What NSW Students Have To Say About Career Education
IN a recent article titled A Proven New Approach To Career Education we mentioned the unique data we at CareerHQ have obtained over the last four (4) years on the career and study preferences of over 7500 NSW students from over 150 high schools and what they are seeking in career education and support.
This is data that is uniquely available to CareerHQ and we are now releasing it publicly for the first time as a contribution toward enhancing career education and support for young Australians.
It also offers a guide for governments and policy makers to better target the considerable resources that they commit in a well-intentioned way toward youth career education and job creation programs.
The following graphics summarise what NSW students (years 9-12) have told us:
Prior to reading this, would you have believed that?
- The skill that NSW students most want to be better at is maths or would you have accepted what is regularly reported that students are not interested in maths?
- 90% of NSW students across urban, regional and rural locations know little or nothing about local industry.
- 62% of students want to have more time at school given to career education and pathways; and 61% want to do work experience. Or would you have believed what we often read or hear that young people are not interested in work experience?
What NSW students have told us also highlights that their career and study preferences are not consistent with government preferences for our young people to be pursuing STEM studies and career options. This is notwithstanding the students recognising the importance of maths and wanting to be better at this.
I don’t know about you but these seem like useful things to know if we are going to best help our students be prepared for the world of work; and in careers that align with opportunities and needs now and in the future.
More importantly, what students are telling us seems more like an opportunity and even invitation that’s not too hard to pursue if we want to do something about it in our schools, tertiary education providers, and local community, state and Federal skills development and employment programs.
We will offer further thoughts on potential actions available in coming articles.
