Cathy Howieson is a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Educational Sociology where she has worked since 1986. Her research interests include secondary, further and higher education and training and transitions within and between education and the labour market. She has a particular interest in curriculum and qualification reform, the relationship between academic and vocational learning and the role of career education and guidance in young people’s transition process. She has worked extensively in these areas and has expertise in both quantitative and qualitative approaches.