Safety in stereotypes? The impact of gender and ‘race’ on young people's perceptions of their post‐compulsory education and labour market opportunities

Abstract

This article examines the impact of gender and ‘race’ on young people's perceptions of the educational and labour market opportunities available to them after they complete their compulsory schooling in England. Its findings are based on a study of the views of girls and boys about the government‐supported ‘Apprenticeships’ programme, which, because it reflects labour market conditions, is highly gendered and also segregated by ethnicity. The research shows that young people receive very little practical information and guidance about the consequences of pursuing particular occupational pathways, and are not engaged in any formal opportunities to debate gender and ethnic stereotyping as related to the labour market. This is particularly worrying for females, who populate apprenticeships in sectors with lower completion rates and levels of pay, and which create less opportunity for progression. In addition, the research reveals that young people from non‐White backgrounds are more reliant on ‘official’ sources of guidance (as opposed to friends and families) for their labour market knowledge. The article argues that, because good‐quality apprenticeships can provide a strong platform for lifelong learning and career progression, young people need much more detailed information about how to compare a work‐based pathway with full‐time education. At the same time, they also need to understand that apprenticeships (and jobs more generally) in some sectors may result in very limited opportunities for career advancement.

Notes

1. The UK's National Qualifications Framework (NQF) divides qualifications into five levels: level 2 is seen as a measure of employability and the level that should be reached by the end of compulsory schooling at age 16; level 3 equates to intermediate/technical skills.

2. The UK Labour Government dropped the label ‘Modern’ in September 2004 when the research reported in this article was getting under way. The government‐supported programme is now referred to under the umbrella term ‘Apprenticeships’, but is divided into two levels: ‘Advanced Apprenticeships lead to level 3 qualifications; and ‘Apprenticeships’ lead to level 2 qualifications. As the term ‘MA’ was used in the research study and is still in common parlance, we have retained it for the purposes of this article.

3. The local LSCs are government‐sponsored organisations that fund education and training for those over the age of 16 (except those participating in higher education, which is funded by a separate body). They are responsible for funding and monitoring the MA and other work‐based programmes.

4. In 2005, there were 261,189 young people aged between 16 and 25 in the apprenticeship programme.

5. These young people are in ‘Year 10’ of their compulsory schooling.

6. The Connexions (sic) Service was launched in April 2001 and substantially changed the delivery of advice and guidance to young people. Prior to Connexions, careers advisors from the local education authority‐managed Careers Service visited schools to hold careers interviews for all pupils in Years 10 and 11. Under Connexions, schools identify pupils in need of support and arrange for them to see a Personal Advisor, or young people can arrange such interviews themselves. It is presumed that not all young people will need to see an advisor.