Abstract:

Work represents a condition of integration, selection or exclusion of individuals in modern societies. Over the past few decades, we have seen a progressive erosion of the full-time employment model and the emergence of particular forms of employment. More than a process delimited by economic issues, access to work is fundamentally presented as a social process, inducer or reducer of life paths. The current times and what is predicted for the future, goes through a concept that appears described in the Human Development Index Report 2022, published by tht United Nations - Anthropocene. This concept defines what they consider to be the current time and what is predicted for future: uncertain times, unstable lives, shaping the future in a changing world. Education have to be concerned with the development of skills that facilitate adaptation to the permanent state of "uncertainty". Emocional literacy appears as a tool that enhances these skills and should be a concern in education and training areas. We are seeing a growing appreciation of educational projects and the initial expectations of young people and their families. The investment of young people and their families in education is increasing progressively, in a context of growing competition from the education system and the labour market.
The transition to work for young graduates of higher education is now a major challenge. The analysis of this process has particular complexity in a global pandemic context.
This analysis comes from the project "Training paths, transition to work and entrepreneurship: perspectives on Polytechnic Education in Portugal".
In this context, we intend, in this second phase of the investigation (online questionnaire survey applied between December of 2021 and March of 2022), to highlight the perceptions about the relation between academic formation and employment, the consequences of the covid-19 in the perspectives and values of the work, diplomas, careers and future formation plans of young graduates of polytechnic education (Guarda, Leiria and Viseu) who perform a regular professional activity.

Keywords:

Work perspectives, professional and educational expectations, youth, COVID-19.