Strand 3
Strand 3: Life Chances and Learning Throughout the Life Course
Leader: Karen Evans, with Ingrid Schoon and Martin Weale
Strand 3 examines the social, economic and cultural factors that influence and impede individuals’ attempts to control their lives, and their ability to respond to and manage opportunities. The projects focus on degrees of ‘riskiness’ for individual life chances across the life course and the ways in which individuals react to these risks. This involves examining the extent to which differences in socio-economic outcomes have structural foundations in gender and ‘race’ and are influenced by factors such as parental background, educational attainments and participation in education and training after entering the workforce. The role of educational institutions and structural factors such as the labour market are highlighted.
The strand adds value to existing data sets and is generating new evidence for the study of learning throughout the lifecourse through the use of innovative statistical methods to uncover diversity and fluctuation over time within, as well as between, social groups. UK-wide and international comparisons also form an important component of this strand of work. Close connections are made with Strand 2 to include the effects of learning/working environments and comparisons of degrees of ‘riskiness’ of older workers’ labour market participation.
Project 1: Education-Employment Transitions (Project Leader: Ingrid Schoon)
Project 2: Adult Basic Skills, Workplace Learning and Lifecourse Transitions (Project Leader: Karen Evans)
Project 3: Economic Experience in Working Life (Project Leader: Martin Weale)
