Where do young people work?

Abstract

The current policy intention, that all young people remain in some form of accredited education or training to the age of 18 by 2015, poses significant challenges. The jobs without training (JWT) group includes young people who are in full‐time work and not in receipt of training leading to National Vocational Qualification level 2 (or above); knowing more about them and meeting their needs will be crucial for the delivery of the Raising of the Participation Age agenda. This paper presents findings from a study of the JWT group, from the perspective of employers, which formed part of wider research including policymakers, young people and their parents. It concludes that the label JWT fails to describe the heterogeneity of this group and the needs of those who employ them. If routes into the labour market remain open to 16‐ and 17‐year‐olds, attention must be given to supporting young people’s transitions through a more active role in job placement and securing greater support for formalised training.

Keywords:

• young people in jobs without training
• school–work transitions
• ‘employability’
• youth labour market

Acknowledgement

This project was funded by a grant awarded by the ESRC – Grant reference number: RES‐000‐22‐1786. We should like to acknowledge the support and interest of the ESRC in this work.

Notes

1. Area/district‐level figures were not available in Warwickshire.