From the perspectives of social science and social politics the change of labour societies occurs primarily on the margins: in transitions from school to work or with regard to re-entries after phases of family work or unemployment. The perspective of “transitions” focuses on the biographies of the individuals who are confronted with the demands resulting from the prolongation, the uncertainty and the higher frequency and complexity of transitory situations in the context of de-standardised life courses. The consequences do not regard only labour market policies but also youth, education and welfare policies. On the level of research first of all we are interested in the reconstruction of transition processes. Second, we are concerned with the relation between structure and agency in the success or failure of transitions. Third, we ask for structures of support for the individuals which are appropriate for facilitating their strategies of coping with these transitions. In this regard international comparative analysis is of utmost importance. On the level of practice development the focus lies on assisting actors of the transition system such as organisations of vocational youth assistance (‚Jugendberufshilfe’) as well as public institutions in the modernisation of their programmes. |
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Transitions to work
