Careers Guidance Has Little Effect on Teenagers Choices

Title

Careers Guidance Has Little Effect on Teenagers’ Choices

Author(s)

Cheti Nicoletti, Richard Berthoud

Organisation

ISER at University of Essex for Department of Education

Date

August 2010

No. of pages

Summary (1 page) Whole Report (108 pages)

Theme

information, advice and guidance; family networks,

Description

The research analyses the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England. A sample of nearly 16.000 young people was interviewed in 2004, when they were in school year 9 (aged 13/14). They have been followed up each year since then, and the research is based on the sequence of interviews between years 9 and 13 (aged 17/18).

Select quotations

“Advice from Connexions has a negligible impact on both short-term opinions and on eventual choices.”

“Educational advice from home and school impacts on young people’s opinions while still at school.”

“It is very difficult to detect any lasting effect of CE/IAG on the choices young people actually make after reaching minimum school leaving age.”

“Advice about training opportunities appears to have a negative influence on future participation in education. But there are some signs that it may reduce the number of school leavers who fail to take part in any training or employment.”

“There is some evidence that CE/IAG provision is greater, and that the effects may be stronger, for low achievers but the differences are not large enough to measure accurately.”

Link (summary)

http://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/2010/08/04/careers-guidance-has-little-effect-on-teenagers-choices