Apprenticeships in England: an overview of current issues

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dionne Lee
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Intelligence ◽  
General Overview ◽  
Market Experience ◽  
Recent Graduates ◽  
Stable Employment ◽  
Skills Education

PurposeApprenticeships in England are currently experiencing a revival. The purpose of this paper is to provide a general overview of apprenticeships in England, examine current government policy, and explore current issues around the further development of apprenticeships.Design/methodology/approachDesk research, including reviewing other research articles and labour market intelligence has been carried out to provide a general overview of the issues.FindingsApprenticeships have traditionally been regarded as the vocational route to stable employment. Although they have sometimes suffered from a poor reputation they are now becoming an increasingly popular option for both younger and older people. The knowledge economy is driving up the demand for higher level skills and concurrent with this is the notion that, in today's competitive labour market, experience is vital. Not only has this impacted on the popularity of apprenticeships but also upon more traditional “academic” routes such as higher education (HE). In addition it has raised questions about higher level skills and vocational education. The introduction of Higher Apprenticeships and work experience/real world interactions built into HE courses are establishing synergies between the two elements of the skills/education system; however, developing these synergies further is a critical issue for future consideration.Originality/valueThere is a proliferation of publications tracking the nature and value of apprenticeships. This paper traces apprenticeships and their evolution and examines how practices adopted can be applied to newer vocational options being integrated into HE. The paper considers apprenticeships and other vocational options, building on the author's own discussions with employers and recent graduates.

Partnership with stakeholders as innovative model of work-integrated learning for unemployed youths

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Celestin Mayombe
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Market Entry ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Transition ◽  
Global Concern ◽  
Stakeholder Partnerships ◽  
Work Integrated Learning ◽  
Labour Market Entry

PurposeThe unemployment rate among disadvantaged youths (aged 15–34 years) in large parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America has become a global concern. The concern in this article is that most WIL programmes could not facilitate a smooth WIL-to-work transition. The purpose of the article is to examine the roles of partner stakeholders in the features of an innovative WIL model influencing the labour market entry of the disadvantaged youths.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was suitable for examining the features of an innovative WIL model. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from seven managers of different firms and institutions, and ten trainees to examine the roles of partner stakeholders in the features of an innovative WIL model influencing the labour market entry of disadvantaged youths.FindingsThe main findings reveal that local businesses and enterprises played important roles in participating in the design of the WIL curriculum, providing adequate mentorship for work experience and micro-placement to the trainees. Based on the findings, the author concludes that the partnership with stakeholders as an innovative WIL model contributed to the employability of disadvantaged youths through the acquisition of work experience and work-readiness.Practical implicationsThe implication of the findings is that the commitment of partner stakeholders ensures that WIL graduates continue to be employed. The commitment of partner stakeholders evident in this study is likely to continue creating better employment prospects for WIL graduates.Originality/valueThough stakeholder partnerships are common in WIL programmes and TVET, the innovativeness of this model lies in the features of WIL programmes, the roles and commitment of stakeholders including the outcomes of the partnerships.

Lo stage come momento di socializzazione lavorativa: il ruolo di autoefficacia e proattivitŕ

RISORSA UOMO ◽  
2009 ◽  
pp. 151-166
Author(s):  
Alessandro Lo Presti ◽  
Giovannii Sprini
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Occupational Socialization ◽  
Career Attitudes ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Recent Graduates ◽  
Points Of View

- Despite internship has extended as a means for entering into the labour market, it has not been examined in occupational socialization studies yet. This survey has been carried out on a group of 79 recent graduates at their first work-experience as interns. The effects of new career attitudes, proactivity and self-efficacy in coping with work transitions have been evaluated towards distress, job satisfaction and work engagement. Results highlighted that proactivity shows partial significant effects with all the dependent variables, while self-efficacy is exclusively associated with distress. Finally, results have been discussed from the theoretical and practical points of view.Keywords: occupational socialization, transition, proactivity, self-efficacy.Parole chiave: socializzazione lavorativa, transizione, proattivitŕ, autoefficacia.

