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Tips for parents on Results Day

Careers expert Prospects advises parents to get ready to coach their child through A-Level Results Day, as a survey shows school students rely on family above all other forms of advice when making decisions about their future.

Prospects surveyed 1,423 under 18s about their thoughts and plans for their careers and further education. When asked who they turned to for careers advice, 84% cited family, 69% teachers, 53% friends and 50% careers advisors.

The majority (78%) of those surveyed planned to go to university, mainly to further study a subject they enjoyed (53%) while 27% said it was to get a better job and 12% hoped to increase their lifetime earnings.

The majority (77%) of students already knew the kind of job that they would like to do, with 31% deciding in their first year of college (Year 12) and 30% in Year 10 or 11. More than one in ten said it was something that they had wanted to do for as long as they could remember.

Of those who planned to go straight into work or an apprenticeship (18%), a third said it was because they felt they could have a good career without a degree. A quarter said they wanted to start earning money while one in ten was fed up of studying.

Despite being confident in their decision making, students showed some confusion over the options available. Around half didn’t know the difference between a job, an apprenticeship and a school leaver programme.

Charlie Ball, head of higher education intelligence at Prospects said: “Family are clearly the power house behind education and career decisions for this age group, so it’s vital that we support parents and carers as much as students.”

Five tips for Parents on Results Day

• Ensure your child has their UCAS Track log-in to hand, to check whether their chosen university has accepted them. Finding out they have a place this way, means no need to ring the university or UCAS.
• If they cannot access Track or find that the university hasn’t yet made a decision, help them plan, practice and make a persuasive phone call to the university. They may be offered a place even if they have dropped a grade or two.
• Successfully got the grades but changed their mind about their first choice? A prompt call to the university is essential to ask to be released from this offer, before they can be considered for any other university place, including their insurance choice.
• Most importantly – don’t let your son or daughter get caught up in the frenzy of Results Day. Ensure they take time to research alternative courses properly, get careers advice and avoid committing themselves to three years of study which isn’t right for them
• Finally, if they don’t get a university place, reassure them that there are other options. They could gain valuable experience on a gap year and reapply, study for a professional qualification, or consider combining work and study on an Apprenticeship.

The findings support Prospects’ move to include information and jobs for school and college leavers looking for alternatives to university on prospects.ac.uk.

Charlie adds: “People are making important decisions about their future careers from their early teens, so this is a vital time for offering guidance. We offer graduate careers advice and jobs, yet more than one in ten of those browsing our site are age 18, so we know this group is already career savvy, thinking ahead and has an appetite for advice. We are currently forging relationships with the government and other influential groups to help better serve this age group.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Prospects .