The research shows a ‘substantial’ divide exists between what young people want from their careers advice experience at school and what they get, including the level of involvement of employers.
The findings show 95% of young people agreed they would like employers to be more involved in providing advice and guidance about careers and jobs.
Recalling their experience of the past two years, 42% of those surveyed said they had no contact with employers at all, and 40% had contact with between one and four employers. Young people who had been in contact with four or more employers in the past two years of school were nearly twice as likely to believe they had a good idea of the knowledge and skills needed for the jobs they wanted to do.
And despite the downturn nearly half (48%) of the organisations surveyed believed they had increased their involvement in schools over the past two years, and around half (44%) had aspirations to do more.
David Cruickshank, Deloitte chairman and Taskforce trustee, said: "This report shows the importance of employers playing an active part in the school curriculum and, critically, that this is recognised by schools, employers and by young people themselves.
"The involvement of employers, when done properly, motivates, inspires and informs young people, and prepares them for the workplace by making them aware of the skills and attitudes employers expect them to have."
Nine out of 10 employer respondents to the survey agreed employers should take a role in providing careers advice related activities to young people. There are many simple ways employers can help at minimal cost – for example, by encouraging employees to visit schools to talk about the jobs they do or attend annual careers fairs, as well as contributing online guidance that can be freely accessed by young people and their teachers.
Cruickshank added: "At a time when there is considerable pressure on public spending, this report shows the positive steps and measures that schools, employers and the Government can take, at little cost, to work together to overcome these barriers and instil careers education into the curriculum".
"There are excellent examples of schools and employers working together to provide a broad careers education, and this good practice provides useful lessons that other employers and schools can learn from. The research also shows there is an appetite for schools and employers to work more closely together, and many employers have increased their involvement in recent years despite the downturn."
Nick Chambers, director of the Education and Employers Taskforce, said: "A careers education where schools and employers work together helps build young people’s understanding of the opportunities open to them and raises their aspirations and motivation. The report shows that employers’ potential to inspire cannot be underestimated – where there had been contact with four or more employers, young people in our study were one and a half times more likely to believe they will be able to find a good job."
Commenting on the findings, Petra Wilton, director of policy and research at the Chartered Management Institute, added: "We need to address the gap between school leavers’ perceptions of the career opportunities open to them and the reality of working life. Right now, the economic challenges we face demand that we go further to support all young people to build transferable management skills that will open doors and widen career options. Failure to do so will only perpetuate the chasm that exists between what employers want and what school leavers are able to offer."
