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Objectives: (1) To explore the role of place of living (locality) in school-to-work transitions to the domestic and foreign labour market by both young females and males; (2) To investigate the roles of parents and relatives in school-to-work transitions to both domestic and foreign labour market of young females and males; (3) To study the role of a peer group in school-to-work transitions to the domestic and the foreign labour market of young females and males; (4) To explore the role of new media and acquaintances connected to them in school-to-work transitions to both domestic and foreign labour market of young females and males; (5) To study how much youngsters use knowledge and skills obtained during education in the labour market and how they use experience acquired abroad after return to Poland. What we already know: The school-to-work (also abroad) transition is not a single event. It is a life phase which can last few years and can consist of various, also temporary jobs with. differentiated content. This is the time in the biographies of youngsters to make up their minds and make decisions for the future occupational paths. After EU enlargement in May 2004, one in three Polish youngsters from small towns and villages had their first jobs abroad. As main reasons they usually indicated financial motivations but in-depth studies uncovered that transiting from Polish education to the foreign labour market means also: firm leaving parental home, self-responsibility, ‘taking life in own hands’, ‘building up self-esteem’. Travels abroad are also for a life style connected to the way of living in multicultural metropolises. This is also a kind of an escape from the local constraining nexus: educationjob-marriage-kid-mortgage. Methodology: The core of the project is a peer group mapped and selected in localities in Poland with different social and economic backgrounds, such as: migration history, postcommunism transition, local labour market etc. Members of selected peer-groups will be monitored throughout the course of three years, in the interludes of 12 months (panel study). We will select 10 peer groups in three selected localities which at the end will give roughly of 320 in-depth interviews in total. The project will also take a social photography of places of living (localities) of youngsters. This social photography will be textured with observations of places where youngsters spend free time, talks with parents, local informants such as school teachers, people from local labour offices, people running clubs and other institutions where youngsters go and content analysis of new media such as: Facebook, blogs, professional portals etc. What the project can offer: Between the waves of talks with youngsters from the selected peer groups, the project will offer free of charge, voluntary coaching and job counselling in the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (University SWPS). The project will give also future opportunities to the youngsters to get involved in the Youth in Centre just established at University SWPS, for instance through participating in Youth Advisory Boards which will be set up to advice youth studies undertaken by the Centre. Originality: Researching the school-to- domestic and- foreign labour market transitions of youngsters through the eyes of members of peer groups who are both movers and stayers.
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