Socio‐emotional support of apprentices during the school‐to‐work transition

Abstract

Purpose -The aim of the paper is to locate the role of social and emotional support during the schoolto-work transitions of apprentices, within the Australian vocational education and training context. Design/methodology/approach -The research reported here is based on an independent evaluation of an apprentice suicide prevention and support program. This program has been implemented in rural and regional Australia, and findings highlight the program's retention of key messages in the long-term (i.e. 6 months to 2 years post-completion). The work is based on both quantitative questionnaires from 119 apprentices as well as 18 face-to-face interviews. Findings -The research showed that apprentices' resilience to face school-to-work transitional challenges can be enhanced by increasing knowledge of suicide risk factors and sources of social and emotional support had increased. Findings indicate that a number of apprentices had made significant changes in their lives as a result of participating in the program. While 10 per cent of apprentices identify as "socially isolated", it was encouraging to note that peer support, as a result of the program, can be considered an informal referral point to formal help-provision and support. Research limitations/implications -While the program has been successfully applied to building and construction industry apprentices, there is overlap in school-to-work transition issues of other types of apprenticeships/traineeships; this merits consideration of wider application of apprentice support programs within the Australian vocational education sector. Originality/value -This paper draws together a focus on school-to-work vulnerabilities and socialemotional support (similar to that found in youth development programs) as it can be applied to the vocational education and training sector.

Secondary student outcomes and perspectives on a multiple pathways approach to education : engagement, achievement, and transitions.

“…There was a significant, positive, and moderate correlation between major variables of student engagement and transitions. This was consistent with literature that POS students have the potential to transition smoothly into business/industry due to their work experiences in high school (Plessis et al, 2011;Gørgens &Ryan, 2006;Phillips et al, 2002). (Stevens, 2009).…”

“…Developmental shifts during this time include moving away from home for the first time, choosing a career pathway, starting romantic relationships, and holding more responsibilities than ever before (Litalien, Ludtke, Parker & Trautwein, 2013;Plessis, Corney, Broadbent. & Papadopoulos, 2011;Allen & Miga, 2010;Zarrett & Eccles 2006;Arnett 2000) Systemically, the transition from secondary to postsecondary education or the workforce is a time for young adults to integrate themselves individually into society (Heinz, 2002;Masdonati, 2010).…”

“…Utilizing the current labor market as a way to prepare students for the transition to the workforce is an integral concept in successful transitions (Cieslik & Simpson, 2006). There is an important role of stakeholders and community members involved in this transition to help enable students to have unlimited access to resources in the environment and facilitate a successful transition (Plessis et al, 2011;Masdonati, 2010). The person-environment fit theory has also been used to relay the importance of schools in providing the correct social context to appropriately develop students to facilitate further engagement and maturity that mimics the workforce (Eccles, 2004).…”

“…These kinds of supportive networks gives students hope for the future, cooperativeness, social independence, resilience, as well as the belief that they can accomplish anything, which is essential in youth development and in turn helps with a students readiness to transition (Plessis et al, 2011;Gillham and Reivich, 2004). When that active support is not there, transitioning or readiness to transition becomes difficult (Serbin et al, 2013;Phillips et al, 2002).…”

An investigation into apprenticeship completion and retention in Northern Ireland: a social exchange perspective

“…It is not just the tangible aspects such as wages and promotion prospects that are relevant here: employer support arrangements such as mentoring for employees can also act as a stimulant to favourable social exchange relationships between the employers and employees (Dawley et al , ). Mentoring relationships can be an effective means of retaining them in an organization (CIPD, ; Du Plessis & Corney, ; Du Plessis et al , ). For this reason, within the social exchange theory, leader‐member exchange is construed as being of vital importance to the retention of apprentices, as relationships with supervisors has been cited as a key factor affecting their completion and retention rates.…”