Today, 29th January at Ballysally Primary School, Coleraine, Education Minister Paul Givan launched a new report: “A ‘Drawing the Future’ study of children’s career aspirations and how they compare with labour market demands and the future of the economy”.
The report, the first of its type in Northern Ireland reveals the lack of awareness many children have about the future career opportunities open to them. The study, written by Dr Chris Percy, Associate Professor Dr Deirdre Hughes OBE and Nick Chambers, has been made possible thanks to the ‘A Fair Start’ programme, the support of the Department of Education, the Education Authority, and of course the teachers and children who took part. It uses our internationally recognised ‘Drawing the Future’ methodology, which we have undertaken in 22 countries, to examine children’s career aspirations and compares them with labour market demands and the future of the economy.
It shows that children’s knowledge of future careers is heavily based on what they see around them – their family, people working in the local area, or on TV, the internet or increasingly on social media, and is impacted by social and economic deprivation. There is very little alignment with the current and the predicted jobs needed to ensure a vibrant and prosperous economy and society. For example, 35% of children aspire to careers in culture, media or sport but only 1% of projected jobs are in those areas. And very few children aspire to jobs in key growth areas such as technology / robotics/ Al / Cyber and net zero. And the jobs children aspire to show clear gender difference:
| Boys | Girls |
|---|---|
| Footballer | Teacher |
| Farmer | Vet |
| Engineer | Hairdresser |
| Builder | Artist |
| Police | Footballer |
| Mechanic | Doctor |
| Rugby Player | Nurse |
| Youtuber | Singer |
| Chef | Fashion Designer |
| Teacher | Baker |
Research proves that people from the world of work can help show children the relevance of the subjects they are studying, excite them about their learning, improve their motivation which in turn leads to improvements in attainment. But less than 1% of children in Northern Ireland have had that chance according to the report.
But the report does identify a solution – getting people from the world of work to give an hour a year to chat informally to them, either in person or virtually. People from a wide range of sectors and backgrounds, those at the start of their career or coming up to retirement, and from all levels – apprentices to CEOs.
As well as the report launch a special event took place which saw a wide range of people chatting to the primary aged-children at Ballysally about their job in person.
This started with a Primary Futures’ ‘What’s My Line?’ quiz with 4 volunteers from the world of work – one of whom joined virtually. The children had to work out what jobs they did by asking them a series of Yes or No questions e.g. Do you work outdoors, do you use maths in your job etc. After they had asked a series of questions, they were asked to work out the jobs that the people did and the answers were written up on a flipchart. The volunteers then left the assembly hall and returned with props to reveal their jobs. It was wonderful to see their faces and hear their gasps of awe as each volunteer revealed their identity and job role.
The 4 volunteers revealed themselves to be:
- A top creative Concept Artist who has worked with Hollywood studios on some of the most highly accredited films of all time.
- A dynamic Entrepreneur, who started an international beauty business selling in 10+ countries and which is now valued at 8.5 million which she launched from her garage.
- A young Professional Footballer who is pursuing his dream but has also had the drive and commitment to finish his school exams, and is preparing in parallel, qualifications for a life after being a player.
- A Professor of Solar Physics from the Davos Observatory in Switzerland, who was born and grew up in Lugan, County Armagh. For the last 20 years she has worked on a project culminating in a probe launch to the sun to learn about its behaviour and shared photos and footage of solar activity.
After the formal launch by the Minister and Chair of the Education Authority they then joined other volunteers and went into the classrooms to chat to the children about their jobs and career route. These included: Artist, Astro-Physicist, Bank Manager, Basket Maker, News Director, Gas Engineer, Beauty Business Owner, Bus Driver, Chocolatier, Civil Engineer, Clothes Shop Manager, Football Player, Concept Artist for Film, Consultant Doctor, Electrical Business Owner, Estate Agent, Fire Fighter, Farmer, Forestry Services Manager, Hairdresser, Electronics Engineer, Lecturer in Pharmacology and Molecular Pathology, Locksmith, Part-time Actor, Hospital Manager, Mechanic, Mental Health Nurse, Musician, Optician, Football Club Owner, Personal trainer, Plumber, Running coach, Sales and Marketing Director, Software Engineer, Solicitor, Surfer and a Vet.
