Confidence, costs and relationships are often the biggest obstacles for young people. Find out how parents and educators can help.
Generation Z students are stressed about their future
The world of work is changing every day – and the next generation is paying attention. According to a survey by Pearson, Gen Z students are not only concerned about finding a healthy balance between school and home life, they are also worried about their future. In particular, many young people are worried about how they can find the right job, acquire the right skills and make the right connections to actually be successful.
That’s why early career guidance is becoming a priority for Gen Z students who are anxious about the future. In addition, an ASA study found that 69% of current high school students and 66% of graduates wish they had had more career guidance opportunities during middle and high school.
“The biggest barriers young people face are confidence, cost and connections,” says Dr. Lorna Bryant, Head of Career Solutions in Pearson’s Virtual Learning Division. “Their fears are related to the fear that they don’t have the skills employers are looking for and that they don’t know the right people who can help them pursue a career they really enjoy.”
In the first part of my interview with Dr. Bryant, we talked about the need for better school-life balance for Gen Z students. Today, we’re looking at research on the challenges this generation faces in choosing careers and how parents and educators can help.
Building trust
One of the study’s key findings was that many children want their parents to actively help them plan for their future. “Research shows that teens want their parents to be involved in their career choices by helping them find a job (48%) and sharing resources with them (43%),” says Dr. Bryant.
“Given the many options available, they are afraid of choosing the ‘wrong’ path, which could lead to increased resource expenditure (time and costs) associated with choosing their post-secondary career.”
Young people cannot make confident decisions without information, but many parents feel unable to support their children in choosing careers outside their own field. “Fifty-two percent of parents and 49 percent of students say they want to know what skills they need to develop and what employers are important to them in order to pursue their dream job or career,” says Dr. Bryant. “About the same number (52 percent of parents and 42 percent) say they need to know what educational programs or pathways they should pursue.”
To access this information, Dr. Bryant says parents and students should be able to contact school and career counselors. “Students can also connect with employers, internships and clubs, and take advantage of specialized courses that seamlessly transition into higher education and nationally recognized industry certifications,” Dr. Bryant says.
The key for parents is to get involved, stay engaged, and learn about career options with their child so that Generation Z can make confident choices about their education and future careers.
Calculate the costs
But even as more children want their parents to get involved, parents may need to change their views about the “right” education and career path for their child. Generation Z is increasingly skeptical about college, even though more than three-quarters of parents still believe it’s a worthwhile investment.
“There is a critical need for skilled workers and young people know it,” says Dr. Bryant. “Research shows that only 48 percent of eighth- to 12th-graders plan to attend a four-year institution, while 20 percent are undecided.”
Where is this change coming from? Dr Bryant points to the growing awareness of the industry’s focus on competency-based learning and the fact that universities are beginning to integrate prior learning and experience (via industry certificates or work-based learning) into degree programs.
“In addition, some colleges are beginning to build courses and programs around prior and competency-based learning,” she says. “So getting students interested in career guidance as early as sixth grade is important to identify paths they don’t want to take, to reduce the cost of education, and to enter the workforce prepared and in roles they find meaningful.”
For parents, this means getting involved in their child’s career orientation – while remaining open to all further career paths that lead to a viable career with a living wage.
Make connections
One of the biggest hurdles that Generation Z faces in their career path is how to make valuable connections in the workplace. In many ways, this is a difficult task for parents, as our own contacts in the workplace tend to be focused on our respective fields of expertise. For example, it can be challenging for a parent who works in accounting to help their child make connections with professionals in engineering.
But what all parents can do, regardless of their own career field, is help their children develop the important skills that will help them socialize in the workplace.
“From my experience in the K-12 environment, I have observed that the most important skills are a willingness to learn throughout life and a growth mindset in this ever-changing world,” says Dr. Bryant.
In another study, Pearson identified the top “power skills” that employers find most valuable. The majority of these are people skills such as communication, leadership, attention to detail and teamwork. “Volunteering, part-time jobs and participating in or leading team sports are great examples of putting these skills into practice,” says Dr. Bryant. Parents can help by encouraging their teens to look for opportunities to build these skills in school and highlight them on college or job applications and resumes.
For companies looking to hire talent with these skills, Dr. Bryant recommends prioritizing internships, apprenticeships and mentoring that allow students to apply these skills in the workplace. “This also allows them to connect with your company early in their career journey,” she says.
Better career guidance
Generation Z is well advised to start planning for their future now, but it is up to parents, educators and other influential people in their lives to provide these young people with the resources they need to make the right decisions for them.
Making the most of career opportunities during high school doesn’t have to be difficult or arduous. “Students should engage in activities that they enjoy, but also ones that test and challenge them and provide them with opportunities to develop their skills,” says Dr. Bryant.
Career success begins long before the first day of work. If we can help Generation Z gain better career prospects and develop their skills in high school, they will be well-equipped to enter the workforce connected, confident and ready to do their part.
