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This chapter explores careers talks in schools to build on earlier work by the authors in light of new assessments of the impacts of careers activities on the economic outcomes of young people and how these activities can be best delivered. [The authors] were inspired by, among others, S. Jones et al. Which examines the reflections of 380 young adults on their school-mediated employer engagement experiences, finding that the clearest benefit lies in Cultural Capital, followed by Social Capital and then by Human Capital. While Kashefpakdel and Percy [2016] focused only on the wage premium associated with 'outside speakers,' two studies since have referenced it in the context of a broader set of careers-related activities in schools. The weak results for the school-led careers activities bear further examination. Various explanations present themselves for why school-led careers activities did not correlate more closely with wage outcomes, despite being structurally similar to other activities that were convincingly correlated.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.717. Show less

This chapter explores the evidence surrounding Schleicher's contention that episodes of employer engagement can impact on the academic motivation of teenagers by using the unique dataset on student attitudes and academic proficiency: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) own Programme International Student Attainment (PISA). It looks at the impact of both commonplace careers guidance activities and engagement with employers to further investigate the character of such relationships. The chapter seeks to build on the existing literature by specifically investigating hypotheses, exploring whether relationships can be drawn between participation in what the OECD describes as career development activities and both more positive attitudes towards education and improved academic achievement. It investigates whether participation in selected career development activities is associated with higher PISA mathematics scores. Work experience and other forms of employer engagement demonstrate to young people the links between what they do in the classroom and how those skills ultimately will be used in the labour market.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.717. Show less

This chapter focuses on the capacity of educational institutions to shape the social capital available to young people and explores how young people, of different social backgrounds, respond to such experiences. It explores whether access to school-mediated forms of social capital interact with existing levels of social advantage to multiply effects of comparative privilege. The chapter describes the impact of school-mediated action to enhance the work-related social capital of teenagers in the context of existing levels of family-based social relationships. It explains the relationship between access to school-mediated forms of social capital and outcomes related to its possession in the social context of the recipient. The chapter looks at the characteristics of young people who engaged in career talks and explores whether social background influences the level of later adult premiums received. It draws on data from the British Cohort Study 1970 to consider the impact of two forms of social capital encountered by teenagers.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.717. Show less

This chapter addresses the difficulties faced by many UK secondary school students in securing meaningful workplace experience in a medical context and which specifically explores job shadowing as an option for resolving this problem. It focuses on the problem identified in the study: inequitable access to periods of work experience of value in progression to highly selective courses of study at elite universities. The chapter seeks to add to a growing literature exploring the issue of equity in employer engagement in education. It reveals a situation whereby links between secondary school students and employees within the National Health Service (NHS) are numerous but are clearly patterned by social relationships which are rooted in social class. In the medical profession, imbalance in the distribution of social capital is compounded by more structural educational inequality, such as universities offering places only to students with demonstrable workplace experience.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.717. Show less

This chapter looks at young adults' recollection of school and college action to prepare them for the working world and, using regression analyses, explores what schools did to help young adults succeed in the adult working world. It considers the responses of 1,744 young British adults who completed a survey created by the Education and Employers Research team working with Prue Huddleston. The chapter outlines the results from a 2016 survey of 1,744 young British adults aged 19-24. Employer engagement has become a commonplace aspect of schooling in Britain. The survey began by asking respondents to describe the types of employer engagement activities in which they took part whilst in secondary education between the ages of 14 and 18. Young adults who had experienced the greatest volume of school-mediated employer engagement activities came, on average, from more privileged backgrounds.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.717. Show less

This chapter looks at different systems of education and training around the world. It discusses a curious paradox. Although the world of work is deeply dependent on the skills that arise from learning, employers and other stakeholders from the world of work are often remarkably uninvolved in education in general, and even in vocational education and training systems. The chapter also looks at the origins of this unfortunate paradox, why it matters, and how it might be resolved. The challenges faced by vocational education are also a problem, in some ways an even bigger problem, for academic education. Education and training systems, unfortunately, are often happier in silos. Vocational programmes and qualifications too often ignore the study and wider skills that can prepare students for further learning. Labour market regulation has a big potential impact on the willingness of employers to engage with the education system, including the vocational training system.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.717. Show less

This chapter explores three influential approaches to the analysis of the relationship between education and employment, broadly framed in terms of individuals' lifetime employability. It offers an oversight of three dominant approaches which offer differing, yet also overlapping, accounts of employability. The concept of competences has been influential in explaining individuals' immediate labour market outcomes and has framed understandings of formal educational processes which potentially enhance learners' future employment outcomes. Competences are largely understood to be both supply-side driven and demand-orientated. Capabilities are understood to embody broader ability sets than those which merely reference occupational demands. Capitals can be derived from individuals' formal educational and socio-cultural experiences and impact on their subsequent educational and economic outcomes. The chapter concludes by considering how each approach maps onto the agency-structure dynamic which is central to any analysis of individuals' educational and subsequent employment experiences.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.717. Show less

Employability is a contentious issue, and there is no single definition in the context of higher education. The definition of employability as adopted by the UK's Enhancing Student Employability Co-ordination Team (ESECT) in 2005 has been widely accepted. The impact of such Government intervention has resulted in policy-driven strategies being pursued by universities that typically advocate an integrated approach for the enhancement of graduate employability. Definitions of employability as offered by those working at policy level resonate with widely accepted models. The size of the four stakeholder sample groups was carefully considered in order to generate an appropriate level of credible research material. Respondents from the four stakeholder groups agreed that universities do have some level of responsibility to prepare students in terms of graduate employability. An individual working at policy level also highlighted that placements and work experience were beneficial to students in terms of developing their employability.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.717. Show less

This chapter explores what careers education and work experience is being provided to students, from the student perspective. It focuses on the work-related learning and careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG) aspects of career-related learning and draws on a unique dataset to document current teenage perceptions held of CIAG provision and work experience in England. The chapter highlights a need for policy makers and practitioners to re-evaluate current provision and participation in England. As of 2017, securing independent careers advice for all pupils remains a statutory requirement for secondary schools in England while work experience is strongly encouraged but not mandatory. As M. S. Richardson discusses, equality and diversity issues have not always been sufficiently acknowledged within the careers development literature. Careers education and work experience have the potential to be useful tools for promoting social equity and can be helpful for encouraging social mobility.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.717. Show less

Young people face a daunting prospect in making the transition from school to work in the UK. Youth unemployment and not in education, employment or training (NEET) rates remain relatively high following the financial crisis in 2007-2008 when they rapidly increased to levels from which they are only slowly recovering. Youth unemployment and the percentage of young people NEET is relatively high compared with those countries that have relatively well developed vocational education and training (VET) systems, such as Germany, and in comparison with the average in the European Union. The principal benefit of education-business programmes such as Business Class is that it engages young people in a range of activities designed to open their eyes to the world of work. The evidence provided indicates the way in which education-business partnerships, such as Business Class, can support young people to develop the skills - in the widest sense of the term - to make an efficient and effective transition into the labour market.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.717. Show less