Meet the Future: How employers gain from helping young people get career ready
With OECD data showing that 40% of students plan to work in jobs at high risk of total or partial automation over the next decade, the OECD says employers gain by working with schools on students’ career guidance.
To reduce labour market mismatch, the OECD’s new report Meet the Future: How employers gain from helping young people get career ready finds that interventions as simple as career talks from guest speakers help boost students’ entry later into employment.
Young people are graduating from school with more qualifications and greater ambition than ever; yet, many plan on working in jobs that will be totally or partially automated over the next decade. Meanwhile, employers now are struggling to recruit young people with the skills and experience they need. The OECD’s new report Meet the Future shows that employers partnering with schools on career-readiness activities for students strengthens job market signalling and improves students’ employment outcomes later in life.
With first-of-its kind analysis of longitudinal data from 10 countries (1) , this international study shows that students who interacted with employers in career-readiness activities at school later experienced lower levels of unemployment, higher wages (typically 5-10% higher than comparable peers) and greater job satisfaction.
Yet, OECD PISA data show that few students have opportunities to connect regularly with employers at school. By engaging directly with employers while still in school, students gain first-hand insights into the world of work, which helps them become more attractive to later employment recruiters. Career guidance activities seen to make a difference include many that can only be delivered in partnership: job fairs, workplace visits, job shadowing and career talks.
Yet, OECD PISA data show that few students have opportunities to connect regularly with employers at school. Meet the Future lays out easy and effective ways for employers to work with schools that will significantly enhance young people’s career futures.
The OECD is launching the new report at Addey and Stanhope School in Deptford, South London on Wednesday May 25th to coincide with the gathering of the world’s business leaders at the World Economic Forum to discuss the future of work. Together with the UK-based charity Education and Employers, the OECD will illustrate the report’s message by holding a career carousel at the school with local employers speaking with groups of Year 9 students about their jobs and careers.
“Employers have much to gain by working more closely with schools as they prepare students for the world of work – a career carousel is a simple way of broadening and deepening students’ knowledge,” says Andreas Schleicher, OECD’s Director of Education and Skills. Employers benefit from exchanging with a wider range of students about the opportunities available in their industry and how to prepare for them.
The new report is part of the OECD’s work on Career Readiness. It is supported by the J P Morgan Chase Foundation.
(1) Data was analysed from Australia, Canada, People’s Republic of China, Denmark, Germany, Korea, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and Uruguay.
