Transitions from education to work: New perspectives from Europe and beyond

(2010) - Andy Furlong

Journal: British Journal of Sociology of Education
Link:: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01425692.2010.484926
DOI:: 10.1080/01425692.2010.484926
Links::
Tags:: #paper #Transition #school-to-work #SocialClass
Cite Key:: [@Furlong2010]

Abstract

This edited collection brings together authors from Europe, Australia and Ghana to focus on different aspects of the transition from education to work. It is a readable book containing plenty of interesting material although the logic for the selection is somewhat unclear. Some chapters are broad and address some of the major issues in contemporary youth research (such as the validity of the concept transition and the relevance of structured inequalities), while others focus on more peripheral issues in contexts where it is difficult to identify the broader relevance of the findings (the views of students in Ghana towards their university courses). While Brooks has made a brave attempt to cluster the chapters thematically, ultimately the connections are weak.

Notes

“social class still helps explain transitional outcomes.” (Furlong, 2010, p. 1)

“In her conclusion, Brooks returns to the idea of transition and asks whether it retains any validity in late modernity. Her conclusion, with which I agree, is that it has continued relevance for understanding experiences in education and labour markets. But we can, and must, go further than this. Transition is still a key component in the process of social reproduction (Furlong and Cartmel 2007).” (Furlong, 2010, p. 1)