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This chapter explores careers talks in schools to build on earlier work by the authors in light of new assessments of the impacts of careers activities on the economic outcomes of young people and how these activities can be best delivered. [The authors] were inspired by, among others, S. Jones et al. Which examines the reflections of 380 young adults on their school-mediated employer engagement experiences, finding that the clearest benefit lies in Cultural Capital, followed by Social Capital and then by Human Capital. While Kashefpakdel and Percy [2016] focused only on the wage premium associated with 'outside speakers,' two studies since have referenced it in the context of a broader set of careers-related activities in schools. The weak results for the school-led careers activities bear further examination. Various explanations present themselves for why school-led careers activities did not correlate more closely with wage outcomes, despite being structurally similar to other activities that were convincingly correlated.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.717. Show less

There is significant policy interest in the issue of young people's fractured transitions into the labour market. Many scholars and policy-makers believe that changes in the education system and labour market over recent decades have created a complex world for young people; and that this can partly be addressed by enhanced career education while individuals are at school. However, the literature lacks in-depth quantitative analysis making use of longitudinal data. This paper draws on the British Cohort Study 1970 to investigate the link between career talks by external speakers and employment outcomes, and finds some evidence that young people who participated in more career talks at age 14-16 enjoyed a wage premium 10 years later at age 26. The correlation is statistically significant on average across all students who receive talks at age 14-15; but remains the case for 15-16 year olds only if they also described the talks as very helpful.

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This chapter explores the evidence surrounding Schleicher's contention that episodes of employer engagement can impact on the academic motivation of teenagers by using the unique dataset on student attitudes and academic proficiency: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) own Programme International Student Attainment (PISA). It looks at the impact of both commonplace careers guidance activities and engagement with employers to further investigate the character of such relationships. The chapter seeks to build on the existing literature by specifically investigating hypotheses, exploring whether relationships can be drawn between participation in what the OECD describes as career development activities and both more positive attitudes towards education and improved academic achievement. It investigates whether participation in selected career development activities is associated with higher PISA mathematics scores. Work experience and other forms of employer engagement demonstrate to young people the links between what they do in the classroom and how those skills ultimately will be used in the labour market.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.717. Show less

This chapter focuses on the capacity of educational institutions to shape the social capital available to young people and explores how young people, of different social backgrounds, respond to such experiences. It explores whether access to school-mediated forms of social capital interact with existing levels of social advantage to multiply effects of comparative privilege. The chapter describes the impact of school-mediated action to enhance the work-related social capital of teenagers in the context of existing levels of family-based social relationships. It explains the relationship between access to school-mediated forms of social capital and outcomes related to its possession in the social context of the recipient. The chapter looks at the characteristics of young people who engaged in career talks and explores whether social background influences the level of later adult premiums received. It draws on data from the British Cohort Study 1970 to consider the impact of two forms of social capital encountered by teenagers.

Abstract from publisher's website.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 133.717. Show less

The transition of young people from education into employment between the ages of 16 and 25 is always a challenging one. The [COVID-19] pandemic has once again had a disproportionate impact on young people - both through disruption to education, and the oversized damage to the retail and hospitality industries that often act as a critical bridge for young people into employment. This has placed further emphasis on essential skills and their critical importance to supporting an effective transition into the world of work - a relevance increasingly echoed by both educators and employers. While there is some evidence that essential skills support effective transitions and workplace progression, the emergence of the Skills Builder Universal Framework as a shared approach to defining essential skills and quantifying progress provides a new opportunity. This research sets out to use new data gathered with YouGov to explore three questions: (1) Who has essential skills, and how does this vary by socio-economic background? (2) How young people build essential skills, and what are their attitudes to them? (3) What is the impact of essential skills on earnings and qualifications level?

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This report explores the hypothesis that engaging with the world of work through school-mediated employer engagement activities can enhance academic attainment by influencing and enhancing young people's positive attitudes towards education, career choices and themselves. Such engagement can potentially influence attainment over different time frames. Our trial specifically tested the potential to impact attainment over the short-term, looking at how extra career engagement in the months leading up to exams could impact the motivation to revise. The results also shed light on longer-term channels for impact, such as more positive attitudes towards education and shaping education pathway choices.

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This study seeks to analyse whether greater teenage engagement in school-mediated career development activities, which include elements of direct exposure to the working world, can be associated with more positive attitudes towards schooling. The 2012 PISA survey asked a series of questions which explore teenage participation in career development activities and subsequent attitudes towards schooling. In the analysis, four activities are isolated (participation in internships, job fairs, job shadowing and speaking with a careers advisor in school). Only a minority of countries taking part in PISA 2012 opted into these questions and of these six have been selected for this analysis (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland and Ireland).

The report finds that there is a strong, statistically significant relationship between participation in career development activities and more positive attitudes towards schooling. The most consistent positive effects are found in relationship to speaking with a careers advisor in school and attending a job fair. Of the six countries, it is teenagers in Finland and Ireland who demonstrate the greatest levels of responsiveness to participation in career activities. Further analysis will explore the relationship between participation in career development activities and academic achievement.

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'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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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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