Addressing Marginalized Youth’s Vulnerabilities in School-To-Work Transitions: A Comparative Study of Practitioners’ Perceptions and Strategies in Brazil and Switzerland

Marginalized youth aged 15–25 who experience challenging school-to-work transitions (STWT) and are not in employment, education, or training (NEET) face long-term risks of exclusion from decent and dignified work. Although career interventions during STWT are well documented, most research concentrates on individual-level outcomes, leaving system-focused approaches underexplored. Guided by critical paradigm, this comparative qualitative study examines career practitioners’ potential for challenging inequality and marginalization, exploring how experts’ perceptions shape their practice in two contrasting socioeconomic contexts. Drawing on a STWT model based on Psychology of Working Theory, and adopting a life-course perspective on vulnerability, four focus groups were conducted with Swiss and Brazilian practitioners supporting youth at risk of NEET status. The study aimed to (a) investigate practitioners’ understanding of youth’s vulnerabilities, (b) identify their strategies to facilitate STWT, and (c) compare perceptions and practices between countries. Through Reflexive Thematic Analysis, findings indicate shared perceptions of key vulnerabilities, alongside context-specific nuances spanning individual and structural attributions. However, strategies were mainly person-focused across both countries, revealing lack of system-focused strategies to challenge marginalization. This study underscores the potential of cross-national collaborations and the need for practitioner-researcher partnerships to develop innovative, system-focused career counseling strategies that address structural barriers in STWT.