What is the function of educating individuals in capitalist society?

What exactly is the function of educating individuals in our capitalist society? Are we really educated individually, or is the system there simply to churn out a workforce to meet our society's growing needs? I plan to look at the views of this matter from different sociologists' perspectives, and examine the ideas behind the function of education - whether it really is a fair an just system, offering us all the chance to succeed, regardless …

…it is a constant in our social fabric. However, inequality is fundamental to capitalism, therefore, unless we embrace a political system willing to adress these inequalities, then change cannot be inevitable. Word Count: 2,500 Bibliography Abercrombie, Nicholas (2000) The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology (London: Penguin) Fultcher and Scott (2003) Sociology 2nd Edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press) Haralambos, Michael (1996) Sociology : a new approach 3rd Edition (Ormskirk : Causeway) Haralambos and Holborn (1990) Sociology: themes and perspectives 4th Edition (London: Collins Educational)