Teens in need of career guidance
New research commissioned by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) reveals disparity between parents and teenagers’ ambitions and a lack of quality careers advice.
According to the new research, it seems that parents and their offspring have very different opinions about the options available.
It was found that 84% of parents said they would choose university over an apprenticeship for their children, even though 61% admitted that they believe work experience is what employers look for in potential job applicants. On the other hand, teenagers said they would choose to avoid the university debts and jump straight into work.
The IMI’s research also found 50% of young people surveyed hadn’t received any form of careers advice. For those who had, 36% of 15 year olds said the quality of the information was average at best.
With employers struggling to attract young people into new job roles across the motor industry, the IMI believes there is a huge disconnect between what employers need in order to operate effectively and career guidance being given to teenagers by both parents and teachers.
Steve Nash, chief executive officer at the IMI, said, ‘The number of young people receiving quality careers advice is worryingly low, so it’s important parents and teachers are given more information on the opportunities available to teenagers when it comes to making those big decisions about their next step after their GCSE’s. The motor industry has been surrounded by misconceptions for many years, but exciting developments in ground breaking new technologies means that automotive is emphatically a high-technology sector and can offer a very broad range of exciting and rewarding careers.
‘The IMI is helping to raise the profile of vocational training in the automotive sector since we know employers are often struggling to present a balanced view of alternative education routes that young people can choose from. Our sector can provide teenagers with incredible long-term careers, so we’ll continue to support parents and teachers by supplying them with information to help teenagers make informed choices.’
