Throughout our lives, career decisions can be amongst the most defining and important choices we have to make. These can feel especially daunting for those about to make their initial steps onto the career ladder from Further Education or school.
It’s therefore not surprising that when making these important decisions, many young people turn to their parents as the first port of call for advice and guidance.
In fact, a report released earlier this year from the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) suggested that from all of the available channels as many as a quarter of young people chose their parents as the most reliable source for careers advice. The report went on to suggest that parental career advice was often disconnected from current jobs markets and therefore could hamper the progression of those who receive it. The findings showed that parents placed too much emphasis on academic routes to employment and weren’t adequately equipped to advise on vocational options.
However, a survey carried out by educational charity, the Edge Foundation, last month suggests the tide is quickly turning in favour of vocational education. The Edge Foundation polled more than 1,000 parents of teenagers to gauge their views on vocational education. The survey showed a marked improvement in parents’ understanding of vocational routes when compared to the previous poll in 2008. Feedback suggested parents want to see more practical teaching in schools and are calling for greater opportunities for young people to access vocational study.
Jan Hodges, Chief Executive of the Edge Foundation, said: “We are encouraged that views are slowly changing around technical, practical and vocational education. We hope our research provides interesting food for thought for policy-makers as they start to shape their manifestos.”
I too am very encouraged to see an increase in parental awareness in the value of vocational education. It’s my firm belief that as a result, we will see greater balance to the advice given to young people considering vocational routes. Although it seems a tipping point has now been reached, there’s still some work to be done to fully equip parents with the tools and understanding needed to help guide young learners through all options available to them. To do this we must continue to encourage positive sentiment towards vocational education by opening up clearer communication channels between parents and educators.
If you’d like to find out more about our vocational qualifications and the resources we have available, then please visit ncfe.org.uk or email us at [email protected].
