Capabilities for Education, Work and Voice from the Perspective of “the Less Employable” University Graduates.

Abstract

This paper examines how young university graduates with difficulties in finding a job corresponding to their education perceive their education in terms of capabilities for education, work and voice. Main methods used were interviews with a group of young graduates with a weak labour market attachment. The results indicate that the young graduates appreciate their education as an enhancing experience regarding capability for education and voice, but not for work. The conclusion drawn is that the main constraints stem from a lack of conversion factors related to the higher education system as well as the labour market – conversion factors that would enable the young graduates to convert available resources into capabilities for work.