In this paper we explore the experiences of three long-term unemployed young adults from different backgrounds in the 18-24 age range. The data comprise three interviews conducted over an 18-month period with seven of the original 19 participants in the research. At the time of first interview none of the young adults had been in education,…

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to locate and understand VET provision for young people in England and Scotland as a set of policies and practices that can also be located within a broader Europe-wide discourse. Design/methodology/approach: The research drew upon findings from a longitudinal study that comprised interviews with young people who…

In this paper we draw upon our findings from a project in the South West region of England. The research involved a collaboration between a group of university researchers and Connexions service personal advisers and mainly comprised interviews with young people, who were in "jobs without training" (JWT). A key aim of the research was to…

In this article we present insights from research which has sought to deepen understanding of the ways in which young people (aged 13-21) learn democratic citizenship through their participation in a range of different formal and informal practices and communities. Based on the research, we suggest that such understanding should focus on the…

Young people who are in "jobs without training" (JWT) are commonly seen as "dead end kids in dead end jobs". They have been identified as a problem group who need to be encouraged back into formal education and training. Following the Leitch report and the new policy goal to involve all young people in education and training up…

In this article we argue for a shift in educational research, policy and practice away from teaching citizenship to an understanding of the ways young people learn democracy. In the first part of the article we identify the ways in which the discussion about citizenship in Britain has developed since the Second World War and show how a…

Over the last few years there has been a renewed interest in questions of citizenship and in particular its relation to young people. This has been allied to an educational discourse where the emphasis has been upon questions concerned with outcome rather than with process with the curriculum and methods of teaching rather than questions of…

In this paper I begin by outlining the key characteristics of a view of learning that has been pre-eminent in the past 30 years in the United Kingdom. The focus of this discourse has been less upon understanding the processes and practices of learning as a complex process and more upon improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the curriculum…

Over the last few years there has been a renewed interest in questions of citizenship and in particular its relation to young people. This has been allied to an educational discourse where the emphasis has been upon questions concerned with "outcome" rather than with "process"--with the curriculum and methods of teaching rather…

Interviews focused on the learning of two British young adults examined processes of identity transformation and transition to work. Their experiences suggest that technical/rational educational approaches fail to meet developmental needs and are inadequate for prevocational, vocational, and lifelong learning. Curriculum should focus on the agency…

This article focuses on the interface between the formal learning associated with the curricula of school and college, and the personal knowledge and broader learning lives and identities of two young people as they move into and through their post-16 careers. The interviews reveal the complex interaction between the formal curriculum, contingent…