Mobility attitudes and behaviours among young Europeans

Purpose - The paper seeks to explore the career attitudes, motivations and behaviours of young people in initial vocational education and training (IVET) in Europe. Design/methodology/approach - This exploratory web-based survey was conducted during the European year for mobility. Drawing on existing research on the motivators of international careers, it explored young people's perceptions of barriers and incentives to mobility. Findings - The study differentiates "natives" (those who did not go abroad) and "boundary crossers" (those who did). Cultural exposure, travel and a desire for adventure are key motivators. Counter-intuitively; those who chose not to go abroad are significantly more positive about the potential for professional development but are significantly more concerned for personal safety. Some maturational trends are apparent. Research limitations/implications - The study is limited to a "European-wide" perspective from a sample, which had access to the web survey. Further research could usefully explore differences in attitude and mobility behaviours within and across specific European countries. Practical implications - Factors restricting boundary-crossing behaviour may be rooted in aspects of psychological mobility such as perceived benefits of the experience, self-confidence and risk aversion. This has practical implications for policy makers and career development for early career foreign didactic experiences where support for placements may need to focus more on psychological mobility, an area currently under-researched. Originality/value - This exploratory paper provides data to examine the mobility behaviours among young people in IVET, distinguishing between "natives" and "boundary crossers". It presents an important attempt to more fully understand the dynamics of mobility attitudes and behaviours among young people.