The aim of vocational education has traditionally been educating working class youth (Francis 2006; Käyhkö 2006; Koski 2009). In both Sweden and Finland, though differences in school systems, it is common that young people with working class parents still end up in vocational programmes after finishing compulsory school. This presentation draws on an ethnographic data produced altogether in four upper secondary schools in Sweden and Finland, in the Vehicle programme and programmes of Metalwork and machinery. In the paper we explore, how anglification and technification of industrial labour affect students’ masculinities and construct their positions in the field of education. In Finland, the substantial amount of students ‘with special educational needs’ (SEN) study in that programme of Metalwork and machinery. We also explore in the paper, what kind of influence the globalisation of labour market and its effects on curricula have on positions of SEN students.

 It has been stated that global economy and working life have gone over that kind of huge changes which have reorganized the expectations given to the employees. Flexibility in the fields of lifelong learning, re-education and coping with the uncertainty of the labour market is expected of the employees (see for example Julkunen 2008; Sennett 2002; Tomlinson 2008, 204–206.) Work in industries is affected of the anglification of the market and technification of products. The globalisation means for example that ways to work is changing faster and products to be used as soon as possible have manuals in English and workers search for information at web pages in English. Products are more and more complex and technical, which means that workers need to be able to handle more complicated mathematical tasks. Therefore, skills in English and maths are much more asked for now than earlier in the industry and vehicle halls. In this paper, we explore what kind of influence do these changes in both labour market and in curricula of these particular vocational programmes have on students who are about to enter the industry and vehicle labour market.

Different kinds of hegemonic masculinities occur in different contexts (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005). Hegemonic masculinities has been described as largely incompatible with education for young working class men (Willis, 1977) who portray those who are successful in education “as bookish, [and] unattractive men” (Archer et al., 2001 p. 435). The working class young man that has not fitted in the school system has been noted since the 1690 and described as the hooligan (Delamont, 2000) or the anti school working class boy as a class hero (Corrigan, 1979; Willis, 1977). Regardless what epithet we put on the boys, they are there. This presentation draws upon Connells theories on gender and previous research on masculinities to explore possible changes in working class boys’ attitudes towards English and Maths due to a changing labour market who asks for those competences.

 The presentation also emphasis a cross-cultural perspective to explore similarities and differences in the Swedish and Finnish contexts.

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