In this article an attempt is made to construct a model of occupational choice. To some extent the model is specific to the social and economic setting in which it was developed and reflects a concern for developing an understanding of the labor market mechanism governing the choice of a skilled trade by adolescent males in Western Australia. However, the limitations imposed on the model by the particular institutions of this submarket are not fundamental. Although the discussion of the model is within this framework, the final two sections of the article extend the model and examine some of its implications.
