Scottish Government

Chapter Eight Perceptions of the value of pupils' part-time work

8.1 In this chapter we will consider the views of a range of stakeholders regarding the value of school pupils' part-time employment experience. To do this we will be drawing on information from a range of sources within the research. These include the focus group work with pupils, interviews with school staff, the parent and employer's survey and the interviews with members of the Scottish Councils Education Industry Network ( SCEIN).

8.2 We noted in the introductory chapter that there is now a growing acceptance that we need to adopt a balance model when considering young people's experiences in employment. That means that we need to consider that all jobs have potentially good and bad aspects. Following this approach we asked the various stakeholders for their views on what they consider to be the potential benefits and costs of pupils' part-time employment.

School pupils' views

8.3 Within each of the focus groups that we ran the pupils were asked to consider the possible advantages and disadvantages of having a part-time job. Our analysis of this material focused upon identifying the themes and creating categories based on these themes. The majority of pupils provided multiple suggestions. The table below indicates the most commonly cited advantage/disadvantage by providing the percentage of pupils who cited any specific reason. A total of 376 pupils participated in the focus groups.

8.4 When we consider the 'advantages' of work it is evident that pupils view the financial reward or the ability to earn their own money as a key advantage to working (Table 8.1). However, it is worth noting that an equally popular advantage of work was that it contributed to personal attributes. As such pupils appear to perceive work as providing development opportunities, encouraging independence, responsibility and developing confidence.

Table 8.1: Pupils views on advantages/disadvantages of part-time work

8.5 Just under half of the pupils indicated that part-time work was advantageous in providing work experience and provides the opportunity to work with others. For some pupils the latter was important since it involves team work as well as providing the opportunity to meet other people and socialise. Approximately one in four pupils noted that one advantage of work was that it could be associated with the acquisition of skills. These include communication skills, dealing with problems, budgeting and handling money. The potential contribution of part-time work to future careers or to add to the content of CVs was identified by some pupils as a potential advantage; however, less than one-fifth of the pupils noted this as an advantage.

8.6 The most commonly noted 'disadvantage' of part-time work was that it could have a negative effect on schooling and would have a detrimental effect on the individual's social life. The next most popular disadvantages were related to the demands of employment. Pupils noted the physical demand of working or the time demands created when someone has a job. Clearly for pupils the disadvantage of part-time work is related to the opportunity costs, that is, what you cannot do, or lose out on, as a result of work.

8.7 A smaller percentage of pupils cite more specific work related disadvantages. These fall into two categories: work related issues where the disadvantage of work is linked to poor treatment, low wages or practical aspects of work and interpersonal relations where the disadvantage of work is linked to problem relations with the people you might work with or customers.

Do pupils' views vary depending on work status and school stage?

8.8 The latter two disadvantages suggest that pupils are drawing upon their personal experience of part-time employment when suggesting disadvantages of employment. This might suggest that the identification of advantages and disadvantages is associated with an individual's experience of part-time work. Similarly there may be variations associated with the age (year group) of the pupils.

8.9 The focus groups included pupils who had ever had a job, (Ever Worked Pupils, EWP) and those who had never worked (Never Worked Pupils, NWP). The tables below show the percentage of EWP and NWP who cite a specific advantage or disadvantage.

8.10 For example, amongst the advantages of having a part-time job money is cited by a similar percentage of the EWP and the NWP groups. It could be argued that this is a relatively 'obvious' benefit of employment and we would not expect having experience of working to increase this advantage of employment.

Table 8.2: Work status and perceived advantages

8.11 Based on this approach perhaps the notable aspect of the above table is the relatively low variation between EWP and NWP in citing any of the specific advantages of part-time employment. There is of course some variation between the groups. A higher percentage of EWPs cite 'working with others' as an advantage compared to the NWP group. Perhaps the experience of being employed results in them perceiving the value of this aspect of employment. This explanation may also account for the variation in the category of 'acquire skills'.

8.12 It could also be the case that the experience of employment may make individuals less likely to cite a specific advantage, that is as a result of working they are aware of the limitations. For example, the advantage of work in developing personal attributes was cited by a higher percentage of the NWP group. Perhaps a lower percentage of EWP group cited this as an advantage due to their experience of employment.

8.13 This argument might also lead us to hypothesise that EWPs will have an insight into the specific disadvantage of working. The pattern of results outlined in Table 8.3 does not support this position. The most striking aspect of the table is that a similar percentage of EWP and NWP identified each of the disadvantage categories.

