‘Learn as much as you can about opportunities out there for your child’
The consensus is that teenagers never listen to their parents. But there is at least one topic where family members are the first port of call.
Parents are the most popular source of advice when young people are thinking about their futures.
A new survey completed by 21,000 teenagers who are active on the Unifrog destinations platform reveals that more than two thirds turn to their parents when trying to decide their next steps. Around half speak to staff at school or college, while friends are the next source of information. Only 12 per cent take note of social media influencers when it comes to planning their future.
But for many parents, giving this advice can feel like a huge responsibility and one they do not necessarily feel equipped to handle, given the complexity of today’s education, training and careers landscape.
“It is so difficult for parents, especially when your child doesn’t know what they want to do,” says Helen Dunne, the mother of a 17-year-old who is about to switch to a new course at college.
“Support from school and college can be lacking if they don’t want to do A-levels. When they have achieved good GCSE grades, the concern is finding a course that is academically challenging yet still something they want to pursue. What we’ve realised is it is best to choose a course they are interested in rather than focus on ‘is this what they will do with the rest of their life?’ They have the rest of their life to figure that out.”
Her experience is echoed in a thread on the Mumsnet forum, entitled “Does anyone else struggle with giving their teen career advice?”, where parents lament their lack of knowledge and reveal their fears of saying the wrong thing.
One mother feels she is walking a tightrope: “I want to help them find something that they will enjoy, but I want to make sure it is also going to be a safe bet for them. I just don’t know where to start. Does anyone else feel this way?”
If the answer to that question is yes, the Evening Standard has the solution. The Step Up Expo, which is taking place at London Olympia later this week brings together a unique blend of schools, colleges, universities and employers to give London teenagers — and their parents — access to a spectrum of education, training and career choices.
The two-day event is the only London show that puts academic and practical subjects, training, apprenticeships and careers under one roof, to inspire young Londoners to think about their future beyond school. From advice about arts, media and design courses to apprenticeships with global brands, talks on how to revise and what to do next if your GCSE grades are disappointing, to workshops on acing your Oxbridge application, Step Up can help motivate your teenager to embrace the next stage of their life.
Father-of-four Gavin Sharp, from The Mix, a charity whose staff and volunteers will be on hand to provide support at Step Up, understands the concerns parents have. “Young people are influenced by their parents because they care what we think and want to please us,” he says. “Often parents reflect on their own experiences, but times have changed.”
The advice from Dan Keller, CEO of Unifrog, another Step Up exhibitor, is to “learn as much as possible about the broad range of opportunities out there for your child”.
The tip for families is to be open to all possibilities — and trust your offspring.
When Yzzy Hardy decided to take up an audit apprenticeship with accountancy firm KPMG, rather than a place at university, her parents were doubtful. But three years in, and they have been convinced. “Having seen my journey, they are so proud of all I’ve achieved,” says the 22-year-old. “Honestly, I am proud of myself too — I never thought these opportunities were available for a young person starting out.”
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