Education and Transition to Work: Promoting Practical Intelligence

This paper considers a number of questions in the current discussion on the transition to work, most notably the definition of the pedagogical approach by which the issues at hand are investigated, the review of the relationship between education and development in reference to employability, and the interpretation of the right to education in light of the precarious nature of the productive processes. This contribution also points to the relevance of the notion of “human development” as explored by Martha Nussbaum, Professor of Politics and Philosophy at the University of Chicago, and Amartya Sen, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics. It ends with a reflection on a welfare model supported by people empowerment that enhances individual capability. The argument put forward is that major shortcomings can be found in welfare systems in terms of employability. Against this background, the author welcomes a system which enables the full development of one’s capability. In this sense, social scientists should engage in pursuing new avenues for creativity in order to build a new approach to social responsibility. In other words, this means moving away from resignation and catastrophism which are peculiar to Nihilism, and being open to the full development of both the individual and social fabric to generate a common ethos. * Essays n° 6, Chapter Three: School-to-work Transition and Investment in Human Capital, pp. 385-408