For the first time Primary Futures, the programme run by the charity, Education and Employers has partnered with National Careers Week as its only partner to help expand the week into primary schools across the country. National Careers Week is an exciting opportunity to help raise children’s aspirations and broaden their horizons by bringing volunteers from the world of work into your school. National Careers Week and Primary Futures have teamed up to help schools to easily be able to run activities with employers during this week. 
Latest research shows that inspiring young people about the world of work needs to start from an early age. So by signing on the Primary Futures portal schools can have access to over 48,000 volunteers nationally who are excited to come and tell their career story and motivate students across the country and link what they are learning in school with the world of work. The system is simple, easy to use and free.
Education and Employers, ‘Drawing the Future’ report published in 2018 showed that children as young as six have already started to form opinions about what they can or cannot be in the future. This research highlights that they are influenced by what they see around them, and that gender and socio-economic stereotyping can play a big part in this. It showed that only 1% of children had learnt about a job from someone visiting their school, 36% based their career aspirations on someone they know with 45% being influenced by TV, film or radio. More worryingly, these aspirations have little in common with the actual jobs available. Last month, the charity launched its latest research commissioned by Teach First looking entitled: Career-related learning in primary: The role of primary teachers and schools in preparing children for the future.
The report sets out examples of good career-related learning, despite challenges such as finding space and time in the curriculum to provide opportunities to learn about the world of work. The report identifies that an essential ingredient for successful primary schools is buy-in from senior leadership. It recommends that primary schools should develop an approach to career-related learning that enables students to engage progressively in a wide range of experiences of transitions and the world of work. Children should have encounters with the world of work from the age of five to see the connection between what they learn and what they might want to do in the future. The full report can be downloaded from here. We now know that this mismatch is set at a young age and heavily influenced by socio-economic background, gender and the role models children see.
The National Careers Week website has a host of resources schools can use throughout the week and together we will be preparing additional resources to help primary schools engage fully with this week. There are also plenty of free resources which you can access via Primary Futures when you have signed up to make planning and organising events much easier. The Primary Futures team is here to support to make your National Careers Week activity a success so do get in touch if you need help or advice.
Already schools are planning careers fairs, speed networking events and the ‘What’s my Line’ game – so sign up now and get involved.
So, join why don’t you sign up now and join the movement to raise the aspirations and broaden the aspirations of our primary school children.