Education and Employability: School leavers' attitudes to the prospect of non-standard work

Abstract

The increasing importance of work-life flexibility and lifelong learning to employment requires flexible approaches to career and education choices, starting at school-leaving age. Little is known, however, about the ways in which labour market change affects the employment and education-related expectations and aspirations of young people. The lack of empirical research in this area represents a general lack of academic and political consideration about young people's attitudes towards their prospects in the modern labour market. This article presents the findings of a survey conducted into the perceptions and attitudes of final year school pupils towards participating in employment and post-16 education or training in the context of flexible employment prospects. Despite their acknowledging a growth of employment flexibility, the findings revealed the sample to hold a general commitment to a traditional ideal of standard employment, especially as a return for personal investment in human capital. Interesting distinctions emerged between groups of school leavers, which may have implications for the employability of different groups of young people in a more flexible working future. It is argued that careers education needs to more coherently address flexible employment prospects for young people and pay particular attention to groups who are shown to face employability problems when they leave school.