Youth in Transition: The sociology of youth and youth policy

(1990) - C Wallace, M Cross

Journal:
Link::
DOI::
Links::
Tags:: #paper #BCS #Transition #school-to-work #LabourMarket #Apprenticeships #SocialClass #Background
Cite Key:: [@Wallace1990]

Abstract

Notes

• For the first time in Britain, youth has become a category for large-scale policy interaction outside of education (BCS Cohort)
• numbers going directly into employment have dropped dramatically from 53 per cent in 1976 to 15 per cent in 1986, reflected the virtual collapse of the youth labour market for 16-17 year olds
• nearly 1/3 of school leavers now enter a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) and there has been a rise in youth unemployment from 7% in 1976 to 12% in 1986 which has impacted more forcibly on young men
• the YTS represented a dual carriage way between school and work for school-leavers
• the removal of unemployment benefit for 16-18 year olds in 1988 meant 100,000 people were removed from the register (Stewar and Stewart 1988)
• The YTS established a newly interventionist role by the start in relation to youth transition
• YTS had a 'Model A' - work experience with employers, and 'Model B' - special schemes for those deemed hard to employ (Cross 1988)
• Only a tiny proportion of 19 year olds had gained their full-time jobs on the basis of skills acquired during their YTS training
• Young women are still likely to receive education and training which equips them for low status, low paid, 'feminised' occupations (Cockburn 1987)
• 1988 White Paper calls for an end of 'training culture' of the past and a return to laissez faire. The demise of the Manpower Services Commission is a symptom of this change
• what is left is increasing credentialization. 21% left school in 1976 with no qualifications, in 1986 it was 9% (Social Trends 1989)
• YTS as surrogate employment: is work created or regulated by legislative or administrative intervention with the declared aim of remedying defective in the quantity and/or quality of demand for labour
• YTS suffers from 'creaming'- jobs in work creation schemes are uneven in quality and the best openings go to those who least need the help they offer
• There was a persistent shortage of YTS training in shortage skills and an excess of YTS places in skills not in short supply (DEakin and Pratten 1987; Ashton et al 1990)
• period since 1977 has been characterised by a 'new vocationalism'