social recognition, the development of work-related dispositions, the construction of a professional identity, and the development of awareness of rights and future life projects. It was also observed that there is a lack of systematic monitoring of apprentices’ trajectories after completing the project. Based on these results, an Educational Product (EP) was developed: a pedagogical workshop entitled “Projeto Aprendiz Recife: the role of social assistance in youth policies”. The EP was implemented with the participation of PAR supervisors and apprentices, duly tested, and included evaluators’ feedback