Table 8.3: Work status and perceived disadvantages

8.14 Overall there is little evidence to suggest that work status has any major impact on the specific advantages or disadvantages that pupils associate with having a part-time job. Can the same be said for year group differences?

8.15 Our focus groups were constructed so that they year groups were kept separate, allowing us to compare the views of S4, S5 and S6 pupils. Table 8.4 summarises the findings for the proposed advantages associated with working. For each category of advantage the total number of pupils who identified this specific advantage is given. The following columns note the percentage of pupils in S4, S5 and S6 who cite this advantage.

Table 8.4: School year and perceived advantages

8.16 For example the most cited advantage of part-time employment was the category money. From Table 8.4 it is evident that the percentage of pupils in S4, S5 and S6 who identified this advantage was comparable, 35%, 35% and 30% respectively. A similar pattern of consistency across year groups is evident for a number of other advantages eg Careers/ CV, Work with Others.

8.17 However there is some evidence of variation between year groups in some of the categories. It would appear that a greater number of S5 and S6 pupils noted the advantage of gaining 'personal attributes' from work. This pattern was replicated in the categories of 'work experience' and 'acquire skills' and might lead us to suggest that older pupils place more emphasis on different advantages of work when compared to younger pupils. S4 pupils recorded the highest number of citations in two categories, 'combats boredom' and 'other'.

8.18 Turning our attention to the disadvantages of working the pattern of consistency between year groups tends to dominate. The table below shows that for the disadvantages of 'impact on school', 'time demands' and 'impact on social life' similar numbers of pupils in each year group identified these disadvantages.

Table 8.5: School year and perceived disadvantages

8.19 Variation between the year groups do exist. For example when we look at pupils citing the disadvantages of 'impact on school' and 'demands' of work a lower percentage of S4s listed this compared to S6 pupils. This pattern is reversed when we consider 'work related issues' where a lower number of S6 pupils note this disadvantage. These patterns may reflect the variation in the types of jobs carried out by S4 and S6.

8.20 While the total number of pupils who cite 'interpersonal relations' as a disadvantage is low (n=19) it is notable that pupils listing this were more likely to be in S4 or S5. Given the low number of pupils this may reflect individual experiences and as such we should not read too much into this year group variation.

Staff views

8.21 In the eight schools that were in the Focus Studies element of the research we interviewed a number of staff members including Headteachers and small groups of Principal Teachers. In both cases we asked them about their perceptions of part-time work (see Appendix 7).

8.22 There was a degree of overlap between Headteachers and Principal Teachers about their perception of the advantages/disadvantages of part-time work. The main themes that we identified from the comments are:

Advantages or benefits of part-time work:

• Showing young people attitudes towards work amongst employees (ie co-workers) as opposed to school pupils
• Cooperating with others particularly adults and learning value of teamwork
• Raises self esteem
• Financial responsibility and the opportunity to learn the value of money
• Learn how hard it is to earn money
• Raises ambitions and increases awareness of need for qualifications to get better jobs
• Career ideas
• Gain skills including simple social skills of dealing with other people
• Independence and a wider social responsibility
• Experience different social relationships and experiencing relationships that are not based on the standard teacher-pupil relationship
• Helps provide a rounded child
• Real experience in the real world
• Useful developmental experience

Disadvantages or costs of part-time work:

• Interferes with attendance at after school activities
• Has a negative effect on their achievement
• Few of the workers get permit forms (Note: this comment only applies to those covered by existing child employment legislation)
• Difficulty in striking right balance between work and school
• Negative effect on timekeeping (late for school) and attention in class (falling asleep in class)
• Homework suffers due to part-time work
• Tiredness and increased pressure on pupils
• Poor quality of jobs being done
• Truancy

8.23 Amongst the Headteachers the general pattern of comments indicates that they appreciate the potential cost and benefits of employment. For a number of them the central issue was of maintaining some balance:

'Each young person has to strike a balance between their school life, their paid employment and their social life.'

8.24 Another Headteacher expressed a similar view by stating:

'Paid employment needs to be kept within reasonably manageable proportions.'

8.25 Other Headteachers viewed part-time work as problematic but could still see advantages to it. Their solution was:

'In an ideal world we wouldn't want them engaged in a high level of part-time employment until they had got the first batch of highers under their belt.'

