School leavers are ‘not offered enough help with careers’

♦ Less than a third of pupils have completed work experience by Year 13, the Sutton Trust has warned, raising fears for a “lost generation”.

Research published by the social mobility charity found that 36 per cent of secondary school pupils say they do not feel confident about the next steps they should take in education or training, in part as a result of lack of experience. This has prompted calls for a new national strategy for careers education and more funding for schools so that pupils can access work placements when aged 14 to 16.

Cllr Kevin Bentley, chairman of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) People and Places Board, said: “Without action to address our fragmented national employment support system, we risk creating a lost generation of young people.”

The report, based on a representative Yougov survey of more than 1,000 pupils aged 11 to 18 in November 2021, found that just under a third of state school teachers say they do not have enough funding to deliver quality careers guidance to their pupils – compared with 6 per cent of private school teachers.

More than half – 51 per cent – of state school teachers also said that they did not have enough time to advise pupils on career paths.