A new survey has identified a big mismatch between what careers young people want and what jobs are actually available.
The Education and Employers Taskforce found that most 11-16-year-olds wanted jobs in teaching, the law, the police, psychology and sport, possibly due to media images of these jobs. This means there will be 10 times too many people heading for these roles.
The BBC reported on the survey findings and pointed out that almost a quarter of jobs are in the distribution, hotels and restaurant category, but only about one in 40 youngsters were hoping to work in these sectors.
Only one in 30 were considering jobs in banking and finance, even though one in five jobs are likely to be in this industry.
The report predicts problems for many of these young people, as they put all their time and effort into qualifications for jobs that won’t be available.
It also says employers are facing an increasing problem of finding the right skilled staff in some sectors, even though there is high unemployment amongst young people.
The survey has led to a call for better careers advice, saying young people should meet face to face with advisors who can give them these statistics and paint a clearer picture of the world of employment.
Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Brian Lightman said in the BBC article: “It underlines the need for a nationally co-ordinated careers service which ensures that young people anywhere in the country are able to access face to face guidance by a qualified careers professional.”
Let’s make this happen before it is too late. Our young people deserve good careers advice and guidance. We need to ensure their decisions are coming from sound information rather than media portrayals of “cool” jobs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21762564