Survey of 330,000 young people reveals their top 10 job choices

Health, art/music, and sport top the list of job choices for teenagers, with growing interest in engineering, healthcare and construction as they move through school.

A landmark survey of over 330,000 young people has revealed the top 10 jobs young people aspire to, and how those choices evolve as they progress through school.

The annual study by The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC), the independent body for careers education in England, provides the most comprehensive insight into the career hopes, skills and confidence of 11–18-year-olds today.

When students first enter secondary school at age 11, their top three career ambitions are sports (29%), art/music (19%), and animal care (15%). By the time they reach GCSE year (age 16), the rankings have shifted, with health (16%) taking the top spot, followed by art/music (15%) and sport dropping into third place (13%).

The growing interest in engineering, healthcare, and construction reflects the influence of business engagement and work experience opportunities that expose students to new sectors.

The survey also highlights apparent gender differences in career aspirations, which poses a risk to the government’s workforce diversity ambitions underpinning the Industrial Strategy. Among girls, there’s a notable shift in interest in becoming a doctor, lawyer or teacher, alongside creative and caring professions. However, the majority still report uncertainty about their preferred choice. For boys, the most significant interests are in engineering, building trades, and sport, pointing to the continued strength of traditional technical and practical routes.

The data also shows regional differences in top jobs, the most notable difference is between London and the North East. London’s teenagers are drawn to professional and high-status roles, from finance and law to medicine, while their peers in the North East show greater interest in hands-on, vocational careers like construction and trades, and a larger percentage feeling unsure.

John Yarham, CEO of The Careers & Enterprise Company said:

“A third of a million young people have given us a fascinating window into their evolving ambitions.
They show us just how powerfully their horizons expand when they have meaningful encounters with employers and multiple, high-quality work experiences.
“When young people meet employers, see real jobs in action, and understand the skills they need, it transforms their confidence and choices. Employers get to inspire and shape their future workforce, and young people get to see that there are many exciting paths open to them.
“With growing momentum behind a national work experience guarantee, now is the time for more employers to connect with schools to make those opportunities count for every young person, regardless of who they are or where they’re from.”

These results come as the government announces new reforms in the Curriculum and Assessment Review, designed to broaden education and encourage the take-up of subjects related to arts and drama. And direct proposals to introduce a new qualification for 16-18 year olds in data science and AI intended to help more young people succeed in the science and tech careers that power our economy.

Curriculum reform sits alongside a work experience guarantee, which aligns with efforts by schools and businesses nationwide to modernise work experience, making it more flexible and relevant to the modern labour market and local needs.