Based on qualitative research on and automation technology apprentices in Switzerland, this paper examines apprentices' experiences of participating in their company's production activities and becoming members of their community of practice, and the influence of these experiences on the development of their occupational identity. Participation in…

This article investigates how Swiss retail apprentices construct their occupational identities under modern workplace affordances. The Swiss retail sector has become more competitive in recent decades; as a consequence, retail businesses look for skilled and responsible employees who are flexible in regard to work tasks and schedules. The article…

Occupations differ in their prestige, but little research has examined how workers manage working in a low-prestige occupation. This case study with retail-clerk apprentices in Switzerland uncovers the identity strategies the apprentices employ to help them normalise the situation they find themselves in: they are learning an occupation that is…