About the Project

The University of Edinburgh is inviting applications from suitably qualified graduates for a fully-funded PhD studentship in Education to research the role of multidimensional (dis)advantage across the life course for young people’s attitudes towards school, work and post-school destinations. The nature of, and context around, post-school transitions can vary greatly between individuals and have lifelong implications. Attitudes towards school and work and decisions made at such transition points, such as whether to take up an apprenticeship, directly enter the labour market, or continue with further or higher education, are significantly shaped by multiple factors related to the (dis)advantage of the family and the geographical area in which children and young people grow up. Although the nature of (dis)advantage is multifaceted and changes over time, we have a limited understanding of the multidimensional nature of (dis)advantage, of how the different facets of (dis)advantage (e.g. maternal and paternal education, employment, and occupational class, household income, health, adverse childhood experiences and neighbourhood deprivation) interact with each other, cross-sectionally and longitudinally, whether some combinations of (dis)advantage are more consequential than others for young people’s attitudes to school, work and post-school destinations, and if the timing and order of these experiences across the life-course play a key role too.