8.26 For some Headteachers, while acknowledging that there are potential benefits and costs associated with working, their concern was over the type of jobs being done and the lack of control that is exerted:

'A lot of our youngsters are engaged in work too young where they don't even have work permits and they are away at all hours of the day doing milk rounds and whatever and that I don't think is a good thing. As a society we should be moving away from the drudgery of getting very young people to do work like that, that's a personal view. I think it's exploitative and I think that's wrong.'

8.27 For at least two Headteachers the issue of the failure of existing legislation in this area was a concern. Both Headteachers were concerned about the failure of many pupils to follow the existing procedures and apply for a work permit. One other Headteacher did comment on the permit system but in this case the comments were more positive indicating that they have received requests for work permits. Within the Principal Teachers' interview groups there was concern expressed about the effectiveness of legislation in this area.

8.28 Amongst Principal Teachers some different points of emphasis emerged. When discussing the advantages of part-time work some Principal Teachers emphasise the contrast between the work place and school. Some of them indicated that the benefit of work was that it exposed pupils to different types of relationships with adults and these contrasted with the teacher-pupil roles in school:

'The relationship they get with adults they don't get in school… the way they treat adults is totally different.'

8.29 Other Principal Teachers identified the learning potential from part-time work. In some cases they linked this to a core skills agenda where it is suggested that employment provides opportunities to learn how to interact with other people in a professional capacity and contributes to confidence, social skills and maturity. In one group the idea was expressed that work:

'… can benefit them hugely and … learn a lot that's difficult to teach them in school.'

8.30 For Principal Teachers the main disadvantage of part-time work was the negative effect it has on academic performance. They noted the need for balance between work and school. For a number of them the solution to maintaining a balance should be to limit work to the week-ends, control the hours that are worked and ensure that employers adopt a more responsible attitude.

8.31 Another point of contrast between Headteachers and Principal Teachers was that the latter drew a distinction between part-time work for pupils of different academic ability or motivation:

'I think it's really a bad idea for academically motivated pupils to try and balance school with work, but I think it's an extremely important idea to employ it with pupils that are non-academic because the curriculum as it stands …is just not right for these kids.' [And] …'They need a curriculum which is supportive of a workplace environment.'

8.32 Another Principal Teacher commented:

'Some of them who don't perform well academically are brilliant in their work situation because they are doing something they want and for a reward at the end of the day.'

8.33 For other Principal Teachers the problem is that weaker pupils are the ones who are working:

'I'm concerned that very often it's not our most able group, the ones very focused on their work (schoolwork) tend to be the ones that don't over work because they want to go to university and [not] to jeopardise their chances.'

8.34 There are some suggestions that part-time work could be linked to vocational aspects of education:

'I would see it (part-time work) working alongside some kind of vocational training.'

'If you could find a way of tying in part-time work to meet certain criteria like the outcomes for a work experience module it would be superb.'

8.35 In contrast another Principal Teacher commented:

'Very little of it would be linked to vocational stuff that they would do after school … just transient to get quick money…it wouldn't have any permanent … very few of them would work in a part-time job that would lead them on afterwards to permanent employment.'

8.36 For Headteachers and Principal Teachers it was clear that when they were addressing the issue of the advantages and disadvantages of part-time employment they focused upon the tensions between part-time work and education.

Career Advisers' Views

8.37 As part of the focus study we interviewed the Career Adviser for that school regarding their views on part-time employment. Given the nature of their role the interview covered a different range of topics compared to the school staff. However the interview touched upon the perceived impact of part-time work. The responses to these questions allow us to infer what this group perceive as potential advantages and disadvantages to working part-time while at school.

8.38 Amongst this group many of the individuals mentioned the value of part-time work in developing personal attributes such as enhancing self-esteem, developing confidence and maturity. Others referred to the potential gains in a range of social abilities such as communication skills, people skills and listening skills.

8.39 For some part-time employment may have a positive impact on pupils' motivation. In effect the experience of work could lead to an awareness of the value, or need, of qualifications for the future. It may be that they are motivated to achieve in school in order to escape the types of jobs they are currently doing.

8.40 A number of other advantages were mentioned. For at least one interviewee an advantage was that pupils learn about team building and get the chance to use their initiative. Another interviewee suggests that an advantage of part-time work is that it provides the opportunity to learn about rules and regulations in the workplace.

