Students need clarity on their postsecondary paths

Key points:

There is a lot of emphasis on college and career readiness, but too often, K-12 students are not exposed to career possibilities or resources to form a sense of what their future will look like.

Students have aptitudes (or natural talents) for the country's most in-demand career fields, including health care, manufacturing, technology and finance, but are unwilling to pursue those occupations due to a profound lack of exposure, according to State of the American Workforce Report 2024 from the technology provider YourSciencewhich aims to solve the skills gap crisis for students and employers.

Exposure gaps are particularly prevalent in STEM education and are most pronounced for underrepresented groups such as girls and minorities.

Women play a crucial role in filling well-paying and in-demand STEM careers, but they represent only 34 percent of the workforce. STEM Workforceaccording STEM and female students report 2024.

Beginning in middle school, female students experience significant STEM exposure gaps that continue into high school. The report highlights critical insights into career exposure gaps among female students across the country for a variety of in-demand jobs and offers actionable solutions to close these gaps in STEM careers.

“Too many young people are leaving high school without a clear idea of ​​where they are going or how to get there. In fact, less than half of respondents who identified as members of Generation Z said they had enough information to decide which path after high school was best for them,” said Judy Goldstein, senior vice president of Public Relations and Communications. from American Student Assistance (ASA). .

A survey commissioned by ASA and Jobs for the Future (JFF) found that parents and educators alike lack sufficient information about the scope and quality of education and career paths available to today's youth. The survey and accompanying whitepaper, Beyond Degrees, found that nearly 90 percent of parents are interested in learning more about non-degree pathways for their children, and two in five want schools begin advising students about their postsecondary options as early as high school.

“With more than one million credentials available through various programs and organizations, today's young people face a wide range of degree and non-degree options, including certificate programs, apprenticeships, short-term credentials, and professional licenses, but there is little information about which ones are not. Bachelor's degrees lead to meaningful, quality jobs and careers. By recognizing this information gap, we will see a greater trend toward providing greater equitable access to the information, including free digital resources, that young people need to help them find the right path for them after high school,” Goldstein added.

As the workforce evolves, students and teachers need to know how classroom learning connects to future careers. In fact, making learning relevant to careers and the real world is one of the strategies educators employ to increase student engagement and interest in lessons.

“Career-related learning will be more important than ever. The workforce has undergone significant changes and today's jobs require advanced skills and specialized training, particularly in STEM fields. However, many high school classrooms still use outdated models of college and career readiness, which can leave high school graduates feeling unprepared for its future,” said Edson Barton, CEO of YourScience. “This highlights the growing need for secondary schools to incorporate career-related learning. In the upcoming school year, we can expect more educators and counselors to focus on aligning their students' educational experiences with the demands of the labor market so that they are better prepared to pursue college and/or career paths that empower them to succeed. “

A way to help students learn what their future will be like? Career planning.

“High school students said that learning the skills they need to succeed in the real world is a top criterion when choosing a path after graduation. But there is a disconnect between what students know they want to learn and what they learn,” writes Joanna McCumber, digital integration specialist at Anderson School District 5 in South Carolina.

McCumber uses several career planning tools to help students find what they love to do and identify career paths in those areas:

1. Discovery education Professional connection helps students connect with working industry professionals to learn about their career paths and what it's like to work in the field. Teachers can virtually connect students with industry professionals to talk about their careers, the concepts they use to solve problems, and the path they have taken to get to where they are today.

2. a day in the life is a free digital archive of first-hand accounts of what it's like to work in a specific field or role. Students will be able to find jobs that reflect their interests and get excited about their future. From social media manager to oncology charge nurse to lead video game animator, there are countless different career paths to explore.

3. Forage offers free job simulations that expose students to a wide range of careers and skills. Through partnerships with top companies, students gain a unique insight into what it would be like to be an industry professional. Industries range from marketing to software engineering, and popular companies like JP Morgan and Lululemon offer job simulations. This is a great tool for students looking to develop industry-related skills and explore real-life projects.

Laura Ascione is the editorial director of eSchool Media. He graduated from the prestigious Philip Merrill School of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

Latest messages from Laura Ascione (see all)