9058009793

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Hartmann. Sweden

often leading to dead-ends regarding the skills required in futurę working life. In times of rapidly changing production techniąues in economy. the concept of secondary vocational training based on the vocational structures of the past has become obsolete. Instead of allegedly receiving the voca-tional skills for a life-time job during 2-3 years of training, young people should receive an education enabling them to accept continuous learning in the futurę and to adjust to a non-linear process of training, work, and

leisure time in the futurę. (ERS, 1986; Hartmann, 1984)

%

Prolonged secondary schooling comprising all young people up to 18 im-plies also a tendency to adjust to the rules of the educational system, to peer-group relations and to the development of specialized youth cultures which might be opposed to the norms of working-life and therefore hinder a smooth transition from school to work.

Even if jobs are available, there is a tendency among young people in Sweden to reject jobs in industry as they do not correspond to their acquired attitudes and aspirations. In 1987, the Swedish industrial employers asso-ciation was forced to start a campaign in order to convince youth to take on jobs in industry though there are still young unemployed. (DN 87 09 30)

One of the causes for this increased distance between the aspiration of youth and the reality of working-life is attributed to the Swedish system of full-time vocational training in schools. Increased study-visits and new forms of dual responsibility of schools and employers for the vocational training are under discussions, as industries which have kept up their own vocational training schools do not have any problems in recruiting youth.

5.2. Youth Employment Schemes: A Risk for a Soecial Career

The main goal of the multitude of governmental interventions on the youth labour market was to avoid overt unemployment with idleness and high risk of desocialization and stigmatization of the young people concerned. It was also in linę with the goal of creating jobs instead of merely securing in-come. Evaiuation studies undertaken by the National Board of Education show that of those born in 1967 and enrolled in the follow-up activities of local school boards, 43* were continuing education or vocational training, 2X were overtly unemployed, 9% were engaged in other activities, whereas 28* had been successfui in obtaining gainful employment. (SCB 1987:2, 39)

However, the eyaluation also shows that the percentage of young people who are able to move from youth team work to permanent employment is rather smali and the measures are morę efficient in motivating reluctant