8.41 Disadvantages identified tended to be dominated by concerns about the potential effect on attainment. For some interviewees the concern was that pupils are treated differently at work and at school. The implication is that the employer-employee relation is more appealing to young people than the teacher-pupil one. In the former they have some adult-like status and this creates issues for them in engaging with school.

8.42 Time constraints were identified as a disadvantage by some interviewees. The net effect is that pupils do not engage with school fully because of limited time. For others the problem is one of the number of hours worked, when those hours are worked and tiredness.

8.43 A number of the Career Adviser's have concerns about the quality of the work that is being done. A number of the interviewees are of the opinion that the jobs done by pupils lack quality and are not challenging. It is apparent that for some there is a clear link between the type of job and perceived quality. Other interviewees adopted a different perspective. For them the quality of the experience depended on the individual employee's attitude and acknowledged that many pupils enjoyed the experience, particularly the social aspect of working and meeting other people. In one case the interviewee suggested that the quality came from being in the adult world and being treated as an adult.

Parents' views

8.44 In order that we could capture the views of parents we asked those pupils who had participated in the focus groups if we could send a questionnaire to their parents (see Appendix 8). The questionnaire covered a range of issues including a series of questions about the potential positive and negative aspects of work. In the case of parents whose child had a part-time job we asked what impact this had had upon their child. Since this was a survey based tool we asked parents to respond on a five point scale to these statements indicating their strength of agreement or disagreement (eg part-time work increases pupils' confidence).

8.45 As an initial indication of parents' views we asked them to indicate if they felt that it was desirable for pupils to have a part-time job while at school. Table 8.6 provides a summary of the responses and it is evident that the majority of parents (83%) indicated that they thought this was desirable. Parents whose children had ever worked were significantly more likely to be in favour compared to those whose children had never worked. However, it is noticeable that even amongst this latter group the majority of parents (74%) were in favour of the pupil combining work and school in this way. This indicates a positive orientation amongst our sample of parents to mixing full-time education and part-time work. The implication is that they perceive work as either being beneficial or at least neutral in terms of its impact on pupils.

Table 8.6: Parents views on desirability of part-time work by whether their child has ever had a part-time job

8.46 It is possible that whether or not parents themselves had had a part-time job while at school may influence their views on the desirability of mixing work and school. There was no evidence that parents previous work status while at school was associated with their response to this question. However, parents' previous experience of mixing part-time work and school was linked to whether they had encouraged or discouraged their child with respect to getting a part-time job. Parents who themselves had worked when at school were more likely to have encouraged their child to have a part-time job while those who had never had a job were more inclined to be neutral when it came to advising their child about getting a part-time job. We also examined whether there was any relationship between parents having worked part-time when they were at school and their child having a part-time job but the results were not significant.

8.47 We asked parents to respond to a number of statements about the potential effect of work on school pupils. The responses (Table 8.7) indicate that they are inclined to ascribe benefits to the employment experience. The majority of parents agreed or strongly agreed with the idea that pupils get the chance to learn skills not taught in school from their part-time work (95%). A similar proportion were of the view that part-time employment can increase pupils' confidence (96%), that it results in better communication skills (94%) and that through part-time employment pupils gain the opportunity to meet a range of people from different social backgrounds (95%). It is also clear that the majority of parents believe that part-time employment results in the development of good work attitudes and habits (91%) and encourages young people to respect others (88%).

8.48 A slightly smaller percentage agreed or strongly agreed with the idea that part-time employment provides opportunities to practice what has been learnt in school (56%). Just over a quarter of those responding disagreed with this (26%) and 17% indicated they were not sure. Whether or not their child had had a part-time job did not make any significant difference to their views in respect of these statements.

Table 8.7: Parents' opinion of pupils' part-time employment

8.49 Amongst pupils we found that one of the perceived disadvantages of work is that it can impinge on other activities and create demands on your time. Are these disadvantages shared by parents? Based on their responses (table 8.7) parents appear to be less concerned about these issues. The majority of parents disagree or strongly disagree that part-time work results in less time for friends or a lack of time for sports and hobbies (73% and 70%).

8.50 The majority of parents also disagree or strongly disagree with the idea that as a result of part-time work a pupils' school work will suffer (66%). However, there was a significant variation based on whether the parent's child has worked. These parents are more likely to disagree with this statement while those parents whose child had never worked were more likely to agree with this view.

