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The purpose of this paper is to consider the statistical evidence on the effects that ill health has on labour market participation and opportunities for younger and older workers in the East Midlands (UK).

A statistical analysis of Labour Force Survey data was undertaken to demonstrate that health issues affect older and younger workers alike. This has an equalling effect on labour market opportunities, which should reduce any potential for intergenerational conflict within the workforce.

Although health problems that limit activities and affect the amount and kind of work an individual can undertake increase with age, there are high levels of ill health of these kinds within all age groups, including the youngest workers.

The regional statistical analysis can only provide indications, and further research is required to differentiate which groups of younger and older workers suffer from which types of illnesses, as this has direct implications for their employment.

A more direct consideration of health in employment, education and training policy is required to enable the development of healthy and long‐term working lives that benefit individuals and the economy.

The consideration of the effects of health issues on the labour market should lead to a reconsideration of the rhetoric, and the reality of intergenerational conflict. There might be less reason for such competition than is generally perceived.

The paper considers intergenerational conflict in a labour market context and suggests that health issues have an equalising effect for the relative positions of older and younger workers.

The aim of the paper is to locate and understand VET provision for young people in England and Scotland as a set of policies and practices that can also be located within a broader Europe‐wide discourse.

The research drew upon findings from a longitudinal study that comprised interviews with young people who were in JWT at the outset of the research. The work was conducted in the South West of England in 2007 and 2008 and comprised in‐depth interviews with 13 young people, supported with 155 telephone interviews, a focus group session with three young people, and a participative research seminar with 25 key stakeholders.

The research showed that although there are nuanced differences in approach, the fundamental basis of the policy rhetorics is the same. Whilst the issues and questions in this paper have been informed by the position in the UK and in particular England, it would seem that the same or similar issues and concerns have become part of the mainstream discourse, certainly within the OECD countries and beyond.

The methodology brings a narrative approach (focused upon individual young people), to bear upon a set of policy discourses within the education and skills agenda. Whilst the approach of the paper does not allow for generalisation, it does highlight the problem with a policy focus that fails to take account of what those most affected by the policies actually value and believe.

This paper draws together policy narratives and the experiences of young people.

Young people are widely known to have poorer outcomes, social status and political representation than older adults. These disadvantages, which have come to be largely normalized in the contemporary context, can be further compounded by other factors, however, and are particularly amplified by coming from a lower social class background. An additional challenge for young people is associated with place, with youth who live in more remote and less urban areas at a higher risk of being socially excluded (Alston & Kent, 2009; Shucksmith, 2004) and/or to face complex and multiple barriers to employment and education than their urban-dwelling peers (Cartmel & Furlong, 2000). Drawing upon interviews and focus groups in a qualitative project with 16 young people and five practitioners, and using Nancy Fraser’s tripartite theory of social justice, this paper highlights the various and interlocking disadvantages experienced by working-class young people moving into and through adulthood in Clackmannanshire, mainland Scotland’s smallest council area.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the challenges and approaches taken to address the issue of NEETs in North East England. The area around Redcar in East Cleveland has high levels of unemployment, particularly youth unemployment. This paper compared actions taken in England in the support offered to disaffected youth and reports on the strategy pursued in East Cleveland.

The research was primarily desk-based, interrogating Government publications as well as that generated by executive agencies and local educational institutions. A number of key figures were surveyed in addition to obtain a grounded insight into the challenges that confront those who work in this area.

This study identified areas of good practice that could be considered elsewhere. Its conclusions emphasise that solutions to the NEETs problem are to be found in bespoke and individually focused programmes that value the contribution of young people to society and aim to build their self-esteem and confidence. It also highlights the importance of inter-agency cooperation and joined up strategic planning.

This study would have benefited from the opportunity to survey the views of young people involved in support programmes. Given issues of confidentiality, this was not possible.