Gender inequalities in the initial labour market experience of young Europeans

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella Berloffa ◽  
Eleonora Matteazzi ◽  
Alina Şandor ◽  
Paola Villa
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Market Institutions ◽  
Labour Market Institutions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Youth Labour Market ◽  
Market Experience

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate gender differences in employment status trajectories of young Europeans during their initial labour market experience, and the way in which they are affected by some labour market institutions. Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis is based on EU-SILC longitudinal data (waves 2006–2012), and focusses on young people aged 16–34. Monthly information on self-declared employment statuses for 36 months is used to define “employment status trajectories”. Young people are observed in two different phases: the first three years after leaving education (first phase) and a three-year window, starting around four years after the end of education (2nd phase). Multinomial logit models are used to estimate the probability of following different trajectory types as a function of individual characteristics, macroeconomic conditions and institutional indicators. Findings Results show that, in the first phase, women and men face on average the same difficulties in entering the labour market. When controlling for the presence of children, non-mothers have higher chances than men to enter rapidly and successfully into the labour market, whereas young mothers have the same chances. In contrast, in the second phase women experience more fragmented pathways than men, even if they do not have children. A less stringent regulation on dismissals of employees with regular contracts could enhance women’s employment opportunities in the school-to-work transition, but it would have detrimental effects for both men and women in the subsequent years. On the contrary, a more stringent regulation on the use of temporary contracts would have beneficial effects for women, with no adverse effects for men. Originality/value The paper contributes to the literature in several ways. First, it takes a broader perspective on youth labour market integration by considering two phases of individuals’ initial working life. Second, it combines an explicit attention to the first “significant” employment experience with a focus on individual trajectories, by adopting a new method to group trajectories. Third, it shows how the effects of labour market institutions vary by gender, highlighting the importance of considering gender-specific consequences when discussing or adopting labour market reforms.

Active labour market policies for young people and youth unemployment

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 1510-1534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Sonke Speckesser ◽  
Francisco Jose Gonzalez Carreras ◽  
Laura Kirchner Sala
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Job Creation ◽  
Youth Unemployment ◽  
Member States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Youth Labour Market ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide quantitative estimates on the impact of active labour market policy (ALMP) on youth unemployment in Europe based on a macroeconomic panel data set of youth unemployment, ALMP and education policy variables and further country-specific characteristics on labour market institutions and the broader demographic and macroeconomic environment for all EU-Member States. Design/methodology/approach The authors follow the design of an aggregate impact analysis, which aims to explain the impact of policy on macroeconomic variables like youth employment and unemployment (see Bellmann and Jackman, 1996). This follows the assumption that programmes, which are effective in terms of improving individual employment opportunities, are going to make a difference on the equilibrium of youth unemployment. Findings The findings show that both wage subsidies and job creation are reducing aggregate youth unemployment, which is in contrast to some of the surveys of microeconomic studies indicating that job creation schemes are not effective. This finding points towards the importance to assist young people making valuable work experience, which is a benefit from job creation, even if this experience is made outside regular employment and/or the commercial sector. Research limitations/implications In terms of the variables to model public policy intervention in the youth labour market, only few indicators exist, which are consistently available for all EU-Member States, despite much more interest and research aiming to provide an exhaustive picture of the youth labour market in Europe. The only consistently available measures are spending on ALMP as a percentage of gross domestic product (in the different programmes) and participation stocks and entries by type of intervention. Practical implications The different effects found for the 15–19 year olds, who seem to benefit from wage subsidies, compared to the effect of job creations benefitting the 20–24 year olds, might relate to the different barriers for both groups to find employment. Job creation programmes seem to offer this group an alternative mechanism to gain valuable work experience outside the commercial sector, which could help form a narrative of positive labour market experience. In this way, job creation should be looked more positively at when further developing ALMP provision, especially for young people relatively more distant to engagement in regular employment. Social implications Improving the situation of many millions of young Europeans failing to find gainful employment, and more generally suffering from deprivation and social exclusion, has been identified as a clear priority for policy both at the national level of EU-Member States and for EU-wide initiatives. With this study, the authors attempt to contribute to the debate about the effectiveness of policies which combat youth unemployment by estimating the quantitative relationship of ALMP and other institutional features and youth unemployment. Originality/value To research the relationship between youth unemployment and ALMP, the authors created a macroeconomic database with repeated observations for all EU-Member States for a time series (1998–2012). The authors include variables on country demographics and the state of the economy as well as variables describing the labour market regimes from Eurostat, i.e. the flexibility of the labour market (part-time work and fixed-term employment as a percentage of total employment) and the wage setting system (level and coordination of bargaining and government intervention in wage bargaining).

scholarly journals The integration of young workers into the labour market in France

