Abstract

This book attempts to synthesise contemporary research on school-to-work transitions from a number of different disciplines in the social sciences, including economics, industrial relations, sociology and education. Part One is concerned mainly with descriptive analyses and draws on recent experiences of the school-to-work transition, reform ideas, policy successes and failures in the United States, Sweden and Switzerland. Part Two consists mainly of applied work and outlines the crucial role of, amongst other things, formal qualifications and on-the-job work experience in the United Kingdom, Germany and Norway. One chapter spreads the net more widely and undertakes a broader analysis to examine the link between formal qualifications and employment, whilst the other two chapters focus on particular educational levels. The final part takes a closer look at the role education and training can play to overcome the problems of unemployment and social exclusion. These chapters highlight the social policy angle of education and training by drawing on empirical material from the Netherlands, Finland and Northern Ireland. Particular issues of concern include educational mismatch, long-term marginalisation and social exclusion on the grounds of economic, social and religious equality