Lifelong Learning, Young Adults and the Challenges of Disadvantage in Europe

Foreword
Preface
	References
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
Part I: Lifelong Learning for an Inclusive and Vibrant Europe
	1: Lifelong Learning, the European Union, and the Social Inclusion of Young Adults: Rethinking Policy
		Origins of the Enliven Research
		Rethinking the Problem
		Bounded Agency
		Making and Analysing Policy
		Policy Trails
		The Book
		The Message
		References
	2: Bounded Agency in Policy and Action: Empowerment, Agency and Belonging
		Introduction
		From Bounded Agency to Empowerment and Belonging
		Vulnerability and ‘NEETs’
		Belonging and Agency
		‘It Felt Like Family’
		Conclusion
		References
Part II: Policies, Programmes and Participation
	3: Vulnerability in European Lifelong Learning Policies 1992–2018: Seeing Young People as a Problem to Be Fixed?
		Introduction
		Analytical Framework
		Young People as Lifelong Learning Target Group
		Studying Policy Discourse: Methodology
		Associating Young People with Risk: Personal and Structural Factors at Play
			Vulnerability: Personal or Structural Characteristic?
			Individual-Level Factors
			Structural Factors
			Educational Goals for Policies on Vulnerable Young People
		Conclusion
		References
	4: Participation in Adult Learning: System Characteristics and Individuals’ Experiences
		Introduction
		System-Level Determinants of Participation in Adult Learning
		Inequality in Opportunities and Its Consequences
		Occupational Change
		From System-Level Determinants to Individual-Level Experiences
		The Policy Trail Method
		Different Systems, Broadly Similar Experiences
		Conclusions
		References
	5: Participation of Vulnerable Young Labour Market Groups in Job-Related Training: The Effect of Macro-structural and Institutional Characteristics
		Introduction
		Data and Methods
		Inequality in Participation
			Young Adults with Low Educational Levels
			Young Adults Working in Low- and Medium-Skilled Occupations
			The Impact of Economic Sector
			The Impact of Macro Context
			Institutional Influences
		Conclusions
		References
	6: Gender Gaps in Participation in Adult Education in Europe: Examining Factors and Barriers
		Introduction
		Gender Segregation: Theoretical Explanations
		European Policies on Lifelong Learning and Gender Equality
		Data and Methodology
		Factors for Gender Differences in Participation in Adult Education
		Obstacles Preventing Participation in Adult Education from a Gender Perspective
		Gender Gaps Related to Cost
		Discussion and Conclusions
		References
		References
	7: Adult Education as a Pathway to Empowerment: Challenges and Possibilities
		Introduction
		Theoretical Considerations
			Empowerment as a Contested Concept
			Theorising the Relationship Between Empowerment and Education
			The Capability Approach Towards the Relationship Between Empowerment and (Adult) Education
			Adult Education as a Sphere of Empowerment
			Adult Education as a Factor for Empowerment
			Intrinsic and Instrumental Value of the Empowerment Role of Adult Education
		The Role of Non-formal Adult Education for Increasing Individuals’ Agency Capacity: An Empirical Study
			Data and Empirical Strategy
			How Learning Matters to Adults’ Agency Capacity
		The Need to Rethink Adult Education Policies
		References
	8: Governing Adult Learning Through Influencing Public Debate: How the Media Use PIAAC Data in Denmark, Italy and the United Kingdom
		Introduction
		Governance, Standard Setting and Benchmarking in Adult Learning
		Study Design and Methodology
		Dataset
		Data Analysis
		The Use of PIAAC Data in the Highest Circulating National Newspapers
			Denmark
			Italy
			The United Kingdom
		Concluding Remarks
		References
	9: Policy, Practice and Praxis: Computer-Aided Decision Support to Enable Policy-Making in Lifelong Learning
		Introduction
		Policy Focus: NEETs
		Computer-Aided Decision Support and Evidence-Based Policy
		Wicked Social Problems
		NEETs and the IDSS
		Key Challenges
			Limitations of Information Available
			Information Modelling and ‘Soft’ Attributes
			The Individual Story
			Funding Regimes
		Facilitating Effective Policy-Making: Learning from the IDSS
		Conclusion
		References
Part III: Young Adults’ Learning in the Workplace and Beyond
	10: The Interplay of Organisational and Individual Bounded Agency in Workplace Learning: A Framework Approach
		Introduction: Agency in Workplace Learning
		How Workplaces Can Invite Learning: A Short Review of Concepts
		How Organisational and Individual Agency Are Intertwined in Workplace Learning
			Organisational Agency in Workplace Learning
			Individual Agency in Workplace Learning
		The Framework Summarised and an Outlook on the Empirical Results
		Conclusions
		References
	11: Working and Learning in the Retail Sector: A Cross-Country Comparative View
		Introduction
		Case Study Overview
			Belgium
			Denmark
			Estonia
		Findings
			Organisational Agency Shaping Workplace Learning Potential in the Retail Sector
			Organisational Agency Shaping Early Career Pathways and Individual Agency in Workplace Learning in Retail Sector Jobs
		Conclusion
		References
	12: Organisational and Individual Agency in Workplace Learning in the European Metal Sector
		Introduction
		Overview of Cases Studied
		How Does Organisational Agency Shape the Learning Potential of Workplaces in the Metal Sector?
