Our findings so far...
Young people receive a strong message at school that academic achievement and going to university are of greater value than creative and practical learning and non-university routes into work
While many young people do not enjoy school, this is particularly the case for those not intending to go to university. At age 15-16 only a third of young people participating in the Your Life, Your Future survey who said they were not at all likely to go to university reported that, on the whole, they liked being at school.
Opportunities for young people to access apprenticeships, good quality training and secure work with employers who care about their progression and wellbeing are currently very limited
Good apprenticeships make a significant difference to young people’s employability and their quality of life. Doing apprenticeships is associated with higher levels of life satisfaction, happiness and feeling that life is worthwhile.
There are stark inequalities in the distribution of opportunities along axes of gender, migrant status, ethnicity, SEND, social class, and place.
Findings from the survey show that young women who don’t go to university are more likely than young men to be in casual or temporary work at the age of 19-20 but less likely to be NEET.
School can be a hostile place for many young people
More than half of young people in England enjoy school. But for nearly 1 in 2 young people aged 15-16, secondary school is not fun or meaningful, but something they feel they need to ‘get through’ because of its bearing on their futures.
The pandemic has significantly impacted young people’s lives and post-16 transitions
The shift to remote learning particularly affected vocational courses. We're also seeing concern about the impact of the pandemic on young people’s mental health
The post-16 transitions through VET of the young people we are speaking with were often non-linear and disjointed
But this is not always viewed as negative by the young people themselves...
Non-university routes into employment come with distinctive barriers or challenges
From readiness for work to structural barriers, our qualitative research has also shone a light on significant regional differences.
Uneven quality and availability of careers information, advice and guidance
There is widespread concern among our participants about current provision of careers information, advice and guidance in England, with many young people being denied access to impartial advice from professionally trained careers advisors.
Young people who have migrated face additional challenges relating to their transitions
These include recognition of their qualifications, lack of English Language support and navigating an unknown education system.
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Our reports
February 2023
New report on young people's experiences of alienation in the English secondary-school system.
The Schools for All? report draws from a 2021 national survey of over 10,000 young people and interviews with over 100 young people, carried out from 2020-2022. It finds that young people from low-income backgrounds and those in minority categories are more likely to experience school as discriminating, unsupportive or alienating.
March 2022
We're investigating how England’s post-16 vocational education and training system can better support the education-to-work transitions of young people who do not go to university. Our first interim report presents key themes from the initial stages of the project's research.
The report draws on interviews with policy makers, education practitioners and young people in four contrasting areas of England.
