Research undertaken by City & Guilds focuses on the problems faced by young people upon entering the workplace.
The new report, entitled “Great Expectations: Teenagers’ career aspirations versus the reality of the UK job market” reveals an alarming mismatch between the career expectations of young people and the realities of the workplace.
The research also indicates a worrying lack of knowledge amongst young people about the best routes into a job.
As part of the project, City & Guilds commissioned research agency YouGov to look into how well-informed young people were about the realities of the workplace and discover what they were looking for in a job. They also looked at how these aspirations compared to the real world of work.
Amongst the 3,000 14-19 year-olds surveyed, many young people were found to be misinformed about the best route to their dream job. The majority believed that university is the only route to a good career.
Moreover, despite 70% of people claiming to already possess the information necessary to pursue their future career, only 28% considered work experience to be an important factor in securing a job.
These findings contrast significantly with recent City & Guilds research, which shows that 78% of employers view work experience as essential in this respect.
The teenagers’ responses also displayed a low awareness of the range of jobs available, with two thirds of jobs overlooked completely.
John Thompson, Chief Executive at the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC) commented,
“these important findings from City & Guilds reveal an urgent need to emphasise to young people the value of apprenticeships as routes into a rewarding lifelong career.
With skills gaps experienced across many of the trades we also need to do more to communicate to the next generation the great salaries and huge number of career opportunities.”
www.cityandguilds.com
www.aphc.co.uk
