Britain trails France and Germany on careers advice, say manufacturers

Citation

(2005), "Britain trails France and Germany on careers advice, say manufacturers", Education + Training, Vol. 47 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2005.00447aab.006

Britain trails France and Germany on careers advice, say manufacturers

The Government’s drive to increase the number of young people pursuing modern apprenticeships is under threat because of the poor quality of careers advice and guidance, a survey of first-year apprentices has shown. According to the survey, published by the manufacturers’ organisation, EEF, and the sector skills body for engineering and manufacturing, Semta, two-thirds of respondents were advised by their teachers to remain in full-time education, of whom almost all chose to study A-levels. Only one in five were advised to apply for apprenticeships, 83 per cent were given little or no information on apprenticeships, and 33 per cent believed the advice they were given was based on what was best for the school rather than what was best for them as individuals.

The survey adds to the evidence from a previous EEF survey of 600 senior manufacturing managers in the UK, France and Germany, which showed UK manufacturing employers across all sectors and sizes of firm believed poor careers advice was the strongest drawback in recruiting apprentices. This was in stark contrast to French and German employers, who saw it as a positive factor.

EEF director of education and skills Ian Peters said: “Young people continue to receive inadequate advice and guidance that is often biased towards the traditional academic route and does not make them aware of the full range of options available. Without a step change in the quality of careers advice, young people will continue to believe that apprenticeships are for the disaffected and low achievers only and the Government will fail to encourage more young people into vocational education.”