'It's Been a Search for What I Wanted to Do': Mid-life reflections on career transitions and lifelong learning

Abstract

This Special Issue is compiled of articles that are all based on biographical data collected in a European research project designed, funded and steered by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) and coordinated by the University of Warwick. Under the heading, 'Learning for Career and Labour Market Transitions - individual biographies', a group of researchers from Italy, Spain, Denmark, France and Germany collected 25 biographical interviews from mid-career adults in each country. The methodology applied, the recruitment of interviewees, the interviewing strategies and the foci of analysis differed between the countries as a result of varying historical, intellectual and cultural traditions which lead to a rewarding learning process among the researchers. The stories generated rich data which enabled comparisons to take place across the five countries. Overall, the study illuminates individuals' approaches to career transitions under different structural and individual conditions and reveals the complex processes of learning, labour market experiences and working-life transitions. The themes covered in this special issue are based on theoretical lenses, such as the interrelationship of agency and structure, career decision-making styles, the development of career adaptability, and gender, which the researchers in the various country teams used in their data analysis. The interdisciplinary and intercultural approach in this study ensured that the topic of career transitions and lifelong learning would be covered in its complexity within a European framework.