UK school leavers left behind to drift into dead-end jobs

Bright school leavers are being denied the chance for social mobility because they are given gobbledygook rather than good careers advice and support when they leave school, the House of Lords Committee on Social Mobility warned, reported the Independent.

More than half (53 percent) of young people do not follow the traditional academic route of going from school to university before starting work. This majority of young people are significantly overlooked in their transition from school to work and the government’s focus on apprenticeships is not suitable for everyone, concluded the report, Improving the Transition from School to Work.

The committee condemned the current complex and incoherent system for school leavers looking to find their first jobs saying it was confusing for both young people and employers.

Baroness Corston, chair of the committee, warned that too many bright youngsters were trapped in dead-end jobs because they had been denied the right support and advice when they left school .

She said: “The current system for helping people move from school to work is failing most young people. They are simply not being adequately prepared for the world of work. This significantly disadvantages a huge number of young people and limits their opportunity for social mobility.

“Recent governments have focused on higher education and apprenticeships as the way to help young people to be successful in later life. Both routes can work well but it is absolutely not the case that they are suitable for everyone. To focus on university or apprenticeships, to the exclusion of other routes, is to the detriment of many talented and able young people.

“We have found that without being taught life skills, given the right support, access to work experience and robust, independent careers advice, we are in danger of trapping these young people in low-skilled, low-paid work, with little chance of a rewarding career.

“A young person considering their options for further education or employment is presented with gobbledygook. It is totally unclear to them how they can get the skills needed for a successful career. It is also unclear to the people in their lives giving them advice and support in making these crucial decisions.”

The committee acknowledged the value of apprenticeships for some young people and the economy but warned that despite the government’s focus only six percent of 16–18 year olds became apprentices. The vast majority (77 percent) of new apprentices in 2014/15 were over the age of 19, and 41.6 percent were over the age of 25