Mags Bexon joined IER in 2016 and her research is in collaboration with careers guidance charity Adviza. Her research, undertaken as part of her MPhil, is focused on how young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) come to make decisions about their careers. Her research is motivated by a desire to understand and explain the actions of NEET young people and how they come to make decisions about their futures. Her research is underpinned by a critical realist theoretical framework in order to reach a level of understanding about their lives.

Mags has 15 years experience in qualitative research roles in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining IER, Mags spent 9 years working in the research teams at the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency and Ofqual, where she conducted evidence-based qualitative research to inform policy development in secondary education. She has also worked as a researcher in Ernst & Young’s Centre for Business Knowledge. Mags has an MA in Information & Library Studies from Loughborough University and a BA (Hons) in English Literature from the University of Birmingham.