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ABSTRACT
This paper investigates the school-to-work experiences of non-engaged youth aged 15-24 who do not participate in education, training, and employment. Based on data from focus groups involving 50 non-engaged young people in Hong Kong, it examines how they are being systematically propelled to the edges of conventional pathways to adulthood, and assesses the efficacy of governmental training schemes that aim to develop employability as a strategy for engaging this population. The paper concludes by outlining prospects for future policy development, focusing on gaps and weaknesses in current provision and practice. It is suggested that effective guidance for non-engaged young people must pay attention to the social context of the individual. Assumptions behind the government's individualistic lifelong learning policy are called into question.
INTRODUCTION
Jarring economic, labor market, and workplace transformations on a global scale have marked the past two decades. Public and academic discussions about these changes are dominated by themes such as the end of work, downsizing, and economic insecurity. As a result, there is mounting concern about the marginalization of disadvantaged groups in the labor market and how economic polarization is threatening social cohesion of many nations. Echoing this concern, with an emphasis on youth, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) observed in its July 1996 Employment Outlook that the current economic and social state of many young people falls far short of what is desirable (OECD, 1996). Indeed, in many industrialized countries, youth unemployment rates rose as high as 20 to 40% (Lowe & Rrahn, 1999). Youth unemployment is undoubtedly becoming a global concern.
This paper focuses on the school-to-work experiences of "non-engaged youth" aged 15-24 who do not participate in education, training, and employment (Shek & Lee, 2004). Based on data from focus group interviews with 50 non-engaged young people in Hong Kong, it examines how these young people are being systematically propelled to the edges of conventional pathways to adulthood, and assesses the efficacy of governmental training schemes that aim to develop employability as a strategy for engaging this population. The paper concludes by outlining prospects for future policy development, focusing on gaps and weaknesses in current provision and practice. It is suggested that effective guidance for non-engaged young people must pay attention to the social...