Making informed career choices is among the most important challenges facing young people today. Good career guidance can open doors to opportunities that might otherwise remain unknown. But how effective is the career advice currently provided in schools across Northern Ireland, the UK, and Ireland? At Voices for Impact, we’ve gone straight to the source, gathering insights directly from young people about their experiences.
The State of Career Guidance: A Mixed Picture
Our Learning, Skills and Work surveys reveal a concerning picture of career guidance effectiveness. When asked about the career advice they received, young people over 14 reported:
- Only 45.3% agreed they had received good careers advice about available options
- A substantial 30.0% remained neutral on this question
- Almost a quarter (24.5%) explicitly disagreed that they had received good careers advice
These figures show that while some young people receive helpful guidance, a significant proportion feel underserved by current provision. The experience varies significantly across different groups:
Gender Disparities
- Females were more than twice as likely to report inadequate career advice (31.1%) compared to males (13.8%)
Community Background Variations
- Protestant young people were more likely to disagree they had received good careers advice (27.1%)
- This compares to 20.0% of Catholics and 23.5% of those from ‘Other’ backgrounds
Education and Employment: The Connection Gap
Our survey data highlights important insights into how education connects to employment opportunities. When we asked about skills development:
- 59.3% of young people agreed that their education had given them the skills needed for their desired job
- This varied significantly by community background:
- 69.3% of Catholics felt confident in their skill development
- 58.6% of Protestants agreed
- Only 38.9% from ‘Other’ backgrounds felt confident
These figures mean that more than four in ten young people don’t feel confident their education is equipping them with necessary workplace skills—a troubling statistic.
Many young people also showed limited awareness of alternatives to academic routes, such as apprenticeships and vocational qualifications. Those who were aware often learned about these alternatives through family connections rather than school-based guidance.
The Impact of Limited Career Guidance
The repercussions extend beyond educational choices, affecting career progression and geographic mobility:
Career Progression Challenges
- 39.8% reported finding it difficult to progress in their desired career in Northern Ireland
- This difficulty was more prevalent among females (43.8%) compared to males (33.3%)
Geographic Mobility and “Brain Drain”
- 41.8% planned to move outside Northern Ireland for work or further study
- This intention was higher among those with work experience (45.5%) compared to those without (35.6%)
- 58.8% of young people who identified as ‘Other’ planned to leave, compared to 46.7% of Catholics and 37.1% of Protestants
These figures suggest many young people may not see viable career pathways within Northern Ireland—a perspective that comprehensive career guidance could address by showcasing local opportunities.
What Makes Effective Career Guidance?
Young people identified several key components of truly effective career advice. They want personalised guidance that recognises their individual interests and aspirations, rather than generic information. They seek comprehensive, balanced advice covering all pathways—academic, vocational and entrepreneurial—without bias toward any particular route.
The experiential dimension emerged as particularly important, with young people valuing guidance that incorporates meaningful work experience and direct engagement with employers. Timing is also critical; career guidance should begin early enough to inform educational choices and continue throughout their educational journey, with intensified support at key decision points.
Recommendations for Improvement
Based on these insights, we’ve developed focused recommendations for key stakeholders:
For Schools and Colleges: Personalise guidance approaches beyond one-size-fits-all advice and broaden the scope to include all pathways equitably. Address identified gender gaps in guidance provision and connect subject learning more explicitly to career applications.
For Career Guidance Professionals: Keep knowledge current about emerging industries while helping young people identify transferable skills valued in the workplace. Build stronger relationships with local employers and address potential unconscious bias in guidance practices.
For Policymakers: Establish quality frameworks for career guidance provision and ensure professionals receive high-quality training. Investigate regional and community variations in guidance quality and create structures for meaningful employer involvement.
For Parents and Carers: Complement school guidance with career conversations at home and help young people question assumptions about who can pursue different careers.
Moving Forward Together
Improving career guidance requires coordinated effort from all stakeholders. Through collaboration, we can develop shared resources, training programmes, evaluation tools, and regional networks to address local employment contexts.
Be Part of the Solution
At Voices for Impact, we’re committed to ensuring young people’s perspectives shape the policies and practices that affect them. Your experiences matter! Visit the Voices for Impact website to participate in our surveys and ensure your perspective is counted.
For educators and career guidance professionals, our data provides valuable insights to enhance your practice. For policymakers and school leaders, our evidence can help inform policy development and resource allocation.
Together, we can transform career guidance into a truly empowering experience that opens doors to fulfilling futures for every young person, regardless of their background or circumstances.
This article was produced by Voices for Impact, a collaborative initiative between youth organisations across Northern Ireland, Ireland, and the UK working to amplify the voices of young people in decision-making processes. Read more of our blogs at www.voicesforimpact.ai or www.bytes.org.
