Does it matter whether you go straight into a job after school?

Jo Faragher

A new survey claims that the main reason school-leavers head straight into work, rather than enrolling in higher education, is because they want to earn money straight away.

Research company trendence found that the majority of pupils planning to go straight into work were male, and that 97% of those wanting to kick-start their career were from state schools. Another key factor was wanting to avoid debt.

With the Government pushing its apprenticeship agenda and more and more high profile employers offering routes into a career from school – rather than demanding a degree – surely this is a positive thing?

For too long, there has been an unhealthy split at 18 between going to university or choosing to go out to work. Parents – and teachers, for that matter – have been brainwashed into thinking that vocational routes are somehow lesser, despite allowing young people to gain high quality experience earlier than their graduate counterparts. Consequently, pupils often don’t get the information they need on potential career options, and end up going to university even if it’s not right for them.

This is gradually changing, with apprenticeships now available up to degree level, and in key areas such as leadership and management. There is more money going into funding apprenticeships via the upcoming levy. Gone are the days when an apprenticeship meant slaving away in a greasy garage for a minimum wage – while apprenticeship rates are lower, many employers offer a competitive package to support workers to ‘earn as they learn’.

The trendence report also revealed that university-bound students focused on longer-term career aspects, such as gaining a certain qualification to support their career progress. They even believed their higher education qualification would ensure a “better” job.

However, this belief may be naïve. Last summer, the CIPD estimated that almost 60% of UK graduates are now working in non-graduate jobs. This is a percentage only exceeded by Greece and Estonia.

Perhaps employers need to be focusing on employability for everyone, whether school-leaver or graduate. This could anything from arming school-leavers eager to earn money with a long-term career plan, to ensuring university students complete at least some work experience during the course of their degree. By the time someone is on their second job or looking for that first promotion to management, the choices they made when they were 18 can only be validated by what they’ve achieved since.