“No Roughs and No Really Brainy Ones”: The Interaction Between Family Background, Gender and Vocational Training on a BTEC Fashion Design Course∗

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Abstract
This paper analyzes ethnographic data from a case study of fashion design students on a BTEC national diploma course. It is based on comparative analysis with the findings of a related study of YTS ‘Care’ girls. Both ethnographies are being conducted within the wider framework of the ESRC 16‐19 Initiative. The paper explores the role of training in economic socialization, drawing particularly on theories of social reproduction. It begins by examining the experience of training in terms of the sorts of demands which it makes upon students. This is linked with an investigation of the students’ advantages in terms of family background from the point of view of pursuing training of this type. Finally, it is argued that the BTEC vocational training programme plays an important role in mediating between social class, family background and careers through a complex process of screening entrants for relevant social and cultural attributes.