Managing critical transitions. Career guidance and support for youth without complete compulsory school

This paper focuses the support offered in various local contexts to young people at risk of leaving Swedish compulsory education without complete grades and thus lacking eligibility for upper secondary education (USE). This constitutes a critical transition point, considering the social, economic and health risks associated with early school leaving and non-completing of USE. The paper aims to provide increased knowledge about the strategies of career counsellors and teachers in lower secondary school when designing and implementing support in order to facilitate this educational transition. According to previous research, career support (e.g. counselling, education) has shown to be of particular importance for students from less socioeconomically advantaged and/or migrant background. The study departs from theoretical frameworks stressing the agency of professionals in welfare organizations such as schools and on educational transitions. Primarily based on interviews with 18 teachers and career counsellors in six municipalities of varying character, the study highlights opportunities and shortcomings in schools' work, and in particular, how career counselling and career education activities are designed for the study's target group. A first analysis of the data indicates inter alia that counsellors’ struggle to balance the need of career counselling for those with special need of support and all studentsa nd that collaboration between counsellors and teachers are vital for facilitating critical transitions