The role of territory in the employability of young people

ABSTRACT The objective of this article is to analyse how the territory operates in the employability of young people who have failed or dropped out of school. As a starting hypothesis, we propose that the local traditions and the productive model linked to the territory condition the training and work expectations of the young population. A case study conducted within the framework of the AJOVE project ‘Millorant l’ocupació de la joventut al territori’ funded by the Observatori Català de la Joventut is presented. The methodological strategy followed is qualitative, so we could compare the training and labour trajectories of three production models linked to different territories, specifically industry, services, and agriculture. The results indicate, on the one hand, common aspects shared by young people, regardless of place of residence, according to their training experience, family status, and gender. On the other hand, the territory is important in the construction of expectations that underlie the decisions made about school and work.