This study adds to the literature generated by Government bodies and educational institutions on the issue of disaffected youth. Its value lies in its reference to a specific geographic area and its insight into the work of local professionals in tackling this complex social issue.

This paper aims to investigate whether the institution attended or type of course taken in further education, by students who are classified as low achievers at age 16, influences the probability of their subsequent educational success.

To evaluate the probability of educational success of this subsample of young people, a probit model with sample selection is estimated, using the Youth Cohort Survey data for England and Wales and covering the period 1982 to 2004.

The results suggest that the best route to educational success for “lower achievers” is through further education colleges. There are further significant gains in the probability of educational success for young men who take vocational courses at the FE college. Furthermore, the students taking this route into post‐compulsory education are subsequently most likely to enter higher education; a result relevant to policy, since the aim of the Education Act (2008) is to increase the educational attainment of all young people up to the age of 18.

The paper provides an analysis of the educational decisions and outcomes of young people who were considered of low ability at age 16.

A new building designed to accommodate converged library and computer services into the twenty‐first century, the Aldham Robarts Learning Resources Centre of Liverpool John Moores University, has made a marked impact on the “two cathedrals” campus. With its annexe it provides nearly 6,000m² giving a stock capacity of 220,000 volumes, 720 reader seats and 250 networked PCs. It is a deep‐plan building with three‐storey atrium as a distinctive design feature. The history of the project, within the University′s estates strategy, is given together with a description of the planning process, features of the building and internal layout.

Recent qualitative social research about Mexican families and gender relations underlines the fact that changes in male involvement in domestic life have occurred and that significant changes in paternal responsibilities have been reported, especially among younger fathers with high educational levels and living in urban settings. Significant lags have also been detected in rural and indigenous communities regarding women’s status and the reduction of gender gaps.

On the basis of this, we analysed data from the 2014 National Time Use Survey of Mexico in order to determine whether there are significant differences in the time spent on child raising between rural and urban fathers. We also used a regression model to measure the effect of the place of residence and other socio-demographic characteristics on Mexican fathers’ level of involvement in raising their children.

Our results updated the indicators on the generational change in fathers’ collaboration in childcare and show that fathers living in urban settings are more involved – measured in time effectively spent in child raising than their rural counterparts. Furthermore, the occupations of fathers and especially that of mothers are of particular interest as factors that encourage or discourage greater male involvement in child raising.

The purpose of this paper is to present a study of age management in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK.

Qualitative data collection and exploratory research with six SMEs comprising of: initial interviews with representatives from the SMEs; action research activities designed to raise awareness of age management issues and age discrimination legislation; and follow‐up interviews to ascertain if awareness raising activities resulted in any changes, or planned changes, in policy, practice and attitudes towards older workers.

Good practice in age management can be found in SMEs, but was not found to be part of a systematic strategy. Negative practices and attitudes towards older workers are observed, with positive and negative age stereotypes coexisting. Negative stereotypes displayed can undermine the perceived economic value of older workers. There may be a gap between policy and practice, but awareness raising campaigns that reach employers can influence existing ways of working by showing the benefits of an age diverse workforce and helping reduce prejudices against older workers.

The sample size is small and context specific. However, the study usefully illustrates different approaches to age management policies and practices in SMEs, and the potential benefits of age management awareness in influencing attitudes and practices towards older workers in SMEs.

The experience of age management in SMEs is under researched and examples of good practice in age management are often drawn from large organisations. The paper highlights that SMEs often lack the resources to seek advice regarding age management; therefore, those responsible for age management awareness raising activities may need to approach businesses directly.

This monograph is an attempt to examine some of the changes which have occurred in the structure of the workforce in Australia during the 1970s. The study has the form of exploratory analysis of data extracted from official labour market statistics, and its aims are to consider three broad issues: the significance changes in the labour market may have for Australian society, and particularly for the people who constitute the workforce, actual or potential; the implications of those changes for social policy; and the appropriate research methods of identifying social and social welfare issues in economic activities.