Getting the best careers advice to young people is no easy feat, particularly with so many options available. But it's vital to securing their future, and with youth unemployment levels at 19%, it's not something that can be ignored.
At a recent Guardian early careers summit, in association with Alexander Mann Solutions and RateMyApprenticeship, the results of an exclusive survey revealed that the three main people who influence students' decisions are parents, teachers and employers.
The panel debate, which took place under the Chatham House rule, by which comments are not attributed to speakers to encourage open debate, began with an overview of the findings, shedding light on how young people feel about their future and the information they're receiving on career options.
School is a common source of careers advice for many young people, with over three quarters of teachers (88%) and parents (82%) agreeing that it should be included in the national curriculum.
Teachers understand they're a main point of contact for students, but 84% of them admit they need more careers advisers in school, and 59% say they don't know enough about the options available.
Both the panel and audience felt teachers should be helping children plan their futures. But, as already highlighted, this is often just a part of their many responsibilities. Simply knowing the numerous industries and sectors by name is a challenge, even for dedicated careers advisers. The panel suggested that one way to help children get the information they need to make an informed decision is to ensure teachers know about the job market in their subject area.
Another suggestion from the panel was to have a central place where teachers could go to get the latest job market information and careers-focused lesson plans, to be taught in lessons such as PSHE.
Careers guidance is also found beyond the school gates – the research found a huge number of parents (90%) are advising their children. However, it also found more than half (55%) feel they don't know enough about alternative options to university. This finding is supported by a recent survey by EY, where 54% of parents said they feel in the dark about their children's options.
With university fees rocketing, it's also not surprising half of parents say they can't afford to fund their children through university. This is reflected by 55% of the students surveyed saying the cost of higher education puts them off. Money, to these young people, is an important factor. When asked what three words they associate with apprenticeship schemes, one of the most common answers was "low-paid".
Three quarters of students surveyed also think graduates have the greatest potential to earn a high salary. However, despite this common view that graduates will earn more, the ONS recently found in reality, graduates are earning less than those on work-based schemes.
As the real value of a degree in finding a job is debated, and graduates struggle to find work after university, there is an unquestionable need for other options, such as apprenticeships and school-leaver programmes. But what do people really think about these alternatives?
While half of the students think apprenticeships are a good alternative to university, only a fifth plan to do one, and just 28% have even considered it. So what could be the reason for this? Surprisingly, just under half of the pupils had never been advised to look at these choices instead of getting a degree. And around half of those who were advising them – parents and teachers – said they were unaware of other options for school leavers. This raised the issue during the panel debate of how best to educate those giving careers advice, so they are properly equipped to help young people.
The question of how to inspire and inform children about their options once they reach 18 was also discussed. It was widely agreed that getting people who have done these schemes into schools to talk to the students about their experiences would help. People like Constance Nafuna, who has completed a level 2 apprenticeship in delivering financial services with Barclays. She shared with the room her inspiring story about how she came to England with no qualifications. After six months of desperately trying to find a job, she applied to the Barclays apprenticeship scheme.
Speaking to the Guardian after the event, she says: "The best thing about it is I got a qualification. I got to graduate in November last year, and I also got promoted. I love the job and the business is wonderful; Barclays believed in me and promoted me from being a cashier to a local business manager. Because I don't have an educational background, they got me extra help with my English and maths.
"I believe people like me show you don't have to have everything in life, if you believe in yourself you can do it. It's about informing people about apprenticeships. Every time I go to events, I share my story and people leave feeling if this girl can do it, I can do it."
When it comes to solving the issue of how to get the right advice to young people in schools, there is no easy fix. All the panel thought greater communication between the key influencers – parents, teachers and employers – and students would be hugely beneficial. This is supported by 70% of the employers surveyed, agreeing they should have more presence in schools; while 67% say schools need to give them more access. This need for greater contact was supported by the panel and members of the audience who said their companies had struggled to get into local schools.
On the panel:
Felicity Forster, head of communications, RateMyApprenticeship
Michael Keoghan, director of vocational education, Department for Business Innovation Skills
Steve Keith, employer brand officer – schools, EY
Carrie Longton, founder, Mumsnet
Mike Thompson, director of early careers, Barclays
Chaired by: Kerry Eustice, head of education and society networks, the Guardian
To talk about this research further, or to discuss how to reach any of these groups mentioned, please call Alistair Williams, head of commercial, on 020 3353 2162, or send him an email.
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