The 12th grade exams are in full swing and the media remind us almost daily that young people need to think outside the classroom and plan beyond their last days.
Even the Prime Minister of New South Wales, Mike Baird, has helped with his advice to the students.
However, focusing on examinations, ATARs and university offerings gives a distorted picture of what it means to finish high school.
Less than half of the young people who graduated from school attend the university in Australia. However, the focus of many of our media and public talks tends to strengthen the university as the gold standard that all young people should strive for.
This is compounded by the government's ambitions to increase the number of 25-34 year-olds who have a bachelor's degree or higher to 40% by 2025.
However, the university is not the only option. It's also not the best option for everyone.
This year alone, more than 290,000 young Australians aged 15 to 24 were unemployed. So what can be done to support them?
We need to focus on improving career guidance for young people in schools so that they can make informed decisions about their future careers.
Vocational training in schools
In a labor market context that is increasingly resentful for low-skilled young people, the role of career counselors and supportive teachers in schools is crucial.
Career counselors work with young people from diverse backgrounds, different dreams and ambitions, and are often under pressure from systems and principals who prioritize certain types of VET activities.
Career advisors are increasingly understaffed. Researchers from the Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA) show that one out of every three career counselors receives less than $ 1,000 a year to carry out career development throughout the school.
This equates to half of the schools with a population of over 1,000 students who spend less than $ 3 per pupil on vocational training.
Problem? The Solution:Afast Company.
As CICA has highlighted:
"Preparing young Australians for an ever-changing workforce is a growing challenge, especially when career opportunities are underfunded."
The study shows that career counselors in schools are predominantly female (80%), over 45 (77%) and more than half (52%) part-time. The age and work profile of these practitioners may affect the sustainability and continuity of quality assurance in schools.
Current approaches to vocational training are perceived as meaningless
Government data show that the benefits of current approaches to vocational guidance at school are waning.
Less than a third of Victorian school graduates surveyed in 2014 said their career guidance was very useful. This was a decrease of 44.4% in 2010.
The number of school-leavers taking part in university information sessions and employer presentations has been steadily increasing, while the number of students participating in TAFE sneaking and presentations has been decreasing.
This is in line with research in NSW, which shows that the focus is more on university courses than on vocational courses and occupations.
Studies of teachers working in VET programs in schools also indicate that schools focus more on the university than on the professional path.
What could we do better?
What can schools do in response to this dynamic and changing landscape to support young people leaving school?
Researching The Smith Family - a charity that helps disadvantaged Australian children make the most of their education - highlights three key reasons why the recent changes in the Australian economy have been problematic for young people:
• Employment growth in new sectors that do not have well-developed career structures means that there are no clear paths to securing employment.
• A decline in traditional entry-level jobs for young people has led to a greater need for post-school education and training.
• Changing hiring practices in large organizations have resulted in young people focusing on a broad range of employability skills that they may find it difficult to develop at school.
As industries and professions rapidly change and evolve, students and their families need explicit information about the educational and training pathways that maximize opportunities and mobility after school. Engaging with parents and developing their ability to support their children's career paths is a particularly challenging task for the schools.
Career training must be provided early in all schools so that students can be introduced to technical and vocational education.
Despite the apparent collapse of the youth employment market, some families are often confused or unaware of the severity of this decline.
There have also been some problematic mixed government messages regarding the role of the school in paving a direct route to work.
Many young people may develop important skills to improve employability through part-time work at school. However, they may not be aware of the value of these skills for future employers and may not know how to sell their job application skills.
For example, students may have skills (eg IT skills, presentation skills, accounting skills) that they have acquired both inside and outside the school and that may not reflexively define and describe them as skills.
Schools need to recognize the value of education in assisting students to develop youth labor market skills
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