ABSTRACT
Laura's experiences also demonstrate the significance of a combination of routines and turning points in her career progression. However, to a much greater extent than for Helen, the routines in Laura's life prepared the way for some dramatic changes in direction. Once more, much of what happened to her was unpredictable at the start. Her story emphasises another feature we have already met but not yet commented on. The business of finding or losing a placement was not simply a matter of choice. Rather, it was a complex interaction between stakeholders, using widely different and unequally distributed resources. These interactions—between parents, young people, employers, training providers and careers officers — consist of negotiations, alliances, struggle and conflict.
