Re-engagement to where? Low SES students in alternative-education programmes on the path to low-status destinations?

Abstract

This paper poses a rarely asked question -Re-engagement to where? Or to what valued social purpose for the young people concerned? Drawing from a larger project funded by the Australian Research Council, the paper analyses the 'portraits' of two young people whose lives were seemingly better within a re-engagement programme, but whose lives were severely circumscribed by the narrow vocationalism offered in the programme. More concerning was the fact that the considerable natural talents and skills of these young people were neither acknowledged nor used as the basis to improve their life chances or opportunities.

Being Heard and Remembered: Young Adults’ Experiences of Recognition in the Social and Health Care Systems in Denmark

“…As reported elsewhere, the social workers in our study also described a lack of high quality activation programs (Andersen et al. 2019a), and this problem has been raised internationally (Simmons, Thompson, and Russell 2014; Smyth, McInerney, and Fish 2013). The young adults described programs like the tourist site with terms like “storage places”, “parking spaces” and “cardboard boxes”, and being placed in them made them feel “worthless” or “made a fool of”, and they lost their motivation for participating in activation.…”

Formerly NEET Young People's Pathways to Work: A Case-Study Approach

“…Recent research into the experiences of young workers focuses on apprenticeships (Fuller & Unwin, 2010), jobs without training (Lawy et al, 2009;Maguire, 2010) and specific sectors -for example, Callaghan and Thompson (2002) on call centres and Lloyd (2008) on fitness instructors. There is also some research on advice and guidance for marginalised young people (Russell et al, 2010), and on employability programmes (Russell et al, 2011;Higgins, 2013;Smyth et al, 2013). Numerous business surveys highlight claims by employers of 'skills gaps', particularly 'soft skills' (Sissons & Jones, 2012, p. 21).…”

“…There is also some research on advice and guidance for marginalised young people (Russell et al, 2010), and on employability programmes (Russell et al, 2011;Higgins, 2013;Smyth et al, 2013). Numerous business surveys highlight claims by employers of 'skills gaps', particularly 'soft skills' (Sissons & Jones, 2012, p. 21).…”

What happened to alternative lower-secondary education in Mauritius? : The Extended Programme as a case of misguided curriculum, unfair assessment, and social injustice

“…The possibility for PVE graduates to eventually join the academic mainstream was crucial since it provided them with the opportunity to access higher education. As Mills et al (2015) point out, typical concerns raised about the alternative education sector often refer to it as being a "dumping ground for students 'unwanted' by the education system" (p. 103) (see also Kim, 2011;Kim and Taylor, 2008;Mills et al, 2013;Smyth et al, 2013) such that increased use of alternative education programmes for younger and younger students can lead to them being separated from the mainstream and its benefits (De Jong and Griffiths, 2006). Furthermore, it was necessary to dispel what Thomson and Russell (2007) suggest as a tendency to assume that what all young people in alternative learning environments "need and want is vocational options" (p.…”