In the European Union, education and training are seen as essential requirements for achieving the political and economic goals of stability and growth. The link between education, training and the economy has been firmly established, but the European Union policies on education are also related to attempts to decrease unemployment, and to deal with social exclusion. All over Europe, educational opportunities have expanded and educational participation has increased; however, young people’s transition from education to work has become more difficult, and the risk of unemployment, especially for the youth, has increased. (Müller & Wolbers 2003; Rinne & Järvinen 2011.) The increasing educational level of the population has caused an inflation of the value of educational degrees, and strengthened the link between educational qualifications and occupational positions in many European countries (Gangl 2003). The transition from basic to upper secondary education is regarded as a critical stage in relation to educational and social exclusion. Polarization of the youth is a significant concern in the European Union. Although the educational participation has increased, there is a growing number of young people failing to complete any post-compulsory education.

In this study, questions related to the transition point between compulsory and upper secondary education will be examined in Finnish context. The Finnish education system consists of pre-primary education, basic education (comprehensive school), general upper secondary education and vocational education and training, and higher education (polytechnics and universities). There are no separate tracks during the compulsory schooling; the whole age group goes through the same comprehensive school. After comprehensive school pupils can apply either to general upper secondary school (the traditional route to university) or to vocational upper secondary school. In Finland, this is the transition point where the age group is separated into different educational programmes and to separate tracks. The relationship between general upper secondary education and vocational education and training has been considered to be one of the most persistent problems of the Finnish education system, mainly because general upper secondary education has for decades been the more popular and valued choice among adolescents.

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between ninth graders’ planned educational trajectories and career aspirations, and their family/socio-economic backgrounds. The research problem is approached from three different perspectives: the pupils’, their parents’, and schools’. Particular interests in this study are (1) whether the ninth graders’ family/socio-economic backgrounds affect their perceptions about whether their aspired occupations or professions are within their realms of possibility; (2) if there is a correspondence between the plans and aspirations of the pupils and the ones of their parents, and to what extent are the parents’ wishes affected by their educational levels and occupational statuses; and (3) from the schools’ point of view, what are the main factors influencing the shaping of the educational trajectories of pupils.

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