Sustaining employability through lifelong learning. a life history approach to employability

Abstract

This article presents the practical unfolding of a life history method in a major empirical project on employability. The discourse of em-ployability, seeing the worker as universally adaptive work force, is contextualized historically in a late phase of capitalist modernization. A critical discussion of the prevailing concept of competence for neglecting the subjective dimension of learning and competence development leads to methodological considerations and decisions made in designing this research project, its research questions, its theoretical understanding and the choice of method. Narrative life stories shall illuminate workers' experiences of substantial shifts in their career and the competence development they have experienced in such situations. The article anticipates how a psycho-societal interpretation of life histories can bring valuable insights in the subjective dimension of competence development in the context of workers' life as a whole.