Education, Work and Unemployment in the 1980s

Abstract

Summary It is argued that changing patterns in employment and in the nature of work have far‐reaching implications for the education system. School leavers are the fastest growing section of the unemployed, and traditional structures for preparing people for ‘the world of work’ are becoming drastically inappropriate. Young people need to be prepared for a world in which the nature of work itself is rapidly changing, and the education system must find ways of opening itself up to these changes. Since this is also happening at a time when educational resources are being severely cut, new ways must be found to tap educational resources lying within the community. Schools may need to join ‘consortia’ of groups and institutions attempting coordinated reforms in all aspects of — particularly — the urban community. This article is based on a talk given at a symposium organized by the Council for Educational Advance on November 14th 1978 in London. It is published in parallel with the CEA's own publication of the proceedings of the symposium, and with grateful acknowledgements to the CEA. The article consists of three parts: firstly the talk as given, secondly the author's response following discussion and thirdly some reflections added in July 1979 updating the prognosis of the school‐work situation in the light of political and industrial trends since the original talk.