Education to employment: complicated transitions in a changing world

This special issue of Educational Research focuses on the notion of transition from statutory education through to the labour market. Some young people experience relatively smooth transitions and encounter few problems as they move from education to employment, possibly via further training or higher education. However, this is not a universal experience: for a notable minority of young people, impediments arise as they seek to navigate their way forward into work or learning. Such complications can arise from their social, economic or personal circumstances and can be further exacerbated by the opportunities around them or indeed, by a lack of adequate opportunities, resulting in less successful transitions to the labour market. In recent years, complicated transitions have been in the context of a changing world, characterised by full globalisation and a recent worldwide recession that has had a disproportionate impact on young people (Eurofound 2012a). Many countries across the world (including countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America) have come to categorise these young people using the acronym ‘NEET’ as shorthand for the description ‘not in education, employment or training’. Organisations such as the European Union, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the African Economic Outlook all refer to, collect and publish statistics on NEETs, although their categorisations of NEETs vary to some extent. Initially, the term NEET was used in England to highlight the needs of a group of 16–18-year-olds who were not eligible for benefits and, therefore, were not recorded as being unemployed – but neither were they participating in education or training (Thompson 2011). Since then, the term has been extended in age range, and adopted worldwide to describe young people who are not participating in the wider labour market. However, this term is increasingly being rejected just as it is becoming more widespread in international policy and academia. Research evidence from the UK suggests that the term tends to imply a particular set of characteristics – such as low attainment, low engagement and disruptive behaviour. It is clear, though, from research that the young people labelled as NEET are, in fact, a heterogeneous group (Spielhofer et al. 2009). Indeed, the subcategories of NEETs identified through Spielhofer et al.’s segmentation analysis show that almost two-thirds of the NEET cohort do not face complex barriers to engaging with education, training or employment. Hutchinson, Korzeniewski, and Moore’s (2011) research echoed this finding; some young people who became NEET could trace their experience back to one or two issues in their lives which went unsupported and which played a significant role in their subsequent lack of engagement with education or employment. Yet, despite the evident heterogeneity of the NEET