- 53% of parents felt they were the biggest influence on their children’s post A-Level education and career choices – more than their child’s friends and careers advisers
- 79% of parents felt that their child did not have a clear idea of what they wanted to do after finishing education
- Over three quarters of parents felt that extra-curricular activities were just as important as academic activity
LONDON, 11 August 2015: With A-Level
results released this week, over half of parents say they will have the biggest
influence over their child’s next steps, but most aren’t fully aware of the
non-university options available, reveals new research from graduate
recruitment company, GTI Media, and professional services firm, EY.
The YouGov survey of 1,018 parents
looked at their role in giving careers guidance; their attitude towards
schools; and whether young people are adequately prepared for the workplace.
When asked to rank who had the biggest
influence over their children’s education and career decisions, the majority of
parents - 53% - felt they had the biggest influence. This was followed by
teachers on 23% and their children’s friends on 23%. Careers advisers were
ranked in fourth place with 21%. However more than half of parents (64%)
recognised that they needed better information and called for more resources to
help them to support their children at this important juncture.
In addition to this, only 1% of
parents said they knew ‘a lot’ about school leaver programmes; only 6% knew of
‘vocational further education courses’; and only 9% were fully aware of 'apprenticeships or higher apprenticeship programmes’.
Maggie Stilwell, Managing Partner for
Talent at EY, comments: “The survey results suggest that there is a ‘guidance
gap’ between what parents expect their role to be and the knowledge they have
at their disposal."
“While parents are aware of their
influential position over such an important decision, they are looking to be
better armed with resources to help ensure they are able to give the best advice
possible. In the absence of information and awareness about alternative career
routes, such as an apprenticeships or school-leaver schemes, university can
often become the default option.”
University continues to be promoted as
favoured career route
The survey also looked at the
perception of careers advice that young people received. Of those
surveyed, 25% of parents were not aware of any career advice given to their
child at school, and over half (51%) stated their child had received ‘some but
not enough’. In addition to this, over three quarters (79%) of parents felt
that their child didn’t have a clear idea of what to do after leaving school or
college.
According to the survey, university
continues to be the most promoted career route by schools with 37% of parents
stating that their child’s school ‘promotes the university route as the best
route to take’.
Matt Dacey, Director of Products and
Services at GTI Media, added: “The research highlights the extent to which
parents and schools still see university as a default route for young people.
Employers are having difficulty in promoting alternatives to university,
particularly at a time when professions from accountancy and financial services
through to engineering are looking to increase their school leaver intake
through the creation of exciting new alternatives. The need to engage and
support parents with information about these would seem more important than
ever.”
Maggie comments: “Regardless of
whether students ultimately opt for university, a school leaver scheme,
apprenticeship or another route entirely, it’s important that they are able to
make well informed choices about their career path. This requires parents, schools
and employers to work together to fill the current perceived guidance gap."
Parents concerned by employability
skills
Like many employers, parents recognise
the importance of work experience and other extra-curricular activities as a
means of young people developing skills that will later benefit them in the
workplace. Over three quarter of parents (76%) stated that ‘what their child
does outside school is as important to their development as formal education’.
Despite this, only 39% of parents’ surveyed
said their children had a paid part-time job or worked as a volunteer.
Maggie comments: “As the
competition for talent increases, it is ever more important for school-leavers
to have developed key life skills such as communication and collaboration,
critical thinking and problem solving. These are some of the strengths that we
look for as part of our recruitment processes."
"This doesn't have to mean a month-long internship though, or a gap year in Tibet. These are skills that can be honed at a Saturday job in a supermarket or even on the school football or netball team."
Download the full report from the GTI Media website.
Read more here.
Download the full report from the GTI Media website.
Read more here.
