Combining Administrative Data to Study School Trajectories of Young Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Switzerland

Aljoscha Landös , Université de Genève

The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the educational transitions and trajectories of young asylum seekers and refugees in Switzerland. More specifically, the impact of cantonal (local) differences in terms of integration measures and the school system on the educational path of these young people, as well as the role of the various transitional training courses made available by the cantons. By combining exhaustive administrative data with aggregated measures of integration on cantonal level our study shows that in addition to individual characteristics (reason of immigration, age at arrival, knowledge of the local language) three institutional and environmental frameworks can be considered crucial for the success of the transition: the possibility of accessing transitional training, placement at the end of compulsory education and the integration characteristic of a canton. However, placement in non-regular classes (segregation model) depends on the canton of residence (variations from 0 to 100% depending on the canton). This is mainly due to legal and administrative measures: in some cantons, only one integration system is encouraged, in others, both systems are also present. We observe that, independent of the canton's general integration measures, the school system plays a major role in the transition of young asylum seekers and refugees. Access to transitional training is crucial for young people with difficulties to enter post-compulsory education.

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 Presented in Session P3. Poster Session Migration, Economics, Environment, Methods, History and Policy