Life at age 17: initial findings from the Growing Up in Scotland study (Sweep 11)

3 Careers advice and post-school plans

This chapter includes findings from questions asked of both the young people and their parents about their plans after leaving school, and about sources of support and careers advice. It also includes the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on young people’s plans and optimism for the future.

3.1 Post-school plans

Young people were asked how they felt about different aspects of post-school pathways, including questions about having a career or having a family. These questions asked young people whether they agreed or disagreed with the statements shown in Figure 3-A.

Base: All young people (varies per item 2348-2351)

On whether having a career or profession was important to them, the vast majority (91.8%) of young people ‘agreed’ or ‘agreed strongly’. Young disabled people were less likely than young non-disabled people to ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ (81.4% compared with 94.3%).

Most young people (69.2%) ‘agreed’ or ‘agreed strongly’ that they had a clear idea of the career they wanted. Young disabled people were less likely than young non-disabled people to ‘agree’ or ‘agree strongly’ (64.1% compared with 70.0%).

Just under three in ten wanted to run their own business (28.9% ‘agreed’ or ‘agreed strongly’). Young men were more likely than young women to ‘agree’ or ‘agree strongly’ that they would like to run their own business (34.9% compared with 23.0%), and young disabled people were less likely than young non-disabled people to ‘agree’ or ‘agree strongly’ (21.7% compared with 28.7%).

Around a quarter of young people (25.5%) ‘agreed’ or ‘agreed strongly’ that they don’t mind not enjoying my work if it pays the bills. Young men were more likely than young women to ‘agree’ or ‘agree strongly’ with this statement (32.3% compared with 18.8%). Young people in less deprived areas were more likely to ‘disagree’ or ‘disagree strongly’ with this statement (53.5% in SIMD 5 compared with 41.3% in SIMD 1).

Two thirds of young people (66.9%) ‘agreed’ or ‘agreed strongly’ that they would like to raise a family sometime in the future. Young men (71.0%) were more likely than young women (62.9%) to ‘agree’ or ‘agree strongly’, and young disabled people were less likely than young non-disabled people to ‘agree’ or ‘agree strongly’ (51.7% compared with 69.9%) with this.

3.1.1 Sources of careers advice

Young people were asked what sources of advice they had accessed when deciding what to do after S4 (Figure 3-B). The most common source of advice chosen by young people was their parents or carers (75.9%) followed by Pupil Support or Guidance teachers (55.4%), friends (32.9%) and other teachers at school (30.1%).

Base: All young people (2353)

Young women were more likely to report having used several formal sources of careers advice than young men:

• Pupil Support or Guidance teachers (59.8% compared with 50.9%)
• Skills Development Scotland Careers Advisers (32.6% compared with 26.1%)
• University or college representatives (9.5% compared with 5.1%).

Young disabled people were less likely to have had advice from any of the sources listed – 13.8% said they had received support from none of the sources listed compared with 7.1% of young non-disabled people. Young people in the most deprived quintile were also less likely than those in less deprived quintiles to report having received support from any of the sources listed – 13.7% in SIMD 1 said they had not received support from any of the sources listed compared with between 4.3% and 9.7% in SIMD 2, 3, 4 and 5.

3.1.2 Influences on post-S4 decisions

Young people were also asked what factors were most important to them when deciding what to do after S4. The most common answer was ‘what they enjoyed doing’ (84.4%), followed by ‘what they were good at’ (71.4%).

Base: All young people (2349)

Young men were more likely than young women to select ‘which jobs earn the most money’ (25.1% compared with 13.7%), and ‘which jobs had work-based learning routes - i.e. apprenticeships’ (11.4% compared with 3.8%). Young women were more likely than young men to select ‘which jobs involve helping others’ (16.6% compared with 6.3%) and ‘doing something that has a positive impact on society’ (20.0% compared with 8.2%). Young disabled people were more likely than young non-disabled people to select ‘personal characteristics’ (11.5% compared with 6.1%).

3.1.3 Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on post-S4 plans

Young people were asked whether the Covid-19 pandemic affected their plans for staying on or leaving education after S4. The majority (88.1%) reported that it did not.

Those who reported that it did affect their decisions were asked how their plans changed as a result. Around half (48.7%) said they were planning to stay on in education, but they left as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, while 30.4% reported that they were planning to leave but stayed on in education. Around a fifth (21.0%) reported that they made some other change to their plans as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

3.2 Aspirations and future plans

Young people were asked what they thought they would be doing after leaving school.

3.2.1 Plans for the future

Young people who were currently attending school or being home schooled were asked what they saw themselves doing after leaving school. The most common response was that they wanted to go to university (63.4%), followed by wanting to go to college (19.3%), wanting to begin an apprenticeship or other vocational training course (6.8%) and wanting to enter full-time work (3.5%). A small proportion said ‘something else’ (1.7%) or that they were not sure (5.4%).

Young disabled people were less likely than young non-disabled people to report that they wanted to go to university (55.2% compared with 66.8%), but more likely to say they wanted to go to college (23.1% compared with 17.2%), or that they were not sure (12.8% compared with 4.3%). Young people in more deprived areas were less likely than those in less deprived areas to report they wanted to go to university (39.9% in SIMD 1 compared with 76.1% in SIMD 5) and more likely to say they wanted to go to college (28.7% in SIMD 1 compared with 12.7% in SIMD 5) or to say that they were not sure what they wanted to do (15.9% in SIMD 1 compared with 1.9% in SIMD 5).

3.2.2 Optimism for the future

When asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement ‘I am usually optimistic about my future’, most young people (63.7%) ‘agreed’ or ‘agreed strongly’ that they were. Around a quarter (24.2%) ‘neither agreed nor disagreed’, and 12.1% ‘disagreed’ or ‘disagreed strongly’. Young men were more likely than young women to ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ (67.7% compared with 60.4%), and young disabled people were less likely than young non-disabled people to do so (46.8% compared with 68.5%).

When asked whether they felt more or less optimistic about their future compared with before the coronavirus outbreak in March 2020, 42.9% of young people reported that they felt about the same, 30.9% reported that they felt less optimistic and 26.2% reported that they felt more optimistic. Young women were more likely than young men to say they felt less optimistic about their future after the Covid-19 pandemic (37.2% compared with 23.3%).