Incorporation into the labour market is a key endeavour, of heightened importance in recent years due to high migration flows, for both immigrants and their recipient countries. Hence, activation and employability are major themes in both transnational and national policy discussions, which have generated various programmes and policy measures.…

Access to, and participation in, higher education is expanding. Commonalities in the organisation of this expansion are distinctive vocational pathways, liberal marketisation and significant employer influence. However, whether this expanded access to higher education in vocational pathways is contributing to opportunities of social mobility for…

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the sociocultural factors influencing learners of Arabic as a foreign language in the Sultanate of Oman. A qualitative inquiry approach was adopted for the study, using in-depth interviewing, and students' diaries to understand how the sociocultural context impact non-Arab learners of Arabic in the…

The purpose of my paper is to describe and explain the probability of staying in temporary work for young people (age 16-27) in Sweden between 1992 and 2011 and its relation to socioeconomic outcomes (low socioeconomic classification and wage). I used panel data from the Swedish Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the longitudinal integration database…

A historical tension between a more general and a more specific focus in post-compulsory education is made visible in some educational systems by the division into more academic and more vocational programmes. Embedded in this tension are questions of social justice and the purposes of education. In addition, division into academic and vocational…

The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge regarding involuntary work transitions among laid-off workers. It is part of an ongoing cooperation with two outplacement agencies enrolling white-collar workers. The particular arrangements, which are based on collective agreements, include relatively generous support, both economically and…

The head gangman in the Swedish building trade is a worker elected organiser in a gang comprising between about 4 and 16 workers and an "on-site" and trained representative of the trades union. In 2002 the employer association for the building industry in Sweden (BI) and the Swedish Building and Allied Trades Union (SBATU) signed a joint…

Policy developments resulting from increased women's participation in the labor force are described for each of five European countries. The societal factors that led to the development of alternative policy models in these countries are analyzed. (Author/MC)

After describing Sweden's economic and political background, the author discusses its industrial democracy--workers' participation in management--and labor legislation, particularly the Act on Employee Participation in Decision-Making effective January 1, 1977. Contrasts beliefs in the unions' possible stranglehold of industry in co-determination…