Good careers education ‘vital’ to fuel aspirations, says NAHT

Good quality careers education can play a vital role in helping young people to aspire to fulfilling careers, according to the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT).

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the NAHT, said that this was particularly important for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds ‘who may not believe a particular opportunity could be open to them’.

Hobby’s comments follow a report from the Education Endowment Foundation that suggets that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are disproportionately more likely to have career aspirations that don’t match their educational goals.

The report, which drew on nearly 100 different studies, found that teenagers from poorer homes are more likely to be uncertain about the qualifications they need to access their chosen career and get the skills they need.

It also found that teenagers today are much less likely to benefit from part time work than 20 years ago, and suggests the first-hand experiences of the world of work alongside independent and impartial career guidance is important to help young people succeed in the workplace.

Hobby added: “NAHT has continually called for good quality, well-funded careers education and advice, along with opportunities to do work experience. It is crucial to link work with study, and we would like to see this actually done earlier than is the norm. Our Primary Futures project does just that by getting different professionals into schools to talk about what they do and the importance of education to succeed in a chosen career.”