Constructing meaningful transitions in a vulnerable situation—The role of lifelong learning policies in European regions

Abstract

This article draws on interviews with 164 young beneficiaries (of) and 128 professionals in charge of lifelong learning policies in eighteen regions located in nine member states of the European Union in 2017. Drawing on the concept of ‘opportunity structures’, we analyse variations between regional institutional arrangements and interactions between professionals and young adults. Our findings suggest that the crux of lifelong learning policies is the coordination between different policy areas so that they can respond to the multidimensional challenges that young adults face during their life transitions in diverse regional contexts. © 2021 The Authors. International Journal of Social Welfare published by Akademikerförbundet SSR (ASSR) and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Keywords

Author Keywords

lifelong learning Youth transitions education and training policy life course research youth and young adults

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

Department of Sociology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona, Spain

Department of Sociology, Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Funding & Acknowledgements

Horizon 2020

The research project received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 693167.

Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, H2020

Grant: 693167

The research project received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 693167.

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Constructing meaningful transitions in a vulnerable situation—The role of lifelong learning policies in European regions

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