Qualifications, Basic Skills and Accelerating Social Exclusion

(2001) - John Bynner, Samantha Parsons

Journal: Journal of Education and Work
Link:: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13639080120086102
DOI:: 10.1080/13639080120086102
Links::
Tags:: #paper #NCDS #Maths #Reading
Cite Key:: [@bynnerQualificationsBasicSkills2001]

Abstract

A manifestation of social exclusion is dif culty in gaining and retaining employment. In the modern labour market, employability is said to be bound up with the possession of human capital in the form of skills and quali cations. This paper compares the early labour market experiences of two cohorts born in 1958 and 1970 respectively (National Child Development Study–NCDS, and 1970 British Cohort Study–BCS70). We demonstrate that for the younger cohort, unemployment rates at different ages were consistently higher for those without quali cations than for the older cohort. Logistic regression analysis, using extended experience of unemployment as the outcome variable, shows heightened signi cance for possession of quali cations and numeracy skills as protection against unemployment. It is concluded that those without these attributes are likely to experience increasing dif culty in obtaining and retaining employment. Across the generations, the process of social exclusion is accelerating.

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