If you want to have a future and a life, do an apprenticeship’

The expectations and realities of tradesmen’s transition to adulthood

Bibliographic Data

ID12600628
AuthorsLaura Wright (0000-0003-3082-0184, University of Saskatchewan, corresponding author), Wolfgang Lehmann (0000-0003-3917-9979, Department of Sociology, University of Western Ontario), Alison Taylor (0000-0002-9980-5575, University of British Columbia)
Year2019
Volume23
Issue6
Pages745-764
Publication date2019-07-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Youth Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1367-6261 • E-ISSN: 1469-9680
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13676261.2019.1636947
OpenAlexW2953469473
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited28

Apprenticeship programs are promoted to facilitate youth’s transition from school-to-work, especially for those who might not otherwise attend postsecondary education. These programs may help youth achieve other markers of adulthood earlier. In this paper, we draw on qualitative interviews with Canadian young men in the skilled trades to explore whether they believe their educational choices have given them an advantage in their transition to adulthood. We also draw from the 2011 GSS, a nationally representative survey, and Cox modeling to examine three early adult transitions – home-leaving, first union, and first marriage – to determine if apprenticeship programs facilitate earlier transitions compared to other educational streams. Our respondents expressed that they transitioned to adulthood more quickly than their peers, due to early employment and avoiding student debt, however, many also had trouble finding stable employment and often took on debt related to their training. Using nationally representative data, we find tradesmen tend to leave home earlier than their peers, they form first unions at younger ages but marry slightly later than their more highly educated counterparts. Our results contribute to our understanding of how apprenticeship programs in Canada facilitate transitions to adulthood among a recent cohort of young men

Adult education · Apprenticeship · Business · Debt · Demographic economics · Developmental psychology · Early adulthood · Economic growth · Economics · Educational attainment · Life course approach · Pedagogy · School-to-work transition · Transition (genetics · Vocational education · Work (physics · Young adult · Psychology · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Work-Family Balance Challenges · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics

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