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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

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

'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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This chapter explores what careers education and work experience is being provided to students, from the student perspective. It focuses on the work-related learning and careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG) aspects of career-related learning and draws on a unique dataset to document current teenage perceptions held of CIAG provision and work experience in England. The chapter highlights a need for policy makers and practitioners to re-evaluate current provision and participation in England. As of 2017, securing independent careers advice for all pupils remains a statutory requirement for secondary schools in England while work experience is strongly encouraged but not mandatory. As M. S. Richardson discusses, equality and diversity issues have not always been sufficiently acknowledged within the careers development literature. Careers education and work experience have the potential to be useful tools for promoting social equity and can be helpful for encouraging social mobility.

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 describes a new approach to helping young people develop the knowledge and experiences that increase their access to good jobs. It reviews the rationale, design and potential impact of the pilot programs. Students take only three courses in Year 1: Statistics, City Seminar, and Ethnographies of Work (EOW). Middle school is a time when young people often disconnect from and foreclose on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) identities, so rich, engaging opportunities to maintain and deepen STEM connections, both in school and beyond, are particularly important. An understudied but critical aspect of finding a career is the quotient of social and cultural capital of the job seeker. The challenge for educators, consequently, is to better prepare all young people with 'school knowledge', and with the experiences that will help them to navigate the social worlds of mainstream institutions. From the employer's perspective, hesitation to hire young people is grounded in a reality.

Abstract from publisher's website.

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