The changes that have been taking place in industry in recent years - rapid technological progress, new manufacturing processes and products, greater job mobility and new forms of work organisation - mean that education and training are beoming necessary throughout a person's working life. They also influence the training routes taken by young people from the outset. At the same time, the greater volume and variety of available training courses exert both an objective and subjective influence on the opportunities for training and the desire to acquire it of the population as a whole, but especially young people. The rise in the latter's basic education level in turn increases their demand for qualifications. What is being referred to a "lifelong learning" has permeated and altered the path of training young people pursue. On the other hand, if we observe how people update and enhance their knowledge and skills or seek retraining, we frequently find that the type of training is that already given at initial training level. This article sets out to describe, on the basis of a longer-term project conducted with young people in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona1, how initial education and training provided under the school system can be linked to continuing training during the subsequent career of the young people concerned (aged up to 31)
