Sheila Semple

School students’ part‐time work: understanding what they do

Research has shown that the majority of school students combine full‐time education with part‐time employment. To date educationalists have paid little attention to this, in part due to the negative views about the ‘quality’ of such work and its effect on educational attainment. In this research, a case study approach is used to explore the potential range and breadth of activities carried out by such employees. A range of alternative data‐gathering techniques were used including event recording and work place observations. The findings highlight between job and within job category differences and suggest that many jobs are demanding and can result in skill attainment. The results are discussed in the context of debates about the potential educational value of such employment experiences.

New Perspectives on School Students’ Part-time Work

Most British school students now work part-time but part-time working remains a contested issue, especially in relation to its impact on school performance. This article suggests that the debate needs to be widened and that much of the discussion appears to consider school students’ part-time work as if it were the only source of out-of-school activity that might compete with school work. It aims to contribute to a wider picture by examining the relationship between students’ part-time employment, their educational commitments, social life and family roles and how this varies in respect of gender, ethnicity, social class and location. The findings suggest part-time work is not in itself inimical to educational engagement or to involvement in social and other activities. The article puts forward the idea of the ‘active student’ who not only works part-time but also participates in a range of other activities.

Working Pupils: Challenges and Potential

Successive governments, agencies and employer organisations have stressed the need for school leavers to be better prepared for working life, in particular, to achieve what are frequently termed employability skills; schools are expected to contribute to this policy agenda. Some academic commentators, however, criticise the concept of employability and schools’ role in it although others argue that the concept does have value and utility. While there are strongly held opposing stances on employability and employability skills, an aspect that has been largely ignored is the experience of the workplace that many pupils already have through their part-time employment while at school. This paper addresses this gap, drawing on a national study of pupils’ part-time employment to consider the place of part-time work in the employability skills policy agenda. It asks if schools should utilise the opportunities for skill development that much part-time work offers and whether employers should take more responsibility for the development of their ‘pupil workers’. It suggests that pupils’ part-time work may represent an opportunity for greater employer involvement in initial vocational education and training, constituting a small step in re-dressing the uneven balance of responsibility between education and employers that has developed in recent decades.

Career guidance in Scotland: retrospect and prospect

ABSTRACT Devolution of powers to Scotland has accentuated pre-existing divergence from the rest of the UK with respect to education, training and career guidance provision. Scotland now has an all-age national careers service—Careers Scotland. It is suggested that it is unlikely that a national, publicly-funded careers agency would have been established in the absence of devolution. The article outlines the development of career guidance in Scotland over the last 25 years and how the pre-existing Scottish context and the new context of devolution have impacted upon it. The role of Careers Scotland and its relationship with other providers of career guidance in Scotland are examined. Other key issues considered include: the allocation of resources based on need; relationships with local authorities and schools; and training and professional identities in an increasingly diverse UK guidance context.

School students’ introduction to the world of work

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the type of activities carried out by young people in a range of jobs that are typically undertaken by school students. The research examines opportunities for skill development in these jobs. Design/methodology/approach – The research consisted of a nationally representative survey of school students. Multivariate analysis was used to examine the variables which predict the likelihood that a school student will be employed in a job which has a higher “job activity score” as measured by the frequency and number of activities undertaken. Findings – In total, 38 per cent of school students were working at the time of the survey. The survey demonstrates the diversity of the employment experiences and the opportunities it provides for skill development. The analysis supports the view that this first exposure to employment may offer opportunities for skill development. Unlike previous research in Britain the study is able to explore the extent of variations bet...