As young people transition into adulthood, one of the key challenges they face is finding employment. We live in a time when Slovenia is experiencing a high unemployment rate and young people represent one of the most vulnerable groups in that respect. Paid work enables a young person to become (to an extent or completely) financially independent, thereby fulfilling the main condition that has to be met in order for one to start addressing housing issues and contemplating having a family.
For some time now it has been apparent that a formal proof of education no longer suffices as grounds for one's first employment. What is more, (too) highly educated individuals may find their education to be a hindrance in their search for work, as employers frequently decide on candidates who have acquired more basic levels of education, since their financial commitments to such workers are generally lower.
What is it, then, that employers look for in candidates? Perhaps experience, practical skills or suitable personal(ity) traits? One of the important factors in entering the labour market is certainly social capital. Crudely put, the term denotes how well connected an individual is socially and who they know or are at least acquainted with. These connections may vary in strength, but are likely to help an individual reach their goal(s), including finding employment. There is an unwritten rule that individuals with higher social capital will find it easier to find employment or change their job for a more desirable one.
My undergraduate thesis focuses on studying the importance of social capital in the transition of young social science graduates to the labour market. I find this to be an issue of current interest that is widely applicable, since the importance of social capital pervades all aspects of social life and presents a very important social element in the structure of today's society at both the macro- and micro-level. It is my belief that knowing social capital, its significance, its modus operandi and its influence on the quality of our social, as well as individual lives, is of utmost importance. In our professional career, social pedagogues frequently (intentionally or inadvertently) find ourselves in the role of those trying to open doors and provide access to social strata hitherto out of reach of vulnerable individuals or groups. In other words, we attempt to directly increase social capital.
The main aim of my research is therefore to study social capital and its importance in the transition of young social science graduates to the labour market. I am primarily interested in individuals' personal stories and experiences, their estimates and experiences of their own informal social networks, the level of their inclusion in and cooperation with different organizations and societies, as well as their view on the importance of social capital in searching for one's (first) job.
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