WHEN IS FORMATION PROFESSIONAL?

There is a peculiar difficulty that arises whenever we speak of formation in Salesian discourse, a difficulty stemming from differing conceptual ‘thicknesses’ of the term in Italian and English. In English, the term is readily employable in a religious sense, and though in theory quite applicable in other contexts, in practice such applications are more likely to head for the military or into geology or biology, than towards education. In Italian, the term formazione is equally employable in both a secular and religious context. Italy’s most recent education legislation, the Sistema educativo di istruzione e di formazione (The Education System - instruction and formation), gives one a clear idea of the kind of company that formazione sometimes keeps!

Given that formazione appears more than 3,000 times across some 200 plus Salesian official texts, and that its distribution is across 83% of these texts, it is at least a candidate for a key Salesian term, and there is little doubt that in the majority of cases, in its association with iniziale (inital) and permanente (ongoing or continuous), it is the formation of the Religious as Salesian that is under consideration. But there are occasions even here, in the Italian texts, when its English equivalent is education rather than formation and when the context is as much secular as it is religious. We already begin to sense this when there is reference to formazione intelletuale (R. 82). Intellectual formation is a valid English gloss, but we immediately begin to think of this kind of formation being achieved through education. Outside of the strictly Salesian context, if one refers to formazione permanente, the best rendering in English would usually be lifelong education or continuing education (as in the case of opportunities for adults to keep learning throughout adult life). It is mainly in the Salesian context that we are accustomed to its literal rendering as ongoing formation.

The core meaning of formazione, as we apply it either to the development of a Salesian Religious or to education, schooling, appears to be that of planned, wholistic human development. Nothing less! Formazione is a concept with an end in mind, that can keep education, schooling, pedagogy, those associated concepts, focused. It is truly a ‘thick’ concept in Italian, a word-programme.

So much for formation. What, then, of formazione professionale? Here the translator has a double challenge – will it be formation and will it be professional? The short answer is no, and no, mostly. Consider the kind of company that professionale keeps, in our texts anyway. Scuola (school), qualificazione (qualification – in reference to gaining skills, getting a diploma), competenze (competencies). The easiest English gloss for formazione professionale would be technical education, though this is not ‘technically’ accurate. If we go back to GC21 we see the proper context for the term: what characterizes the Salesian school is that it is a school for work, it prepara con la formazione professionale d’avviamento al lavoro i giovani apprendisti ad entrare nel mondo del lavoro con una loro qualifica (131, 2.6.1), it readies young apprentices for the working world through vocational formation which gives them a qualification; we might say a ‘piece of paper’, but we also mean that they have the precise skills required. All Salesian education and schooling is meant to have this quality, not just the so-called technical school.

In the end, it is good that we recall Salesian history, especially the history of the Oratory. Don Bosco faced up to a double reality – the first young lads for whom he needed to offer lodgings and assistance with technical training, initially outside but quickly made room for within the Oratory setting itself by means of workshops and Salesians whom he called coadiutori or coadiuvanti to direct them; and those boys who wanted to improve their educational lot generally and go on to further academic studies. This latter group soon surpassed the former in numbers, giving rise to the rapid growth in boarding schools (collegi) in the Salesian Society and not a few problems at the Oratory itself! It was all about formazione. Don Bosco’s ultimate aim was both the honest citizen and the good Christian, readiness for the world around and eternal life to come. By the time he died he had left the Salesian Society with a model of schooling (Valdocco), an educational project (laid out in the document from GC4), some principles of organisation (Regulations for the workshops) and a superior in his top-level administration called the Consigliere professionale, whose role was to oversee the ‘readiness for the working world’ aspect of Salesian education.

For the english speaker, it comes down to the relative ‘thinness’ of formation as an educational concept, and the fact that professional is a term more likely to apply to the doctor, lawyer, psychologist or priest than to the apprentice carpenter. Education, or school, or training will generally serve us well for formazione but technical not always for professionale. Where that is too restrictive, then vocational or even occupational might prove the better choice.

Julian Fox 22-10-04