Emma Salter

The social benefits of initial vocational education and training for individuals in Europe

This article investigates the social benefits of initial vocational education and training (VET) for individuals in different European contexts. Drawing on data from the European Community Household Panel, results show that initial VET is associated with positive changes in social outcomes for individuals across Europe. Health benefits were mainly found in egalitarian contexts such as Sweden whereas benefits in terms of civic participation were mainly found in countries that reward participation in civil society such as Sweden and Austria or where participation in voluntary activities may be seen as an insurance to avoid falling into unemployment, for instance in Italy, Greece, and Spain. Overall, the benefits of initial VET for individuals are possibly where there are institutional factors that support the formation of these benefits.

A Media Discourse Analysis of Lone Parents in the UK: Investigating the Stereotype

Lone parents have historically been depicted in the UK press as a homogenous mass, criticized for their economic dependence on the State and for their less than perfect parenting. This chapter seeks to unpick this simplistic stereotype using an intersectional lens to discover the actual identity of the individuals subject to such scrutiny. The discourse analysis has focused on articles from newspapers from both ends of the political spectrum to minimize bias. In addition, articles have been selected from two years, 20 years apart, in order to discover if there have been any temporal changes to this discourse. The results of the analysis indicate firstly, that the discourse has changed little over time and secondly, that there are more similarities between the discourses of the two newspapers than expected.