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‘Make do and mend’ after redundancy at Anglesey Aluminium: critiquing human capital approaches to unemployment

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‘Make do and mend’ after redundancy at Anglesey Aluminium: critiquing human capital approaches to unemployment. / Dobbins, A.; Plows, A.J.; Dobbins, T. et al.
In: Work, Employment and Society, Vol. 28, No. 4, 2014, p. 515-532.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

HarvardHarvard

Dobbins, A, Plows, AJ, Dobbins, T, Plows, A & Lloyd-Williams, H 2014, '‘Make do and mend’ after redundancy at Anglesey Aluminium: critiquing human capital approaches to unemployment', Work, Employment and Society, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 515-532. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017013491454

APA

Dobbins, A., Plows, A. J., Dobbins, T., Plows, A., & Lloyd-Williams, H. (2014). ‘Make do and mend’ after redundancy at Anglesey Aluminium: critiquing human capital approaches to unemployment. Work, Employment and Society, 28(4), 515-532. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017013491454

CBE

Dobbins A, Plows AJ, Dobbins T, Plows A, Lloyd-Williams H. 2014. ‘Make do and mend’ after redundancy at Anglesey Aluminium: critiquing human capital approaches to unemployment. Work, Employment and Society. 28(4):515-532. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017013491454

MLA

Dobbins, A. et al. "‘Make do and mend’ after redundancy at Anglesey Aluminium: critiquing human capital approaches to unemployment". Work, Employment and Society. 2014, 28(4). 515-532. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017013491454

VancouverVancouver

Dobbins A, Plows AJ, Dobbins T, Plows A, Lloyd-Williams H. ‘Make do and mend’ after redundancy at Anglesey Aluminium: critiquing human capital approaches to unemployment. Work, Employment and Society. 2014;28(4):515-532. Epub 2013 Dec 6. doi: 10.1177/0950017013491454

Author

Dobbins, A. ; Plows, A.J. ; Dobbins, T. et al. / ‘Make do and mend’ after redundancy at Anglesey Aluminium : critiquing human capital approaches to unemployment. In: Work, Employment and Society. 2014 ; Vol. 28, No. 4. pp. 515-532.

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - ‘Make do and mend’ after redundancy at Anglesey Aluminium

T2 - critiquing human capital approaches to unemployment

AU - Dobbins, A.

AU - Plows, A.J.

AU - Dobbins, T.

AU - Plows, A.

AU - Lloyd-Williams, H.

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - This article tracks workers’ responses to redundancy and impact on the local labour market and regional unemployment policy after the closure of a large employer, Anglesey Aluminium (AA), on Anglesey in North Wales. It questions human capital theory (HCT) and its influence on sustaining neo-liberal policy orthodoxy – focused on supplying skilled and employable workers in isolation from other necessary ingredients in the policy recipe. It is concluded that HCT and associated skills policy orthodoxy are problematic because supply of particular skills did not create demand from employers. Ex-AA workers faced a paradox of being highly skilled but underemployed. Some workers re-trained but there were insufficient (quality) job opportunities. In picking up the pieces after redundancy many workers found themselves part of a labour ‘precariat’ with little choice but to ‘make do and mend’.

AB - This article tracks workers’ responses to redundancy and impact on the local labour market and regional unemployment policy after the closure of a large employer, Anglesey Aluminium (AA), on Anglesey in North Wales. It questions human capital theory (HCT) and its influence on sustaining neo-liberal policy orthodoxy – focused on supplying skilled and employable workers in isolation from other necessary ingredients in the policy recipe. It is concluded that HCT and associated skills policy orthodoxy are problematic because supply of particular skills did not create demand from employers. Ex-AA workers faced a paradox of being highly skilled but underemployed. Some workers re-trained but there were insufficient (quality) job opportunities. In picking up the pieces after redundancy many workers found themselves part of a labour ‘precariat’ with little choice but to ‘make do and mend’.

U2 - 10.1177/0950017013491454

DO - 10.1177/0950017013491454

M3 - Article

VL - 28

SP - 515

EP - 532

JO - Work, Employment and Society

JF - Work, Employment and Society

SN - 0950-0170

IS - 4

ER -