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This article provides an overview of vocational education and training (VET) at the secondary level in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, describes the basic guiding principles of VET policies in these provinces and then examines how young people's trajectories may or may not be in harmony with these policy directions. We argue that although the socio-economic context and policy intents should favour increased participation in VET at the secondary level, a number of factors such as the perceptions of VET programmes, parental influence, levels of support for students and the attraction to employment, contribute to the relatively weak success of these programmes. The analysis is based on government documentation, statistical evidence and the results of a qualitative study conducted with high school dropouts in the province Quebec. In particular, the analysis of the semi-structured interviews conducted with young people who had abandoned VET (n = 22) indicates that when these programmes attract socially and educationally vulnerable young people, they may have important problems in ensuring program completion. Furthermore, the analysis draws attention to the pitfalls that may await young people who leave a VET program without obtaining formal qualifications.

Based on the analysis of 1981, 1991 and 1996 census data and results from a survey on migration patterns conducted with 5518 youths aged between 20 and 34 in the province of Quebec, Canada, this paper sets out the general patterns of leaving home in Quebec. Particular attention is paid to age group, gender and regional-urban differences. Findings are discussed in the light of notions of disembedding (Giddens) and risk (Beck), and their interplay in theories of transition to adulthood. The analysis focuses on the appropriateness of individualization theories in explaining the transition to adulthood. The empirical evidence raises questions as to whether trends in leaving home indicate increased individualization among youths or patterns of social reproduction. Research and social implications of prolonged home staying and limited geographical mobility during youth are also discussed.

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Our article concerns the social representation of social work held by professional social workers in a Canadian healthcare setting. While there have been extensive theoretical debates on the professional identity of social workers, little is known about the representation of social work held by practitioners themselves. To better understand the viewpoints of practitioners, we performed an integrated content analysis of 30 semi-directed interviews focussing on the question of professional identity with clinical social workers practicing in three Canadian cities. The analysis identified four elements organising the social representation of social work: ‘counselling for support’, ‘empowerment and respect’, ‘social justice’ and ‘compassionate vocation’. Each element has implications for the daily practice of the profession, the cultivation of resilience and the core values of social work. This article further discusses the respondents’ perception of outside views of the profession and explores the tensions between the values of social work and its implementation in an institutional setting. This research seeks to open new lines of inquiry about social work based on the experiences and points of view of front-line practitioners. In proposing our representational analysis of the professional identity of social workers, we hope to further the understanding of social work in general.