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-36
Author(s):  
Stephen Bazen ◽  
Khalid Maman Waziri
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Market Integration ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Young Workers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Market Experience ◽  
The Unemployed

Purpose Using a representative survey of young persons having left full-time education in France in 1998 and interviewed in 2001 and 2005, the purpose of this paper is to examine the process of their integration into normal employment (a stable job with a standard employment contract) and the extent to which job matches are inefficient in the sense that the pay in a job is below an individual’s potential earnings. The latter are determined principally by diploma level and educational specialisation, although other forms of training and labour market experience are relevant. Design/methodology/approach A stochastic earnings frontier approach is used in order to examine workers’ ability to capture their full potential earnings in labour markets where there is inefficient job matching (due to the lack of information, discrimination, over-education or the process of integration). Findings The results suggest that young workers manage to obtain on average about 82 per cent of their potential earnings three years after leaving full-time education and earnings inefficiency had disappeared four years later. The results are robust to the treatment of selectivity arising from the exclusion of the unemployed in the estimation of the frontier. Originality/value The stochastic earnings frontier is a useful and appropriate tool for modelling the process of labour market integration of certain groups (young persons, migrants and the long-term unemployed) where over-education due to inefficient initial job matches occurs. Over time this situation tends to be rectified as job mobility leads to improved matching and less inefficiency.

scholarly journals Graduates’ perceptions of competencies and preparation for labour market transition

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sílvia Monteiro ◽  
Leandro Almeida ◽  
Adela Garcia Aracil
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gender And Work ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Development Of Competencies ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Masters Degree

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of work experience and gender on graduates’ perception of competencies, preparation and expectations of success in labour market (LM) transition. The research questions that guide this study are: How do graduates evaluate the competencies acquired during their masters’ degree? How do graduates evaluate their preparation for transition to the LM and their expectations of success? Design/methodology/approach – Within the framework of employability models, the authors explore the perception of competencies developed during higher education (HE). Given previous reported effects of gender and work experience on the process of work transition, these two variables are also considered. A questionnaire was administered to 411 students in their final masters’ degree year. Descriptive and inferential statistics, namely, univariate analysis of variance (F-anova 2×3) with post-hoc multiple comparison test (post-hoc HSD of Tukey), are developed to analyse the data and address the research questions. Findings – The main results show that there are no significant group differences concerning perception of the development of competencies; the effect of work experience on perceptions related to preparation for transition to the LM depends on gender; and expectations of successful transition to the LM are related to gender, with no significant influence of prior work experience. Originality/value – These data suggest that, in developing their programmes, it is important for HE institutions to consider self-beliefs related to students’ diversity, in order to maximize the development and effective use of competencies and individual resources in work contexts, for all students. Exploration of the effect of gender and work experience on perceptions of competencies and preparation for the LM should help HE institutions define curricular programmes and support graduates in preparing for entry to the LM.

Temporary migrants and occupational mobility: evidence from the case of Estonia

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 753-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaan Masso ◽  
Raul Eamets ◽  
Pille Mõtsmees
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Return Migration ◽  
Occupational Mobility ◽  
Upward Movement ◽  
Temporary Migration ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Return Migrants ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Unique Data

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of temporary migration on the upward occupational mobility by using a novel database from Estonia. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a unique data set of the online job search portal of Estonia that includes thousands of employees with foreign work experience. The authors study whether the presence of temporary migration in ones working career is associated with upward movement in the occupational ladder, defined either in terms of wages or required human capital. Findings – The authors did not find any positive effect of temporary migration on upward occupational mobility and in case of females the effect was negative. The results could be related to the short-term nature of migration and the occupational downshifting abroad as well as the functioning of home country labour market. Research limitations/implications – While the uniqueness of the data set is of value, one needs to acknowledge its weaknesses: the job-seekers work histories are self-reported and the authors do not know what information was left out as undesired by applicant. Practical implications – The findings imply that the benefits of temporary migration from Eastern to Western Europe on the sending country via the returnees’ labour market performance might be limited, yet it does not exclude the benefits of return migration through other mechanism. Originality/value – The literature on return migration is not big and there are only a few papers dealing with occupational change or mobility of the return migrants. Compared to earlier studies we have looked at wider set of occupations ranked by different ladders. Using the unique data set the authors have included in the study ca 7,500 return migrants while earlier studies have been based on rather small samples.

