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ABSTRACT
Although governments and higher education institutions across Europe are promoting agendas for widening the educational participation and increasing the social mobility of young people from lower socio-economic groups, very little has been written about the experiences of these individuals when seeking and entering employment. We aim to address this gap. Using a qualitative research approach, we explore the career expectations, experiences and limitations of first-generation university engineering students and graduates in Germany. The article draws upon the work of Pierre Bourdieu to demonstrate how social and cultural capitals instilled by parents and social peers are invaluable in developing personal and professional networks and eventual entry into the engineering professions. A lack of, or underdeveloped, capitals can inhibit career opportunities and ultimately the social mobility and professional choices of graduate engineers. Our research discovered that university graduates from less advantaged backgrounds face a 'class ceiling' at university, in obtaining an internship and then when gaining entry to and working in the engineering profession; they encounter 'sticky steps' at each stage of their career ladder.
KEY WORDS
careers, engineering, first-generation students, Bourdieu, social capital, class ceiling, Germany
Introduction
Throughout Europe, much consideration is currently given to widening the access and social mobility of young people, that is, the ability and/or opportunity of young people from lower socio-economic groups and certain demographic areas to gain entry into elite educational institutions and employment within professional occupations. Access to such institutions, and the social capital which accompanies this, improves job and promotion opportunities for those who are able to name these institutions on their résumés (Randle, Forson & Calveley, 2015; Friedman, O'Brien & Laurison, 2017).
The social capital argument also holds true for workplace internships. Although access to the labour market is strengthened through completing an internship whilst still studying at university, such places are more readily available for those with the 'right fit' (Brown et al., 2016), i.e., school or family connections, and more difficult to come by for those without these previously established networks (Randle, Forson & Calveley, 2015) or for those without the financial support to undertake unpaid internships (Higher Education Policy Institute, 2018).
Apart from the obvious disadvantages to businesses that are missing out on recruiting talent (Forson, Calveley & Smith, 2015; Higher Education...