This book investigates how policy, family background, social class, gender and ethnicity influence young people’s post-16 and post-18 employment and education access. It draws on existing literature, alongside new data gathered from a case study in a UK state secondary school, to examine how policy changes to the financial arrangements for further and higher education and the changing youth employment landscape have had an impact on young people’s choices and pathways. Hoskins explores a number of topics, including the role of identity in young people’s decision-making; the impact of changes to young people’s financial arrangements, such as cuts to the Education Maintenance Allowance and increased university fees; and the influence of support from parents and teachers. The book will be of interest to students and researchers of Education and Sociology.

“The strength of the book lies, to a great extent, in documenting the ways students describe their choices and aspirations in a changing policy context characterised by the cuts to ‘education maintenance allowance’ and the increase in tuition fees. … Hoskins’ book puts a spotlight on recent education policies. The discussion of recent developments in Greece and Spain is useful towards the aim of pointing out the neoliberal trends in the broader European context.” (Sait Bayrakdar, Sociology, Vol. 53 (4), 2019)
“This is a must-read book for practitioners, academics, policy-makers and all who are enthralled by the relationship between identity, education and employment. … This text makes a dauntingly exciting contribution to wider debates about employment, education and the choices young people make in relation to both. As is the case with this particular reviewer, Hoskins’ sociological imagination will ignite those of her readers onthe economic, social and policy context currently determining the youth employment landscape.” (Gerry Czerniawski, British Journal of Educational Studies, October, 2018)

Kate Hoskins is Reader in Education and co-convener for the MA Education Policy Programme at the University of Roehampton, UK.