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Drawing the future: exploring the career aspirations of primary school children from around the world

'Drawing the future', the biggest survey of its kind ever conducted, asked primary school children aged seven to el... Show more
'Drawing the future', the biggest survey of its kind ever conducted, asked primary school children aged seven to eleven to draw a picture of the job they want to do when they grew up. Over 20,000 entries have been received from UK and Internationally. To ascertain the factors influencing career aspirations, the survey asked children their gender, ethnicity, favourite subject and if they knew anyone personally who did the job and, if not, why they had chosen the job. The survey has produced some significant findings, highlighting that children from an early age often have some sophisticated and thought through ideas about who they want to become when they grow up. The findings also show that from a young age children often stereotype jobs according to gender and their career choices are based on these assumptions with the majority of boys wanting to be sportsmen and girls wanting to be teachers. And the findings have implications for all of us seeking to improve social mobility: children's career aspirations are most influenced by who they know - their parents and friends of parents and the TV and media. Worryingly, less than 1 per cent of children have heard about the jobs through people from the world of work coming to their school. And the survey shows clearly for the first time that this is a global issue.
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Authors: Chambers, Nick; Kashefpakdel, Elnaz T.; Rehill, Jordan; Percy, Chris

Date: 2018

Geographic subjects: Albania;

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Series name: Drawing the Future

Subjects: Career development; Students
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Insights and inspiration: exploring the impact of guest speakers in schools

Guest speakers are one key lever among many that schools use to inspire young people about possible futures and wha... Show more
Guest speakers are one key lever among many that schools use to inspire young people about possible futures and what it might take to reach them, as well as broaden students' horizons to see the world outside of their classroom and local community. This report draws on surveys of state schools and colleges from the networks of Education and Employers and Speakers for Schools, surveys with their students, and an interview program with independent schools to understand why teachers who invite guest speakers to give talks keep doing it, how teachers source speakers and run the talks, and how talks relate to changes in attitudes in young people. The research found: (1) the vast majority of young people are positive about the benefits from talks; (2) young people were particularly positive about the talks having helped them understand that everyone had to overcome setbacks; (3) a program of talks can also reduce the number of students feeling their background holds them back, from a significant minority to barely a handful and; (4) 'Free School Meal' (FSM) students typically benefitted more than non-FSM students, positioning talks as an effective tool particularly in schools with higher disadvantage.
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Authors: Percy, Chris; Rehill, Jordan; Kashefpakdel, Elnaz T.; Chambers, Nick

Date: 2019

Geographic subjects: England; Great Britain; Europe

Resource type: Report, paper or authored book

Subjects: Providers of education and training; Youth; Equity ... [+] Show more

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Drawing the future: exploring the career aspirations of primary school children from around the world

Insights and inspiration: exploring the impact of guest speakers in schools