A new report published by the
Association of Colleges to launch
Colleges Week 2012, has found that school teachers and parents are struggling when it comes to advising young people about careers.
According to the study, 44% of school teachers confess to having given a pupil bad or uninformed advice in the past, whilst more than half (57%) said they feel obligated to encourage pupils to stay on at their school post-16. But it’s not just teachers that are feeling the pressure. One fifth of parents (20%) admit they feel out of their depth advising their children about jobs. The result is that young people are not being adequately prepared for the world of work.
To combat this, teachers and parents are calling for more involvement from employers in the education process – through careers talks and work experience placements.
The findings follows on from City & Guilds’ recent research, ‘Ways into Work: views of children and young people on education and employment’, which showed how 88% of young people want better access to employers to bridge the gap between education and work. It also revealed that only a quarter (26%) of learners have been given the opportunity to engage with employers.
Joy Mercer, Association of Colleges Director of Policy, said: ‘In an increasingly difficult jobs market, it is vital young people receive suitable guidance so they can make informed decisions about their future. That includes getting impartial advice on their post 16 education options, and the routes they can take into employment, including apprenticeships.’
To help address the advice gap, a new Facebook application has launched.
Quizl - is targeted at 14-18 year olds and aims to get them thinking about their future and help them understand the different options available to them.
An infographic has also been created to show how poor advice impacts a young person from making an informed decision about their career on
Colleges Week Twitpic.