This is a study on the prospect of long-term employment for former special educational needs (SEN) students. It focuses on how the qualifications and selected life course changes in early adulthood influence the probability of maintaining employment in adult life. The life course perspectives provide the theoretical foundation for the study. The data refers to a longitudinal study of 253 former Norwegian SEN students, who were followed from the time they were in upper secondary school into their midthirties. The analysis shows that the probability of being long-term employed is quite low among former SEN students, especially women. However, the probability of long-term employment is significantly higher among women who have achieved a formal upper secondary education qualification when compared to those who have not. Such formal qualifications are important for men as well. Nevertheless, contrary to women, for men, holding a driver's license seems to be just as important as formal educational qualifications for maintaining employment.

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Do young men and women diagnosed with special educational needs succeed in finding full-time employment that provides sufficient income to live on? The analyses presented in this paper are based on interviews conducted between October 2001 and April 2002 of nearly 500 young people with various types of disabilities. The young people who were interviewed have been studied prospectively since they entered upper secondary school as special needs students six or seven years earlier. These adolescents are followed through a critical phase of life when they are trying to find their way in society as adult individuals. This process is gradual and involves making tentative steps in various arenas. A crucial topic is how these young men and women, between 23 and 25 years of age, succeed in gaining employment that allows them to become economically independent. This is a vulnerable process for most youth, but it is especially challenging for young people with functional difficulties who have experienced protracted and disjointed transitions throughout their educational trajectories.

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