International Journal of Social Welfare

In advanced knowledge economies, access to quality employment depends crucially on skills. The social investment perspective has recognised this and promotes skill development as a means of dealing with social problems. However, possessing skills may not be enough. Individuals who have been educated…

Are disengagement risks lower when youths are surrounded by others with similar risk traits? Applying theoretical perspectives of belonging and residential context, this study examines interactional effects between individual and structural risk factors for youth-disengagement. From registry data of…

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…

Previous research suggests that young adults from out-of-home care (OHC) are at high risk of low education and unemployment. However, there are no studies on their risk of long-term NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training). This study compared the risk of NEET at age 21–23 among OHC youth acr…

During the economic crisis, youth unemployment grew exponentially in many European countries. It was argued that countries with a high level of firm involvement in the provision of initial vocational training were better equipped to address this problem. Boosting workplace-based training was therefo…

In dual vocational education and training (VET) systems, the state and employers collaborate in order to meet a country’s needs in terms of education for youth and professional skills for the labour market. These systems are considered as effective tools to lower youth unemployment. However, since f…

Ten previous participants in a job training programme, ages between 15 and 20, were interviewed face-to-face to determine why they were not employed, in education or in vocational training (represented by the acronym NEET) at the time, as well as their related experiences. They were also asked about…