Levels of parental education and wealth play a pivotal role in determining the life chances of young people in this country.
A report published this week by The Social Market Foundation, helps to explain why young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds with similar grades at school can end up doing less well in higher education and the job market than those from more privileged backgrounds.
This new study shows just how much knowledge of ‘how the system works’ is stacked in favour of young people from more well-off families.
It concludes that young people from well-off backgrounds are far more adept at navigating their way through the education system and careers than their less well-off peers. The report finds:
- Differing levels of awareness of how to navigate key transition points in education and into work, such as understanding how your A-level choices can affect your chance of acceptance into particular universities or onto particular courses;
- Poor awareness of the value employers attribute to volunteering and participation in extra-curricular activities. Pupils in receipt of free-school-meals are more likely to think it is ‘all about the grades’;
- Weaker understanding of options post-18 amongst less advantaged pupils, and recognition that not all universities are equal – Over one-third of young people from less advantaged backgrounds were unable to identify the University of Cambridge as the most prestigious university from a short list of institutions;
- Pupils from less well-off families are less likely to accurately assess earning potential within different professions, for example, underestimating the salary of lawyers and overestimating the salary of travel agents; and
- Are less confident in work, and less likely to believe in themselves, than former pupils who were not eligible for free school meals when at school, despite often having had to show greater grit and determination to have got there in the first place.
So why is this? The report found that young people from less-advantaged backgrounds have considerably fewer people to turn to for advice, guidance, support and encouragement.
Work experience can be particularly effective at filling gaps in knowledge
The report also found that the more sources of advice a young person had, the higher they ‘scored’ on career-related knowledge.
Yet, one-third of young people from the least advantaged backgrounds do not receive careers advice from family or friends, compared to just 5 per cent of those with parents who hold a post-graduate degree.
And 42 per cent of young people from less well-off backgrounds do not know anyone in a high-paying industry that they could turn to for advice, compared to just one in five more well-off pupils.
Evidence also shows that pupils from more advantaged backgrounds and those with graduate parents have greater access to experiences of the workplace while at school. These experiences help to demystify careers, provide insights and help shape career choices.
However, half of young people leave school having had no access to work experience. When work experience does take place, it is often left to parents to arrange it, meaning those without networks to call on may struggle.
Based on the findings in that report, our analysis makes practical recommendations on how to close the gap in knowledge and opportunity, to ensure all young people have access to experiences that can demystify future careers, alongside the guidance support and encouragement to help make informed choices along the way.
We need proper investment in careers advice, so that pupils without access to networks or support outside of school, can access it in school. And we need to ensure the government’s plan to introduce work experience for all keeps high-quality, meaningful experiences at the heart of its design.
Our extensive evaluation work shows that work experience can be particularly effective at filling the gaps in knowledge in the very areas this report highlights.
And what is most exciting of all is that evidence shows that while all young people can benefit from undertaking work experience, those from the least affluent backgrounds benefit the most.
Put simply, the more you do, the fairer it gets. Providing high-quality work experience for all is one of the surest ways we can ensure fair access to those ‘things worth knowing’.
Read the full report, Things Worth Knowing here
