ABSTRACT
In chapters 7 and 8 we have spoken mainly of the bond between certification and employment, although it may be apparent from our argument that unemployment, too, has been an important aspect of this bond. In this chapter we turn our attention more directly to the problem of unemployment among young people. We briefly describe the recent increase in youth unemployment, and we chart the incidence of unemployment among the members of the 1977 sample and its relation to school certification. We argue that the respective problems of youth employment and of youth unemployment must be understood in relation to each other. We describe the early experience of the Youth Opportunities Programme (YOP) in Scotland, and its apparent impact on the bond between certification and employment. We suggest that the YOP may have important implications for the link between education and employment.
