Work Experience and the Trainee Identity

Abstract

One of the central features of youth labour has always been its subordinate and marginal character (Cohen, 1982). Through its use of work placements and the construction of a trainee status for school leavers, the YTS has legitimated and formalised this historical relation under a new guise. Work experience on the scheme represents a key formative moment in young people’s introduction to working life and, I would argue, has implications for the development of future identities in employment.