Programme full

Thursday 16 April 2015 15:30 - 17:00
PAPER SESSION 6 / PECHA KUCHA SESSIONS
'That Girl's Only 18 and Has No Job': Aged, Gendered and Classed Identities of Young People on a Course for
Those Who Are Not in Education, Employment or Training
Suttill, B.
(University Of Leicester)
There are increased opportunities for choice in areas such as education and work, however not all people are able to
exercise choice in the same way. Only a relatively small number of young people can take part in the flexibility of 'risk
society' and youth transitions continue to be marked by class, gender and ethnicity. Social inequalities still exert a
powerful hold on the lives of young people, with enduring structured patterns in society shaping their identities and life
chances. This presentation looks at the experiences of sixteen young people on a course for 16-24 year olds not in
education, employment or training run by a charity in the East Midlands. It focuses on an initial phase of data
collection where the views of these young people were captured through a mixture of participant observation, informal
conversations, and an exploratory method using visual research. The findings highlight how gender and class do have
an influence upon the identities and experiences of these young people, yet age also plays a role in how these young
people view themselves and was identified by the group as a barrier to finding employment.
Influence of Parents’ Participation in Active Labour Market Programmes on Their Children’s Education and
Employment Outcomes
Zabel, C., Kopf, E.
(Institute for Employment Research (IAB))
We study the influence of parents' participation in activation programmes on their children's successful entry into
vocational training and employment at a later point in time. In this way, we can gain an understanding of whether
parents' programme participation has the potential to contribute to avoiding an intergenerational transmission of
welfare dependency.
We expect parents' employment chances and economic situation to improve as a consequence of their participation in
activation programmes. Parents would thus better be able to afford investments in their children's education in the
long run. Parents' participation particularly in longer-term programs that involve a regular daily schedule should have a
positive impact on their children's subsequent employment opportunities. If the parents have a regular daily schedule,
then this can convey values which may be beneficial for the children's success in school and in entering vocational
training and employment. Parents' work can also have a positive effect on children's self-esteem and can improve
their scholastic achievements in this manner as well.
We use administrative data and study effects of activation programmes in which parents participated in 2006 on their
children's education and employment outcomes in subsequent years. Our study focuses on teenagers who were 14-
17 years old when their parents participated in the program. In order to determine the effects of the parents' program
participation, we draw comparable families from participant and non-participant groups using matching methods.
Getting in and Getting on in the Youth Labour Market: Progression or Regression?
Wilde, R, Leonard, P.
(Institute of Education, University of London)
A key consequence of the recent economic recession in the UK has been the tightened squeeze across all levels of
the youth labour market, from school leavers to graduates. With economic and social changes of the past twenty
years already deleteriously impacting on youth employment, the financial crisis has further exacerbated experiences
of joblessness, precarious work and protracted transitions to secure employment. In response, new policy initiatives
are being constantly developed across all sectors of the labour market to support not only young people's chances of
'getting in' to work, but also sustaining their positions in order to 'get on' and develop good careers.
This paper uses qualitative data from an ongoing research project exploring how young people access the labour
market via a range of entry route practices in different regions of the UK. We focus on case studies across the
qualification spectrum; from internship programmes for high-achieving graduates, to enterprise programmes open to
all and volunteer centre courses combining volunteer work experience with basic employability skills for those with few
or no formal educational qualifications. Reflecting on how the global financial crisis is being dealt with at a local level,
we explore how different policy responses, regional labour markets and forms of provision make a difference to how
young people cope with economic problems and instability. The paper will set the political discourse against the voices
of young people and their experiences on programmes developed to support them to ask: do these initiatives
represent progression or regression?
BSA Annual Conference 2015 222
Glasgow Caledonian University