Key findings:
- There is a significant misalignment between the jobs children aspire to and economic forecasts. For example, 35% of children aspire to careers in culture, media or sport but only 1% of projected jobs are in those areas
- Children’s aspirations cover only 31% of current employment in Northern Ireland
- Very few children aspire to jobs in key growth areas such as technology / robotics/ Al / Cyber and net zero
- Parents, TV, internet and social media are the biggest influence on children’s aspirations
- Fewer than 1% of children mentioned hearing about a job through visitors to the school coming to introduce their work
- Socio-economic disadvantage makes a big difference to children’s aspirations. For example, girls in high-rate FSM schools see much more interest in creative/performing arts than girls in low-rate FSM schools (21% vs 12%)
- Local environment also makes a difference for some interests. For instance, in rural areas 13% of boys want to be farmers compared to 0% in urban areas
- There are marked gender differences in the jobs children aspire to. The top choices for boys are Footballer, Farmer, Engineer and Builder whilst for girls they are Teacher, Vet, Hairdresser and Artist
- Expectations for going to university are higher for girls (50%) than boys (36%) while the expectation of doing an apprenticeship are lower than university for both boys and girls (25% for both groups)
- Levels of misalignment improve little among children aged 11 compared to aged 7, even if interest in specific jobs does. For instance, 40% of boys aged 7 want to be professional sports players or work in the uniformed services (police, firefighters etc), compared to 36% by age of 11. Meanwhile, 28% of girls aged 7 want to work with animals or in creative or performing roles – unchanged at 28% at age of 11
- Schools can play an important role in compensating for the lack of understanding children often have of the opportunities open to them which can set self-imposed limits on their ambitions for the future
- Programmes such as Inspiring the Future (and the version for primary schools – Primary Futures) that use technology to connect schools and employers at a national scale provide easy to organise, cost effective virtual and in-person opportunities for children to meet inspirational people doing a wide range of occupations and sectors. It helps to broaden horizons, raise aspirations and increase children’s motivation to learn
Quotes:
Paul Givan MLA, Minister of Education said: High quality careers education and guidance is crucial in ensuring learners are aware of their future options and available pathways. It is not simply advising on job options, it is also about opening doors, expanding horizons and empowering young people to make informed decisions about their future.
As Education Minister, I want to ensure that all young people, regardless of gender, location or background, have access to the support and information that they need to make confident, well-informed choices. Exposing children to more real-world examples in a way that is both exciting and embedded in everyday school life, as well as being age appropriate, can help transform the way they view certain professions and roles.
Geoff Dunn MBE, Principal Ballysally Primary school said: I am so grateful to the many volunteers who have attended today’s Primary Futures careers event. Our pupils have learned that their work in the classroom will impact their future, and with effort, determination, resilience and an ‘I can’ mindset they can follow their passions and dreams. This programme should be made available to all school across Northern Ireland as I feel it is often too late to inform pupils about career options in post-primary school.
I believe it is vital to introduce primary school children to a plethora of relatable and yet creative employments and they should have the chance to meet a diverse range of people doing different jobs, regardless of their background or family connections.
Mervyn Storey, Chairperson of the Education Authority said: The Principal and staff of Ballysally Primary School are to be commended for being part of this programme. Giving our children at an early age this range of information could be life changing. It sows the seed of what their future career could be and undoubtedly lead to an employment opportunity that they never thought was possible
As well as the report launch a special event took place which saw a wide range of people chatting to the primary aged-children at Ballysally about their job in person. Talking virtually with the children was Professor of Solar Physics, Louise Harra from the Davos Observatory in Switzerland.
Professor Louise Harra, Director, Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium, Davos, Switzerland said: I was delighted to have been asked to chat to the children today. I was born and grew in in Lurgan, County Armagh and I never got the chance to see a range of people with different careers coming to my school and showing me the opportunities that were open to me. That is why I am so keen to volunteer and will be encouraging other people to do so.
