The article addresses school-to-work transitions among young women in a strongly male dominated professional sphere -- the transport industry. Drawing on interviews with two girls over the time span 2015-2022 and visits to their upper secondary school 2016-2019, the study focuses on how power structures related to gender play out in the…

A great deal of hope is pinned on experiential learning initiatives for young people. This hope is in line with policy approaches adopted by global organisations such as UNESCO and the World Bank in which learning is characterised as the vehicle through which transformation, self-actualisation and social development can occur. In order to provide…

This study explores school-to-work transitions in Germany, aiming to achieve a richer understanding of the complexity of labour market entry trajectories while focusing on transition measures. The term transition measures refers to additional training courses that complement the regular vocational education and training system of firm-based or…

The links between vocational qualifications and occupational destinations are weak in many Anglophone countries, even though the explicit purpose of vocational qualifications is to prepare individuals for occupations. Using Australia and Canada as case studies, this is explained at three levels of analysis: at the national level by systems of…

This paper presents research findings on practitioners working with young people on Entry to Employment (E2E) programmes in the north of England. E2E continues a long tradition of work-related learning for unemployed school leavers for whom other forms of education or training are deemed unsuitable, and is part of the UK government's strategy for…

Educational policy is asked to support young people in their successful transition from education to employment. In Switzerland, a two-year apprenticeship with Federal VET Certificate was established in 2002 aimed at increasing the employability of low-achieving school leavers. It is a low-threshold VET programme offering standardised vocational…

The apprenticeship training system in Germany, where training takes place in both private companies and vocational schools, has traditionally played an outstanding role in the development of young skilled workers. However, particularly since the start of the new millennium, the chances of smooth transition from secondary school to an…

In Germany, the group of young people with the most extended transition from school to work are those achieving higher education entrance qualifications ("Abitur"), then serving an apprenticeship in the German "dual system" and later pursuing higher education. On the basis of three Anglo-German comparative studies, this article…

Reforms funded by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA) were enacted to help USA students learn career-related skills and prepare for entry into careers or post-secondary education. Information about the effectiveness of these reforms is critical to address students' career preparation needs and inform future policy. Yet few quantitative…

This paper explores the challenges of partnership through an examination of a high school apprenticeship program in carpentry in Ontario, Canada. Focusing on the relationships between schools, trainers, employers and government, challenges relate to the ability to coordinate the program across institutions, achieve agreement on goals, gain…