Research aiming to explain disabled people's inequalities in the labour market has primarily focused on transitional factors between school and work, wage gaps, or socioeconomic background characteristics as explanations for (no-)entry in the labour market. There is a lack of longitudinal studies that map how disabled people fare in the labour…

Mental disorders threaten the chances of finishing secondary school and can hinder the school-to-work transitions of afflicted youths. Earlier onset depression predicts the chronicity, recurrence, and severity of episodes throughout life. Using rich, objective mental health data and a battery of variables covering personal and family…

Based on biographical interviews from an intra-European youth mobility study in Luxembourg and Norway the article aims to contribute to the debate on how to understand and account for complexities of agency in youth intra-European employment mobility. Critically reflecting and operationalising Emirbayer and Misches's conceptualisation of agentic…

In this article, we present the results from a sequence analysis of two cohorts of young people skilled in gender-segregated vocational education in Norway. By using administrative data on monthly statuses in education, employment and welfare, we map life course trajectories during the 11 years after completion. The results suggest that men…

The study focuses on students in professional bachelor programs, how men and women navigate career opportunities after graduation. The research is based on longitudinal data from 969 Norwegian students. A crucial finding is that when men and women have equal expectations of entering a management position, they also attain such positions equally…

Early work experience is found to be an influential factor in young people's transitions from school to work. Still, we know little about whether early work experience can protect vulnerable young people from subsequent exclusion from labour and education in early adulthood. Our objective is therefore to examine how early work experience in…

Each year, students graduate from schools, colleges and universities. Some find a job quickly -- others do not. Delays in the transition from education to work have been associated with scarring effects and detrimental effects on later employment and career progression. Increasing numbers of graduates from universities and colleges are descendants…

Continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers in vocational education and training (VET) in Norway has largely been either the responsibility of each individual teacher or a by-product of teachers' cooperation related to student placements. Additionally, VET teachers' professional development is influenced by external drivers. These…

In this study, we explore whether education-occupation mismatch in the form of over-education and under-education affects the risk of long-term sickness absence. We use register data covering the Norwegian population in the period 2003-2013, containing 13,628,079 person-year observations (2,059,989 persons). To account for selection, we controlled…

International political discourse has implied that upskilling leads to higher productivity and growth. Combining aspects from skills theory and institutional theory, this article asks what role upskilling can play in making bad jobs better, drawing on previous research about the process of professionalising the cleaning occupation in Norway. In…

By studying population-wide panels of 10th graders in Norway, I investigate the association between the social class composition of cohorts in schools and choosing an academic as opposed to a vocational track at upper-secondary level. Two steps are used to study this relationship. First, I use multilevel models estimating the group level model…

This article compares educational choice narratives and assessments of ideal competence within and across female-dominated nursing studies and male-dominated nautical science studies. By use of this comparative approach, the article offers new understandings of gendered educational choices and what promotes gender inclusion and exclusion in…

This study explores the practical placement experiences of students with disabilities who are attending professional higher education in Norway. Despite legislative regulations to promote equal opportunities, many students with disabilities face barriers to participation in higher education. In professional education, practical placement is a part…

The main purpose of this article is to analyse to what degree master's degree education in Norway enhances employability through enhancing or signalling generic competence, or through enhancing specialised competence. Using multiple correspondence analysis on the links between educational group, economic activity and sector, educational groups…

Some countries have certifying institutions for competence acquired at the workplace. These institutions provide incentives for workplace training that may have favourable effects on productivity, earnings and labour market participation. We present evidence on the earnings effects of attaining vocational qualifications in adulthood through two…