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Practice Makes Perfect? Antecedents and Consequences of an Adaptive School-to-Work Transition

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Book cover Sustainable Working Lives

Part of the book series: Aligning Perspectives on Health, Safety and Well-Being ((AHSW))

Abstract

Young workers have been struck hardest by the worldwide economic crisis of the past few years, which has led to high unemployment rates across Europe and in many other countries. Competition for talent is fierce among organizations and many societies suffer from low productivity and unused human capital. For these reasons, it is more important than ever before to support young adults in achieving a successful transition to their working life. In order to stimulate an adaptive school-to-work transition (STWT), it is crucial that we gain a good understanding of the critical factors influencing a successful transition to the labor market. Therefore, in this chapter we analyze known antecedents and consequences of the STWT. In addition, we attempt to integrate this knowledge with the so-called new career, which is characterized by continuous learning and proactively making career-related choices, by discussing the emerging topics of career adaptability and career competencies. Next, we translate these insights into two concrete examples of evidence-based interventions in Finland and The Netherlands, which focus on stimulating an adaptive STWT. Finally, we provide some suggestions for researchers and especially practitioners who are dealing with the STWT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Management and Organization, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Jos Akkermans

  2. Development of Work and Organizations, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland

    Mikko Nykänen & Jukka Vuori

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  1. Jos Akkermans
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  2. Mikko Nykänen
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  3. Jukka Vuori
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Correspondence to Jos Akkermans .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Development of Work and Organizations, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland

    Jukka Vuori

  2. TNO Sustainable Productivity and Employability, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Roland Blonk

  3. Department of Psychology, Organizational Studies, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Richard H. Price

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Akkermans, J., Nykänen, M., Vuori, J. (2015). Practice Makes Perfect? Antecedents and Consequences of an Adaptive School-to-Work Transition. In: Vuori, J., Blonk, R., Price, R. (eds) Sustainable Working Lives. Aligning Perspectives on Health, Safety and Well-Being. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9798-6_5

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