			Agency in Shaping Workplaces and Their Learning Potential
			How Organisational Agency in Human Resource Management Structures Organisations’ Perceptions and Preferences for Learning Policies
			How Organisational Agency Is Applied in Shaping Early Career Pathways
				The Structuring of Early Career Pathways
				The Impact of Organisations’ Decisions on Early Career Workers’ Agency to Learn in the Workplace and Beyond
			How Organisational Agency in Workplace Design and Career Structuration Interacts with Individual Agency to Learn in the Workplace
		Conclusion
		References
	13: Work and Learning in the Adult Education Sector: A Cross Country Comparative View
		Introduction
		The Case Studies: Organisations as Embedded in Adult Learning Systems
			Austria and the Sub-field of Adult Basic Skills
			Italy: Basic Skills and Training Within Active Labour Market Policies
			Slovakia: Training Provided by Employers
			The United Kingdom: Community-Based Colleges for Continuing and Further Education
		Organisational Agency in Shaping Workplace Learning Potential: Key Results
			Organisational Agency in Shaping Workplace Learning Opportunities
			Organisational Agency in Shaping Early Career Pathways
			Organisational Agency in Involving Early Career Workers in Innovation Processes
		Conclusions
		References
	14: Speaking Up: How Early Career Workers Engage in Fighting for Better Working Conditions by Joining Youth-Led Social Movement Organisations
		Introduction
		Comparing Industrial Relation Systems as Environments for Newly Founded Youth-Led Organisations
		Studying Challengers Within the Industrial Relations Field
		Three Organisational Case Studies
			Charter of Social Rights of the Basque Country
			Association for Career Guidance and Career Development (ZKPRK) (Slovakia)
			IG DAF/DAZ Basisbildung (Austria)
		Comparison and Conclusions
		References
	15: Early Career Workers’ Agency in the Workplace: Learning and Beyond in Cross-Country Comparative Perspective
		Introduction
		Understanding Individual Agency in Workplace Learning: A Life Structure Approach
		Learning Against All Odds: Understanding Resources for Individual Agency Embedded in the Individual Life Structure
			Compensating for Poor Workplace Learning: Solveig in Danish Retail Work
			Overcoming Limited Workplace Learning: Snejana in the Bulgarian Metal Sector
			Rich Day-to-Day Learning in Insecure Employment: Nesrin in Austrian Adult Learning
		Discussion and Conclusions
		References
Part IV: Conclusion
	16: Adult Education, Learning Citizens, and the Lessons of Enliven
		The Adult Education Europe Needs
		Lessons of Enliven
		References
Appendix 1: A Note on the Enliven Project
Appendix 2: Key Features of Enterprises Studied in Research on Learning Organisations
	Adult Education Sector (Austria, Italy, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom)
		Austria: AT1
		Austria: AT2
		Italy: IT1
		Italy: IT2
		Slovakia: SK1
		Slovakia: SK2
		United Kingdom: UK1
		United Kingdom: UK2
	Machinery/Metals Sector (Bulgaria and Spain)
		Spain: ES1
		Spain: ES2
		Bulgaria: BG1
		Bulgaria: BG2
	Retail Sector (Belgium, Denmark, Estonia)
		Belgium: BE1
		Belgium: BE2
		Denmark: DK1
		Estonia: EE1
		Estonia: EE2
Appendix 3: Members of the Enliven Research and Administrative Team and Advisory Board
	Research and Administrative Team
	Enliven Advisory Board
Appendix 4: Enliven Research Reports and Policy Briefs
	Research Reports
	Policy Briefs
Index