Rethinking Careers Advice In An Ever-Evolving World
New research from Ravensbourne University London reveals a growing disconnect between traditional careers advice the way young people seek guidance. Vice Chancellor, Jon Kingsbury, explores how government, industry and education can collaborate to create a more relevant and hands-on careers ecosystem.
Given the rapid and meteoric rise of influencers and take-up of short-form video content in the past few years, it might not come as a surprise that young people today are looking to social media to shape their career ambitions.
Just 16% of Young People Rely on Traditional Career Guidance as Primary Advice Source
Ravensbourne University London’s latest research, Next Gen Careers: Aspirations and access, found that just 16% of 16-21-year-olds claimed to be using traditional careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG) as their primary source of advice. Family members (24%) and social media (21%) outranking formal guidance demonstrates a systemic challenge that speaks to the deepening disconnect between how information is delivered and the way young people want to receive it.
If we want to build a workforce that’s skilled, multifaceted and socially mobile, we need to rethink careers advice from the bottom upwards, starting with relevance and reach.
Not unique to the UK
The challenge identified in Ravensbourne’s research is not just a unique situation in the UK. A report conducted earlier this year by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that students’ job expectations across 80 countries largely remain unchanged since the start of the century, while still being concentrated on a limited range of roles.
In the UK, it is estimated that 948,000 young people are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET), while many employers continue to face skills shortages, especially in growth sectors of the economy like the creative and digital industries. Long-term solutions need to be found, considering both the needs of young people but also those of the industries of tomorrow. Ravensbourne’s own findings echo this wider picture that young people struggle to name a desired career, and the majority say they have not received clear and helpful guidance. In place of robust advice, they are relying on informal sources of information, such as friends, family and social media personalities, which, while relatable, may miss the wide range of skilled opportunities that are emerging in the 21st century workforce.
Without better awareness of viable routes into growth industries, aspirations risk clustering around the same set of familiar job roles, leaving some sectors effectively invisible to young talent.
The system isn’t broken, but improvements can be made
Despite the fact that young people are using social media more for their careers advice and guidance, our research told us that their top preference is for insights gained through work placement opportunities.
As a university that works closely with industry, this is heartening to hear. At Ravensbourne, our mission is ‘we work with industry; industry works with us; and together we transform lives’. We believe that only by working in partnership with industry can we truly understand and meet each other’s needs. And by working in this way, we are also able to unlock the traditionally ‘harder to reach’ industries for our students, while supporting employers to diversify their workforces.
Connecting education with the workplace through apprenticeships, internships, work placements and employer-led events also helps young people to understand the day-to-day realities of a job, build relevant skills and increase their motivation. These interactions significantly reduce the likelihood of young people becoming NEETs. Evidence suggests that when these opportunities are being offered to them, the benefits are significant.
Mentoring is also important. Matching young people with responsible, caring mentors – whether through formal programmes or informal relationships – can be a transformative support method as they transition to adulthood and into the workforce.
Imagining the future of careers advice
Social media unquestionably has a role to play in the delivery of effective careers advice if we can capitalise on its advantages and possibilities. If young people are searching for careers advice online, let’s ensure that important, accurate and relevant content is available to them on the platforms they’re browsing. This includes the facts (not fears) about the opportunities from emerging technologies, such as AI.
For many young people, the wide range of job opportunities only becomes apparent when they experience a work environment for themselves. To emphasise the example of social media, behind every Instagram influencer is a content producer, photographer, videographer, editor, sound technician, image wrangler, platform manager and marketeer. These may all be one talented person, but the example shows the range of skills needed for which young people may want to dedicate a career to.
By exposing students to existing workplace practices through placements and work-based learning modules, universities, colleges and schools can help bridge the gap between potential and talent. A key barrier to this happening to date has been a lack of incentives for employers to get involved. As educators, we need to work harder to make it easy for employers to offer work-based learning alongside other opportunities.
The importance of role models
There’s also an opportunity to broaden the pool of role models. Many young people struggle to picture themselves in certain careers because they’ve simply never met anyone who works in them. It is therefore vital that students see individuals who share similar backgrounds thriving in the careers they hope to pursue. This visibility can be especially powerful in sectors that have historically lacked diversity, breaking down perceived barriers and inspiring young people to expand their sense of what is possible.
Building a connected careers ecosystem
If we are serious about preparing young people for the jobs of the future, we must educate and inform them where they hang out, both in the classroom and online, ensuring the guidance and advice they receive is relevant to the economy they will inherit.
Young people value meaningful, hands-on work experiences, industry-informed teaching, guided mentors and strong, visible role models. They also need structured, accurate guidance that goes beyond a single, face-to-face careers chat.
What’s achievable if education, industry and Government work together is an optimistic future with a generation that is more informed and ready to thrive.
By Jon Kingsbury, Vice Chancellor, Ravensbourne University London
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