Teenagers' 'mismatched' job ambitions

By: Lindsay Plumpton

Communications Leader

Thursday 28 March 2013

0 Comment

A recent survey amongst young people suggests there's a misalignment between young people's career expectations and the reality of the jobs available.

Nick Chambers, Director of the Education and Employers Taskforce, says that the results highlight the need for better careers advice and indicate that teenagers have a weak understanding of the labour market.

The study, based on a survey of 11,000 13- to 16-year-olds, aims to map the ambitions of teenagers against the employment market up to 2020.

It found that many young people are interested in jobs that are in short supply. For example there are 10 times as many people aiming for jobs in the culture, media and sports sector than there are jobs likely to be available.

And despite a quarter of jobs being in the distribution, hotels and restaurant category, only around one in 40 young people are considering careers in these industries.

The REED NCFE Partnership helps to support learners into work, offering students bespoke training, careers advice and job search tips as well as matching them to jobs within the local area. Read more.

What do you think? Do young people need better careers advice so that they can make informed decisions about their futures? How can we best address this situation?

Tags:

Authors

Lindsay Plumpton

Communications Leader
96 posts
David Grailey

Chief Executive
79 posts
Andrew Gladstone-Heighton

Policy Leader
75 posts
Esme Winch

Managing Director
35 posts
Michael Lemin

Policy and Research Manager
25 posts

Schools

Colleges

Training Providers

Employers

Learners

NCFE is a national Awarding Organisation

Join the debate