8.51 Differences also began to emerge between parents when it comes to considering if part-time work places too much pressure on pupils or creates a situation where they have to take on adult roles before they are ready for them. In both cases the majority of parents disagree or strongly disagree with these views (69% and 81%). Parents of pupils who had never worked were more likely to agree or strongly agree with these views.

8.52 When considering the potential costs of part-time work these findings suggest that parents whose child has never worked are more likely to agree that school work will suffer, that part-time work places pupils under pressure and results in them facing adult responsibilities before they are ready. It is possible that these views are in part an explanation for why their children have never worked. In chapter 4 we noted that a small percentage of pupils indicated that their reason for never working was that their parents disapproved.

8.53 However, we should also note that those parents whose child has worked disagree with the idea that school suffers, that work creates pressure and that it results in the pupils having to face adult responsibilities before they are ready. Perhaps these parents disagree because they do not associate these negative outcomes with their specific experience.

8.54 There is some support for this suggestion amongst parents' whose child had experience of part-time employment. We asked these parents' to judge the extent to which having a part-time job had resulted in any changes in their child. Table 8.8 shows that the large majority of parents of working children thought that their son or daughter had experienced some change as a result of working part-time. The ability to communicate with adults in a mature manner and greater self-confidence were the two aspects that parents were most positive about (88% agreed or strongly agreed that their child's part-time job had taught him/her to communicate with adults in a mature manner; 84% felt their child's part-time job had led to greater self-confidence). It is notable in both cases, the high percentage who responded that they strongly agreed with the statements, indicating that they felt that their child's job had had a considerable effect in these two respects.

8.55 Not unexpectedly, parents thought that part-time working had taught their child good work habits (84% agreed or strongly agreed, table 8). A high level of agreement with two other statements suggest that parents thought that part-time work had contributed to a more mature approach on the part of their child: 80% agreed or strongly agreed that part-time work had given their child a greater sense of purpose and that it had led to a greater appreciation of adult responsibilities while 74% thought that it had taught him/her to take more responsibility for their behaviour. Part-time work was perceived as improving their child's money management as well as their time management skills (77% and 76% agree/strongly agree, table 8). The aspect where parents felt that their child's part-time work had made least change was in respect of encouraging more serious planning for the future but even here 70% were positive about the effect of part-time work. Parents' assessment of the effect of part-time work on their child did not vary significantly depending on whether or not they themselves had had part-time employment during their time at secondary school.

Table 8.8: Parents' opinion of the changes in their child as a result of part-time work

8.56 It is clear that parents have a positive view regarding the impact of part-time employment on their child. These perceptions provide an important insight but further research would be needed to disentangle the changes ascribed by parents from general developmental changes associated with adolescence.

Employers' views

8.57 One of the key stakeholders in the context of this research is employers. In chapter 2 we outlined the nature of the employer's survey (see Appendix 10). As part of that survey we asked a small number of questions about their views on part-time work. We did not ask them to list the advantages and disadvantages of part-time work but rather to consider the value of part-time work compared to work experience.

8.58 Amongst the group of 42 employers the majority were of the opinion that part-time employment was of more value to the pupil than work experience. The justification for this position is that in their view part-time work shows that the individual has found a job for themselves. ¹³ The implication is that this reflects on the pupil's motivation and willingness to work. There is some indication that for some employers there is a link between having a part-time job and the development of a work ethic and the attainment of specific skills.

8.59 For employers the main advantage of part-time work over work experience was that 'part-time gives you the full picture' and that 'part-time work is more real'. Another constraint of work experience, and by implication an advantage of part-time work, was that in the employer's view work experience exposes the pupils to a limited range of experiences.

8.60 From the employer's interviews a general picture emerges that for them the main advantage of part-time employment is that it involves young people engaging with the 'real world of work' and offers them the opportunity to learn.

SCEIN members' views

8.61 All SCEIN members were interviewed separately by telephone. As part of a wider interview each interviewee was asked to comment on their perception of the positive and negative aspects of part-time work. A thematic analysis allowed us to identify the common themes that emerged across the group.

8.62 From the perspective of the SCEIN members a number of positive advantages were ascribed to part-time employment. The most commonly cited benefit was that it provides the opportunity to acquire core or soft skills. In particular it was proposed that work offered the chance to work with others and develop interpersonal skills and communication skills.

