Edinburgh Napier University

  Funding: European Commission
Duration: October 2009 - October 2012 Participating Countries: UK, Germany, Poland, Italy, France, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium
 Participating Institutions:
Bielefeld University (Germany), Edinburgh Napier University (UK)Adam Mickiewicz University (Poland), University of Warsaw (Poland), Universita degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca (Italy), University of Pavia (Italy), Centre for Research on Qualifications (France), Aarhus University (Denmark), Working Life Research Centre (Austria), University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (Switzerland)Umea University (Sweden), BBJ Consult AG (Belgium), University of Gothenburg (Sweden)  Main Project Website: http://www.workable-eu.org/  
Description
The project is concerned with how young unemployed people can be better supported and involved in society. Using Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach as a framework, it scrutinises strategies to enhance the social sustainability and economic competitiveness of Europe by strengthening the capabilities of young people to actively shape their personal and work lives in knowledge societies and cope with today’s economic, cultural, demographic and technological challenges. Bridging quantitative and qualitative methods, WorkAble assesses the potential of innovative European strategies for dealing with local labour-market demands and regional inequalities. Adopting a comparative and interdisciplinary approach, it systematically analyses whether and how young people are enabled to participate in working life and society.
Applying the Capabilities Approach as a common heuristic framework, 13 partners from different disciplines (educational science, sociology, economics, philosophy, political studies and social work) in 10 European countries have collaborated closely in a multidimensional research process.
This project is funded by the EU 7th Framework Research Programme. Number: 244909 - SSH-2009-1.1.1 Education in a European knowledge society.
Further information about the project can be found on the WorkAble website.
Project News
(1)   In March 2012 a short film was made about the two case study youth employability programmes explored as part of WorkAble Work Package 4.  Interviews with the project workers, beneficiaries as well as the Employment Research Institute research team were filmed. These short films will be shown at conferences and workshops, and will be available on the main WorkAble website and on YouTube. You can see the film on  http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuUG2k0o8RX3BEu-OmPb-Hnk4axX5Sdu- 
(2)   Professor Ronald McQuaid, Dr Emma Hollywood and Dr Valerie Egdell attended the Final Conference for the EU funded international project "Workable" in Brussels in November 2012. Conference proceedings can be found here.
(3) The findings of the WorkAble research project have been highlighted in the Flash-it Policy Snapshot, Issue 5, March 2013.  This issue of the Policy Snapshot highlights results from EU-funded research on: the future of the European labour market; quality of work and life in low-skilled job sectors; and youth unemployment and exclusion.
Publications 
Hollywood E, Egdell V & McQuaid R (May 2012).  Youth unemployment initiatives and the impact on disadvantaged youth.  Labour Market Newsletter, Skills Development Scotland.   http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/1032315/spotlight%20article%20may%202012.pdf Hollywood, E., Egdell, V., McQuaid, R. and Michel-Schertges, D. (2012) ‘Methodological Issues in Operationalising the Capability Approach in Empirical Research: an Example of Cross-Country Research on Youth Unemployment in the EU’, Social Work and Society, International Online Journal, 10, 1 (online) ISSN 1613-8953 http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:464-sws-182
Hollywood, E., Egdell, V. and McQuaid, R. (2012) ‘Addressing the Issue of Disadvantaged Youth Seeking Work’, Social Work and Society, International Online Journal, 10, 1 (online) ISSN 1613-8953 http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:464-sws-144
EU Collaborative Project “Workable”: Deliverable 4.1 - Capabilities in Context – Educational Programmes in a Micro Perspective. Cases of Labour Market Transitions: From Resources to Capabilities: http://www.workable-eu.org/images/stories/publications/4_1_final_report_april_2012.pdf
EU Collaborative Project “Workable”:  Deliverable 5.2 - A Comparison of Effects on Capabilities in Transitions to the Labour Market: http://www.workable-eu.org/images/stories/publications/5_2_final_report.pdf
Raeside, R., Egdell, V. and McQuaid, R. (2012).  Wage Scarring – The problem of a bad start AQMeNtion 10:
Social Work and Society, International Online Journal, 10, 1 (online) Special Issue: "Transition From Education To Work - A Question Of Justice" Edited by Hans-Uwe Otto. 
Conference Presentations
Raeside, Robert, McQuaid, Ronald W, Egdell, Valerie and Graham, Helen (2013) The scarring effects of youth unemployment in the UK. In: RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, 27-30 August 2013, London.
Egdell, Valerie and McQuaid, Ronald W (2013) Supporting disadvantaged young people into work: does the capability approach offer a new policy perspective? In: Youth Studies 2013 Conference, 8-10 April 2013, Glasgow, UK.
Egdell, V., Hollywood, E. and McQuaid, R. (2012) A Capability Approach to the Unemployment Experiences of Disadvantaged Youth in the UK.  Presented at the RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, Edinburgh, 3-5 July 2012, as part of the ‘Geographies of Young Adulthood and Employment Insecurity’ session.
Hollywood, E, Egdell, V and McQuaid, R (2012) 'Supporting disadvantaged young people to make the transition from worklessness to employment'.  In:  ESPAnet Conference, Edinburgh, 6-8 September 2012, as part of the ‘Young People and Social Policy in Europe’ session.
McQuaid, R; Hollywood, E and Egdell, V (2011). The Capability Approach and Disadvantaged Young People in the Labour Market.  ESRC Seminar Series - Young Workers and Precarious Employment (Seminar 2 - Causes of Precarious Work amongst Young People). University of Warwick, 23 September 2011.