Poor advice stunting young people’s career aspirations

Is it true? Is poor career advice holding back the youth of the UK? AAT conducted research with over 1,000 14-19 year olds to understand more about young people’s career aspirations and the potential barriers that are holding school leavers back.

Take a look at the infographic with the top statistics from our research:

Mark Farrar, our chief executive commented on the findings: 

“This research shows that the young people who have grown up through the recession are remarkably driven in thinking about their future career plans and acting on them.  However, careers advice in schools and colleges isn’t keeping pace with this demand, meaning that some young people are relying on what their friends or parents tell them. An absence of advice is also resulting in myths, such as that you need a degree to enter a career like accounting. This absolutely isn’t true, and young people should be aware of alternatives such as Apprenticeships and professional training which can create a route into fantastic careers.”

The research also looked at the biggest concerns of young people, who have grown up in a time of economic austerity and uncertainty about jobs. The biggest concern for young people is being financially stable, which half of young people named as a worry, with 48% being concerned about unemployment. However, these figures are lower than a similar study amongst young people carried out by AAT in 2010, in which 56% were concerned about being financially stable and 50% worried about being unemployed, indicating that young people may perceive that wider economic conditions are improving.

Why not tell us what you made of career advice at school? Do you think it was good enough? Did it help you fall into the career you wanted? Comment below please.

AAT Comment offers news and opinion on the world of business and finance from the Association of Accounting Technicians.