Diagram. 1: Sample not in the labour market
11%
24%
16%
49%
■ Housewife / husband
□ Student
И Retired
□ Unemployed
Turning to those in the labour market, the Registrar General’s socio-economic
classification was used to categorise workers as either Middle Class (SES I and II) or
Working Class (SES III, IV and V). Diagram 2 shows breakdown by SES for those in
the labour market. As can be seen in the diagram, a large proportion (59%) of those
sampled were in working-class occupations.
The characteristics of the sample as a whole do not necessarily match those of the
general population, or even the population of those engaged in lifelong learning as a
whole. However, we have succeeded in sampling from a wide variety of individuals
whose voices are not necessarily considered in examining the benefits of learning -
the unemployed, the retired and working-class learners.
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