8.63 A second benefit is related to gaining knowledge of the world of work. It was suggested that part-time work could result in an increased understanding of business and the workplace. Like the employers, the SCEIN interviewees propose that it exposes pupils to the 'reality' of work:

'they have to handle real consequences of what they do.'

'they can have real responsibility.'

8.64 When commenting on this positive aspect of part-time employment some interviewees drew a distinction between this and work experience. In their view the latter was less valuable in showing pupils what work is really like. A consequence of this is that the pupils can develop work discipline.

8.65 While pupils highlight earning money as a key advantage of part-time work the SCEIN interviewees also identified this potential benefit. However, for this group it was that earning money may result in some specific financial skills and this may also be relevant to their future plans:

'learning the value of money.'

'puts them into a situation where they can hope to earn money while in higher education.'

8.66 A common theme that emerged when asked to consider the benefits of work were related to the attainment of confidence, self-esteem, independence and maturity. A more general benefit was that for some having a part-time job would result in pupils having to learn how to balance their life-style.

8.67 Very few of the interviewees identified positive aspects of work that could be linked to school work. While these were the exception they are worth noting. The positive link between part-time work and school could provide a context for skills and knowledge learned in school, while the work ethic gained in work can be transferred to the classroom. It was also proposed that the increased maturity gained from work would feed into pupils approach to learning and increasing motivation to do well so that they could get a better job than the one they had as a part-time employee.

8.68 On the negative side the dominant theme was that part-time work ultimately took up time. The time taken up by work meant that other aspects of pupils' lives would suffer. A particular concern was that study time would be lost. However, this group was also concerned about the loss of time for sport, extra-curricular activity and participation with the wider aspects of school life, such as pupils' ability to help out at different events.

8.69 Time pressure was also linked to other perceived disadvantages of work. Those with jobs may be unable to access study programmes if their employers were inflexible about leave and some pupils may truant or opt out of school if they are under pressure to work more hours. Ultimately time pressure could result in loss of sleep. Time was linked to another set of comments about the negative aspect of work. In this case the concern was when pupils worked, either early in the day or late in the evening. Working at these extremes of the working day was considered to be problematic.

8.70 A common theme to emerge when considering the negative aspects of part-time work was related to the perceived quality of the jobs and the employment experience. For some there were concerns about exploitation. This could take a number of forms including what the employee was asked to do, the hours they worked and the financial reward that they received. Others expressed concern about the poor working environments that they may experience.

8.71 A small minority of comments developed the theme of health and safety suggesting that school pupils' part-time work raised a number of health and safety issues that were related to the working environment, for example the risk associated with 'hanging off the back of a lorry' in the case of milk delivery.

Overview

8.72 In reviewing the views of stakeholders regarding the value of part-time employment it is clear that they all have ideas about the potential benefits and costs. What is notable is the consistency of the issues that each group of stakeholders raised. For example across the groups the benefits of work were linked to skills attainment, social skills, exposure to the 'real' world of work and the development of a range of personal attributes such as confidence, independence and maturity.

8.73 Across all of the groups the dominant belief was that school work suffers as a result of work. This was emphasised in different ways by the various stakeholders, for example the Principal Teachers were concerned about this aspect. A number of the themes associated with the disadvantages of work revolved around limited time. For some a result of employment is that a pupil's time is perceived to be limited and they cannot engage with a range of other activities, eg sports, after school programmes and limited social life.

8.74 There are of course variations between the stakeholders in terms of emphasis on some of the potential benefits and costs. For example, pupils indicate that money is a primary advantage of working. The ability to earn gives you spending power and some degree of independence. For the school staff and the SCEIN members money was also identified as a benefit of work, but in this case they associated the benefit with learning the 'value of money' or increasing financial awareness.

8.75 For some stakeholders a disadvantage of work was related to the quality of the work undertaken. School staff, SCEIN interviewees, Career Advisers and school pupils all refer to this issue in one way or another. For the pupils the concern was about low wages, unfair treatment and relationships with employer and co-workers. For the adult stakeholders the issue was one of the types of jobs that were being done. As we will see in Section D concerns about the quality of work emerge when we consider the issue of recognising part-time employment.

8.76 Concern about the quality of work raises some fundamental issues. If some of the stakeholders are questioning the quality of the jobs that are being done by pupils how does this impact upon the attainment of the potential benefits that can be gained from work? It is also clear that we need a better picture of what pupils do in the workplace and we turn to this in the following chapters.