A new report from Education and Employers suggests that many UK teenagers are setting themselves up for disappointment when it comes to their career aspirations.
Five times as many 17- and 18-year-olds want to work in industries such as entertainment and sport as there are jobs available, showing a stark disconnection between ambition and opportunity. Just over half (51%) of the 7,000 teens surveyed noted they had no interest' in working in any sector outside of art, culture, entertainment and sport. Consequently, many teenagers are completely overlooking sectors such as hospitality and catering, which need almost seven times as many workers as those now showing interest.
As identified in our latest youth macrotrend Paradox Personas, young people are increasingly pushing back against irrelevant education, opting for alternatives that will give them skills beyond traditional learning and career paths.