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In this interim report, the findings reveal the importance teachers place on introducing children to the world of work. The survey asks 250 primary schools heads and teachers across England about their opinions on career learning in primary and its impact.

Headline findings: (1) The majority of teachers answering our survey believe children should be learning about the world of work and different jobs in their first years of primary school; (2) Overwhelming majority of primary schools were already carrying out activities with the aim of increasing children's understanding of the world of work; (3) Most primary schools have not heard about the Government's new Careers Strategy, which specifically mentions primary for the first time; (4) In line with our previous work in secondary, nearly all teachers in our survey agreed that introducing children to the world of work was important in: Linking learning to the real world and in doing so increasing motivation to work hard, Challenging gender stereotyping about jobs and school subjects, Broadening aspirations; (5) While teachers appreciate the importance of these activities, there are challenges which prevent them being organised on a regular basis.

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Recent UK government figures have shown that despite the overall number of apprenticeships increasing, the number of under 19s starts have stagnated at around 20 per cent. With the support of the Commercial Education Trust (CET), this project explores the characteristics of schools and individuals who buck the trend and asks: what distinguishes schools which guide significant numbers of pupils into apprenticeships from those which do not? What distinguishes young people who express an interest in apprenticeships in their mid-teens and go on to secure one from those who do not?

This report collates evidence from contemporary research literature and governmental reports as well as new quantitative data sources, and in doing so provides new evidence to schools and colleges seeking to optimise their apprenticeship guidance provision and improve the chances of young people making a smooth transition into apprenticeships. Whilst a long-lasting and sustainable strategy is needed to change the way apprenticeships are viewed by schools/colleges, parents and pupils, effective best practice can help to bridge this gap in the interim and go some way to increasing the percentage of school leavers starting apprenticeships.

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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 addresses the difficulties faced by many UK secondary school students in securing meaningful workplace experience in a medical context and which specifically explores job shadowing as an option for resolving this problem. It focuses on the problem identified in the study: inequitable access to periods of work experience of value in progression to highly selective courses of study at elite universities. The chapter seeks to add to a growing literature exploring the issue of equity in employer engagement in education. It reveals a situation whereby links between secondary school students and employees within the National Health Service (NHS) are numerous but are clearly patterned by social relationships which are rooted in social class. In the medical profession, imbalance in the distribution of social capital is compounded by more structural educational inequality, such as universities offering places only to students with demonstrable workplace experience.

Abstract from publisher's website.

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

No generation of young people has entered the world of work with more qualifications and time in education. But it can still be a struggle to compete for employment opportunities. How can transition skills events, such as mock interviews and CV workshops, help address this? Transition skills events are designed to improve young people's understanding of how the labour market works, whilst developing job seeking skills (i.e. how to manage application processes and to perform well in interviews) and personal resilience. This paper reviews the effectiveness of these employer-led transition skills events. The findings provide evidence for schools and colleges to support the delivery of these events and activities. The different evidence sources used in this review provide insights into best practice when it comes to designing and delivering events to get the best results for young people.

Edited excerpts from publication.

The evidence review for this report is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 129.867. Show less

Launched in 2014, Primary Futures was designed to provide UK schools with easy access to individuals willing to provide free voluntary support across a range of areas, including: (1) providing first-hand insight into jobs and careers, with many thousands of volunteers across the country identifying themselves as being able to speak with specific experience of being an apprentice, running their own enterprise, using mathematics or modern foreign languages at work, or working in the fields of science and technology; (2) being a potential reading or number partner; or (3) being willing to be considered as a school governor.

In this paper the authors discuss the impact, demand and implementation of employer engagement in primary education. They assess recent literature on the subject and find that while research into the impact of employer engagement activities on the learning and progression of children is limited, it suggests that employer engagement, if done correctly, can be positively associated with improved attainment, the development of non-cognitive skills demanded by 21st century employers and changed attitudes towards the world of work and the relationship between the classroom and the workplace.

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This technical report, commissioned by the Careers and Enterprise Company, presents evidence that the research team at Education and Employers gathered on the operation and impact of transition skills events held in UK schools and colleges which underpins the guidance document 'What works?: the evidence on transition skills events (mock interviews and CV workshops)' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 131.1020]. This technical report presents our of review the current evidence relevant to the design and effectiveness of employer led transition skills events such as mock interviews and [curriculum vitae] CV workshops. The findings provide schools and colleges with evidence to support the delivery of these events and activities. Transition skills events are focussed on improving the knowledge, attributes and skills a young person needs when navigating the jobs market and applying for jobs. Such recruitment skills - being able to present about yourself and highlight your appropriate skills in the context of a job's requirements in what is often a stressful environment - are critical to young people's success in obtaining employment.

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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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This report is a collaborative work by Education and Employers, the Edge Foundation and National Education Union. It draws upon 21 pieces of existing literature, two focus groups with employers and the findings from a survey of 626 secondary school teaching staff based in England to explore how schools are providing young people with the opportunity to develop and exercise vital employability skills. Over 90 per cent of teachers believe that the top five skills and two of the four competencies cited by employers are being developed in school. The research highlights that the narrower curriculum and increased content and exam-focus of GCSEs and A levels, are standing in the way of young people developing the skills necessary for working life. Thirty-two per cent of teachers reported that changes to the Key Stage 3 curriculum have been detrimental to developing the skills and attitudes needed for work.

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