Project

Skills for work life — Upper secondary students as researchers and jobseekers

The study, in collaboration with Konepaja upper secondary school, examines how job search coaching and processing fears about work life promote the readiness for work life and well-being of upper secondary school students aged 16—18. In the study, young adults act as co-researchers: they collect and analyse data and reflect on work life using journals. The study highlights the expectations, concerns and wishes that upper secondary school students have about work life and the importance of coaching in building their jobseeker role.

Viisi nuorta istuu tietokoneella koululuokassa.

Timetable

8/2025–6/2027

Objectives

The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health acts as a network partner of Konepaja upper secondary school. Students at the Konepaja upper secondary school work in teams and apply the content of the subjects in practice, working regularly for a work life partner. The study module carried out at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health is proportional to the upper secondary school curriculum, allowing students to learn in a practical way.

The study is carried out as part of this partnership and it examines the significance of job search coaching for Konepaja upper secondary school students and the management of work life fears from the perspective of young people aged 16—18. Participation in the study is voluntary and does not prevent participation in the study module.

The study provides a new perspective on the expectations, fears and hopes young people have in relation to work life and how a coaching and inclusive approach can support their abilities and well-being in the changing work life.

The study is structured around three approaches:

Youth agency and inclusion: The young adults are not objects of study, but rather active participants in the production, collection and interpretation of data.
Work life skills and fears: The study examines how coaching can strengthen young people’s skills, self-awareness and confidence in their own work life abilities.
Impact of social media on perceptions of work life: The perceptions of work, well-being at work and career paths created by social media are examined critically together with the young people — for example through memes — and the way they affect expectations and experiences is contemplated.

Data and methods

The data will be collected during the autumn semester in the academic years 2025—2026 and 2026—2027 as part of a work life familiarisation package for upper secondary school students implemented as network cooperation.

Results and impact

The study provides a new understanding of young people’s relationship to work life at a time when work life appears to be constantly changing and in many respects uncertain. It highlights the perspectives of young people, which are still too rarely heard in work-related research.

In addition, the study reveals how a coaching and inclusive approach can support the management of fears and uncertainties related to work life. At the same time, it also provides new perspectives into discussions about the future of work and the kind of support young adults need in order to develop into active participants with healthy self-esteem.

The study also makes visible the social media channels that young adults find important and sheds light on what kinds of social media users they are.