From education to work: a difficult transition for young adults with low levels of education

Research has demonstrated that, in OECD countries, young people with lower qualifications are more vulnerable in terms of employment stability and access to further learning opportunities. Early school leaving has therefore become a key educational policy issue. This report presents the findings of a project on ‘Young adults with low levels of education’, undertaken in partnership between the OECD and the Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN). The project examined the extent to which young men and women with low levels of education are marginalised, the role family background plays in making it possible to complete the recognised minimal level of education, and how immigrants overcome cultural and language gaps to gain employment. For the purposes of the project, a young adult with a low level of education was referred to as ‘a person aged 20-24 years who has not successfully completed upper secondary school and who is not enrolled in education or in a work-study program’. The study covered 25 OECD countries and provides evidence that the impact on transition of the structure and outcomes of education systems is combined with several important individual and social background variables. Show less