Open University Press Careers and Identities

The generation that left school in the mid 1980s encountered a new world of work, politics and family life. How did they come to terms with the new routes into employment and the changing social and political terrain? "Careers and Identities" uses findings from the Economic and Social Research Council's 16-19 Initiative - an interdisciplinary programme of research on young people growing up in four areas of Britain - to chart their progress into adult life and to uncover the processes by which their adult occupational and political identities were established. One theme that emerges strongly is the disparity in opportunities and resources between those embarking on different career paths in different parts of the country. Another is the critical role of education in mediating the effects of family background and gender on the rate of transition, occupational destinations, political participation and attitudes. To prepare young people for the demands of adulthood in the next century, a new agenda for social and educational policy is needed with a major emphasis on transforming the content and quality of post-16 educational and occupational experience.