Rethinking motivational challenges amongst young adults on the margin

This article is concerned with how motivation to take an education can be stimulated in young adults who are on the margins of the labour market and educational system. It is widely accepted that young adults in such a position have motivational problems regarding education because of negative schooling experiences, interrupted education, absenteeism, etc. Despite this, in Europe, education is commonly proposed as the solution to the problem of the high proportion of 15–29 year-olds who are not in employment, education or training (NEET). This paradox of having to motivate young adults under pressure is the focus of the article. The article argues that there is a need to theoretically redefine motivation as a phenomenon linked to the individual to a more contextually embedded understanding of motivation as the result of a process between the young and their surroundings, opportunities and perspectives. The article presents a model with five motivational orientations suggesting a new perspective on re-motivating young adults on the margin of the labour market and educational system, while it also discusses the challenges connected to promoting a focus on motivation at a time when the liberalisation of education is increasingly central to the welfare state strategy.