The Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences (BAGSS) was established in 2010 to create an innovative working and learning environment for exceptionally qualified doctoral researchers. It has received funding under the German Excellence Initiative since November 2012. The BAGSS offers a highly attractive place for doctoral students wishing to pursue research, and receive tailored training, on these and related issues. The School’s ambition is to stimulate and guide cutting-edge research on some of the most crucial challenges faced by modern knowledge-based societies. Modern economies compete for the most creative minds domestically and internationally. Schools and universities help people to develop the skills necessary for them to compete in the labour market. But people’s choices about education and their opportunities in the labour market are influenced by a large number of social, economic and political factors.