Employability of job applicants in skilful jobs: commonality in employer and employee perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Murrar ◽  
Madan Batra ◽  
Veronica Paz ◽  
Bara Asfour ◽  
Marouane Balmakhtar
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Job Applicants ◽  
Employability Skills ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this research is to explore the employer and employee perspectives about the employability skills of skilful jobs. The research is conducted in a developing country (Palestine) which has a high percentage of university graduates, high unemployment rate and intense job competition. This paper defines skilful jobs as those that require employees who have attended a college or university and have completed a two-year diploma or a four-year degree.Design/methodology/approach This research integrates the components of discussion with local experts in the skilled labour market, primary data from employers (N = 415) and primary data from employees (N = 880). Binary logistic regression is used to measure the relationship between the dependent variable (likelihood of hire or not hire) and independent variables (job applicants' hard and soft skills).Findings The results from both employer and employee data revealed that the previous work experience, computer skills, professional certifications and high grade point average have significant impact on hiring and recruitment in the skilful jobs. In addition to these, the employers seek applicants who have communication skills. However, the employees consider personal relationship with employers to be a highly significant factor in accepting job offers.Practical implications To increase their likelihood of obtaining a skilful job, and then sustaining it, the job seekers should hone their soft skills and acquire professional certifications. The universities should adapt their curriculum to match these skills and move their focus from disciplinary knowledge to competencies. The public policy makers should design awareness and capacity building programmes that will facilitate the recent graduates' integration into the labour market. The empirical model in this study shows that previous work experience is the most important recruitment factor for employers – accordingly, creating internships and apprenticeship opportunities would be its clear policy implication.Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by providing a parsimonious employability model of skilful jobs, which fits as much as possible the perspectives of the employers and employees about the employability skills in a developing country.

Job mismatch in early career of graduates under post-communism

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 500-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Robert
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Parental Background ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Job Safety ◽  
Market Uncertainties ◽  
Job Mismatch

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate vertical and horizontal mismatch between education and current occupation for graduates in four post-communist societies: Hungary, Poland, Lithuania and Slovenia. In this way it contributes to the field by exploring how mechanisms, known from previous studies on western societies, affect job mismatch in emerging market economies. Design/methodology/approach – Two dependent variables are constructed: working in a non-graduate occupation as defined by the ISCO job title depicts vertical mismatch; assessment of the job from the perspective of the fields of study describes horizontal mismatch. Since the dependent variables are dichotomous ones, binary logistic regression models are fitted to the data predicting the incidence of mismatch. Explanatory variables cover mechanisms affecting job mismatch: variation by fields of studies, accumulated work experience during studies, labour market uncertainties during early career, trade off between job safety and job mismatch, persistence of “bad” labour market entry during early career, influence of parental background on school-to-work transition. Findings – The analysis reveals significant differences for study fields in association with occupational specificity of the disciplines. Only study-related work experience seems to be advantageous to find a matching job. Labour market uncertainties increase the probability of job mismatch. Job safety is more important than a matching job. Originality/value – Mismatch in first occupation has strong and long-lasting effect on the job match even five years after the graduation. The effect of parental background on job mismatch is curvilinear.

What is the value of foreign work experience for young return migrants?

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-92
Author(s):  
Lucia Mýtna Kureková ◽  
Zuzana Žilinčíková
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Return Migration ◽  
Market Integration ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Online Data ◽  
Return Migrants ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Salary Expectations ◽  
Foreign Work

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the value of foreign work experience for young migrants after their return to the home country labour market and their labour market preferences relative to stayers. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyse the labour market integration patterns of young return migrants in Slovakia. After reconstructing the life histories of young people from online CVs, a set of regression models investigates the attractiveness, salary expectations and positions of interest to returnees in comparison to stayers. Findings Post-accession foreign work experience increases the attractiveness of job candidates. Foreign work experience changes the expectations of returnees with respect to wages and widens their perspective on the location of future work. In the underperforming labour market, migration experience signals to employers a set of skills that differentiate young returnees from young stayers in a positive way. Research limitations/implications While the web data are not representative, it allows the authors to study return migration from a perspective that large representative data sets do not allow. Social implications Foreign work experience is, in general, an asset for (re)integration into the home labour market, but the higher salary demands of returnees might hinder the process in a less-skilled segment of the labour market. Originality/value Return migration is a relatively underresearched area, and knowledge about the perception of returnees among employers and the labour market preferences of returnees is relatively limited. Another contribution lies in the use of online data to analyse return migration from the perspective of both labour demand and supply.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document