This project (grant reference ES/W009536/1) is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It is one of seven projects funded under the ESRC's Transforming Working Lives research programme.

The project involves a team of researchers from Sheffield University Management School and the Departments of Economics and Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield, UK, as well as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The project will investigate the ability of younger workers living in the UK to make successful transitions in the labour market and the barriers that might prevent them from making progress in their careers.

The motivating questions for the research are:

1. How do the labour market transitions of younger workers affect their employment prospects, physical health and mental wellbeing at subsequent stages of their life course?

2. How can the likelihood of positive, empowering transitions for younger workers be increased?

The project focuses on post-education transitions by younger workers, including transitions between jobs, within jobs, and between lower quality and higher quality jobs. We will examine differences in the ability of younger workers to progress within the labour market experiences and outcomes. In order to analyse the short the short and long term consequences of positive (e.g. to a better job) and negative (e.g. from employment to unemployment) transitions, we will draw on longitudinal datasets that cover substantial time spans.

The project will also connect young workers' experiences to where they live in the UK through survey data and through a detailed qualitative investigation of young workers' lived experiences of transitions in two city-regions in England. The project will involve regular knowledge exchanges with national and local policymakers, practitioner bodies and other stakeholders and will lead to the co-production of resources to address barriers to progression and support young workers' transitions.