Klaar om te kiezen?

Abstract

The labour market is constantly changing. To be able to find a job, thinking about the future is crucial and it all starts with education. Nowadays, in the Netherlands as well as in Utrecht, there is a mismatch between education and the labour market. How do we make sure that high school students, employees of the future, have a chance of finding a job? The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (Ministerie van OCW) designed a new policy to reduce school drop-outs by smoothening the transition between high school (vmbo) and vocational education (mbo). On a smaller scale, non-profit organisations, such as JINC, contribute to the exploration of the labour market early on. Whilst it is preferable to find solutions on a greater scale, it is necessary to understand the underlying mechanisms of decision making when it comes finding a suitable education. In this research, the Dutch high school student is in the lead. The goal of this research is to demonstrate and understand the decision-making process of third year Dutch high school students. To get a better understanding of these processes, a sociological framework is applied. The theory of Careership by Hodkinson & Sparkes (1997, 2008) is used to put the decision-making process in a social context. Using this theory, three forms of decision making can be highlighted: rational, positional and empirical decision making. The main concepts used in the analysis are technical rationality, pragmatic rationality, cost-benefit analysis, horizon for action, resources and capital, and turning points and routines. Using a combination of qualitative survey data and data of semi-structured interviews, the experiences of the students regarding the decision-making process are analysed. The results show that all three aspects of decision-making are part of the process of these students and they cannot be seen separately. However, positional decision-making, in which students make use of available resources, seems important to take into account when trying to understand this process. Most of the students are still in the phase of orientation. Information seeking is the first step in this process, with the internet as most valuable resource. There is a difference in the rational process between students of vocational (vmbo-bb) and theoretical level (vmbo-tl). While students of vmbo-bb level are mostly focused on the end goal, such as a nice salary, students of vmbo-tl level are focused on the investment they have to make, without having a clear goal in mind. For both groups, parents serve as the most valuable resource. However, the way in which parents are of help, differs for both groups. In general, parents of students of vmbo-tl level are seen as experts in decision-making and students with vmbo-bb level’s parents often function as a more practical resource. This might go hand in hand with the importance of social position, which in general is better for students of vmbo-tl. For students of vmbo-bb the geographical position plays a bigger role in deciding about their next school. Apart from the differences, most of the students shared the common interest in internships. Learning by doing and experiencing is most valuable to them, and even more so if the internship is in line with their life interests. In line with the results, a policy advice is formulated for the commissioning party: JINC, a non-profit organisation that functions as a linking pin between schools, companies and volunteers. This policy advice consists of three recommendations. The first recommendation links to the demand of internship experience. JINC could expand the role, by connecting students with internship options JINC-partners have to offer. By developing an internship database in which schools see an overview of possible internship offers, students and organisations are both brought closer together. The second recommendation concerns the JINC-project Bliksemstage. This project gives students the opportunity to explore their interests in future jobs. While JINC offers this project mostly to first and second year students of high school, this research shows that third year high school students, especially with vmbo-bb level, would benefit from this form of orientation as well. The advice would be to continue offering the project Bliksemstage in the third year. At last, the role of parents in the decision-making process should be explored by JINC. By expanding their scope for pilots linked to involvement of the environment, the role of parents in every project could be examined.