Young people's views on the future world of work
We recently commissioned Youth Conspiracy, a youth creative consultancy, to explore the views of some 16-17 year olds on how best to prepare young people for future work and careers.
Youth Conspiracy use a unique form of market research, recruiting and training young people to go out and question and discuss specific issues with their peers. That way, the agency can get deeper insights into the attitudes of young people.
This qualitative research was supported by an online survey of over 800 11-25 year olds.
The findings highlight that many young people recognise that jobs are changing. However, the research suggests that young people feel they need to know more about how they can best be prepared.
Some of the specific findings include:
- Young people believe their own passion, motivation and personal attributes will be more important in helping them pursue the career of their choice than qualifications.
- A university degree was not seen as a guarantee for a job but something that was becoming commonplace. Young people felt they needed other ways to set them apart from their peers.
- They recognised that some careers have moved on. One participant commented: "Things have evolved, the carpenter has become the IT technician".
- Young people do not perceive there being 'a job for life'. In fact, for 16-17 year olds it was generally an unappealing option.
- Experience, in a variety of forms, from work experience through to travelling and cultural exploration, was seen as the best preparation for the future.
- Learning and being taught by parents and life outside of school was seen as very important.
- Family members were frequently cited as role models and sources of inspiration. However, nearly a third of young people claim to have no role models.