Co-authored by IER’s Dr Sangwoo Lee, the article longitudinally investigates the socioeconomic differentials in South Korean adolescents’ occupational aspiration development while they approach the post-secondary transition. The paper takes into account the two-fold relation between socioeconomic status and academic performance in shaping occupational aspirations: mediation and interaction.

Graduation provides a welcome opportunity to reflect back on and celebrate the successes of our students. Over the past academic year, two IER PhD students successfully completed their PhD: Dr Wafaa Elmezraoui and Dr Rebeka Balogh. Congratulations and best wishes to the two of you. Find out more about our PhD students and their work on our website.

IER's Dr Jamelia Harris recently published article unpacks structural factors which contribute to the low repute of TVET, using qualitative interviews with stakeholders, focus group discussions with young Sierra Leoneans and analysis of key government policy documents.

In a recent episode of the US podcast “Looking Forward Our Way”, Professor Philip Taylor and Dr Phyllis Cummins from Miami University in Ohio joined hosts Brett Johnson and Carol Ventresca to shed light on the ongoing issue of ageism in the workplace. Ageism, as discussed, manifests in various forms, from biased job postings to discriminatory hiring practices. We highlighted the overt forms and the subtler, systemic barriers that mature adults face when seeking employment or striving to remain employed.

Today, Prof. Chris Warhurst outlined four challenges for careers practitioners in supporting sustainable employment at the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling (NICEC) conference in Birmingham: advanced automation, the green industrial revolution, the disconnect between skills supply and demand, and unhealthy jobs.