ERIC Number: EJ1226380
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1363-9080
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Available Date: N/A
Contributive Justice: Social Class and Graduate Employment in the UK
Journal of Education and Work, v32 n4 p335-346 2019
This article applies Paul Gomberg's theory of contributive justice to the problematic of working-class graduates' access to skilled and meaningful work in the UK. I begin by outlining Gomberg's argument for the importance of quality work as a key social good. I then draw upon a range of sociologically-informed literature to offer a two-fold argument. Firstly, I contend that the UK suffers from a structural misalignment between graduate demand for high-skilled employment and the supply the labour market can provide; secondly, that working-class graduates are disproportionately likely to encounter problems in gaining quality work, at least in their early-stage careers. To understand these issues as questions of social justice, I apply Gomberg's thesis throughout the discussion. I conclude by reflecting upon the value of Gomberg's theory to studies such as this, which take a sociologically-informed approach to the interface between education and work. I argue that Gomberg's neo-Aristotelian theory, wherein work is central to human flourishing, offers a framework through which we may make explicit our normally implicit evaluations and critiques.
Descriptors: Working Class, Employment Potential, College Graduates, Foreign Countries, Labor Market, Social Justice, Education Work Relationship, Employment Opportunities, Entry Workers
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
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