GTI Media and CASCAID, with a combined total of more than 65 years’ experience of careers information and advice, on Wednesday 15 October, revealed the findings of a survey of 7,000 school and college students from years 10-13: the trendence School Leaver Barometer. And although schools are still recovering from the consequences of losing Connexions and the service has been described as ‘patchy’, school students were more satisfied than dissatisfied with the availability and quality of careers advice and information available, and the amount of employer contact they received. This is a credit to the efforts of teachers to provide much needed careers support and employer engagement in a challenging environment.
- Just over half said they were either happy or very happy with the careers advice that they get at school/college, with only 11% saying they were unhappy or very unhappy.
- Nearly half had had a careers interview and 68% found them helpful or very helpful.
- 81% said that their school/college organised careers events for students.
- 59% said that their school/college arranged for employers to visit to talk to students.
- 63% were happy with the careers information and advice they received from their school about universities, and a similar percentage was happy with the advice about jobs and apprenticeships.
But there were interesting variations between male and female respondents and between those state-educated and privately-educated.
- Males were slightly happier about the careers advice that they received at school, more likely to have had a careers interview and more likely to have found the interviews helpful than females.
- The privately‐educated were more likely to be satisfied with the careers advice they received at school, more likely to have had a careers interview, more likely to have attended careers events, had more employers visiting and more trips to employers than those in state education.
The survey explored students’ experience of careers guidance and information, access to employers, career plans and their choice of job, employer, apprenticeship or university. It was built and designed by international research firm trendence, who have conducted a similar survey in German schools for over a decade. Its results will be of great interest to schools, colleges, educational bodies and to government as they confront the challenge of providing excellent guidance and information services to all pupils.
Meanwhile, many major employers of graduates are currently looking more seriously at recruiting school leavers at the same time that universities are opening their doors to more undergraduates. The trendence School Leaver Barometer will also provide employers and universities with information to help shape their attraction and recruitment campaigns.
The Report of all the findings is available here: http://gtimedia.co.uk/expertise/research-reports
Chris Phillips, Information and Research Director at GTI Media says: “GTI Media is pleased to launch the trendence School Leaver Barometer survey 2014 which provides a snapshot of what school students think about their future, the help they are getting to make career decisions and their plans for future employment. It’s clear to us that recruiters from all sectors are desperate for more information about the thoughts, career plans and employer awareness of the current generation of school students, as more of them invest in apprenticeships and school leaver programmes alongside their graduate recruitment activity.”
Richard Harrison, Chief Executive of CASCAID says: “We are delighted to have been involved in supporting this research which gives real insight into the careers support being delivered in schools. With the many changes that have happened in careers guidance provision over the last five years it’s vital that we can evaluate the impact on young people. It is great to see that so many young people are receiving support that they value and we will continue our commitment to working with schools, colleges, universities and employers to ensure that young people can make truly informed decisions about what they intend to do with their future.”