Constructing identities and making careers: young people’s perspectives on work and learning

Abstract

This article argues that ‘transition’ offers a limited and outmoded conceptual frame for understanding young people’s engagement with work and learning. It draws on two studies of young people to provide insights into the study and work experiences of older and school‐aged youth. Our analysis suggests that rather than focussing narrowly on outcomes alone, transition should be seen as a process of identity development. Research on young people’s perspectives reveals the active investment that they make to produce identities and foreshadow the emergence of new meanings of career. Four factors are especially relevant to this process: continuing inequalities; the contexting of choice; flexibility in decision‐making and a readiness to make ongoing changes and choices and achieving a balance between goals of personal development and wellbeing and the continuing demands of further education and employment; and a re‐definition of careers. We draw on our research to show that young people who are in school as well as those who have left school reflect a view of workplaces as sites of learning and identity formation. We conclude that new policy approaches are needed, which recognise the breadth (and depth) of learning that occurs across different sites in young people’s lives, that challenge the dichotomy of ‘adult’ and ‘youth’, and that recognise the blurring of boundaries across formal and informal learning sites.

Notes

1. The Life‐Patterns project was initiated by Peter Dwyer in 1995. It was funded by the Australian National Training Authority in 1996 and 1998 and the Australian Research Council through three grants: 1998–2000, 2002–2004 and 2005–2009.

2. The four elements were described in an ARC proposal submitted in 2004 which was written by Peter Dwyer and Johanna Wyn.

3. The Australian Government Structured Workplace Learning Program (SWL) is an initiative that aims to provide workplace opportunities to students to assist them make a successful transition through school, and from school to further education, training, employment and active participation in the community. Specifically, the SWL program provides students with structured learning opportunities in the workplace. This structured workplace learning placement is usually a component of a Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Schools course undertaken by senior secondary students. The placement provides on the job training and mentoring that develops students’ technical and generic employability skills. The skills are assessed, usually following the work placement, by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and the VET qualifications are recognised nationally by industry and education systems. Currently, the SWL programme is administered through a national network of Local Community Partnerships (LCPs). Ideally, LCPs have: good links with their community, schools, business and industry; knowledge of local education, training and employment opportunities; and the ability to relate to young people (DEST 2005).