Schools ignorant about apprenticeships

London - The ETB has today released preliminary research which illustrates that careers advisors, teachers and other education professionals are not sufficiently informed about apprenticeships. Education professionals, it concluded, must therefore be at the heart of Government interventions and information regarding apprenticeships.

Commenting on the findings, ETB chief executive Paul Jackson  said: "Many teachers, careers advisors, parents and other influencers have a limited understanding of the everyday work of engineers, and this leads to a gap between what they communicate to young people, and the opportunities of the profession. Engineering apprenticeships provide a flexible and accessible pathway into what is a diverse and rewarding career. We can and must work together to ensure young people are fully aware of this."

The ETB research, entitled, Engineers and Engineering Brand Monitor, revealed that:

- 55% of education professionals (careers advisors, teachers, tutors and lecturers) believe a degree is the minimum qualification required for a career in engineering, and are apparently unaware of apprenticeships

- 39 % of education professionals believe a physics qualification is necessary for a career in engineering (which it isn’t for apprenticeships)

- Only 1 % of education professionals claim to very knowledgeable about chemical engineering

- Only 4% of education professionals claim to be very knowledgeable about civil engineering

- Over a quarter of education professionals associated engineering with ‘men’, ‘males’ and being ‘male dominated’.

The report concludes that many teachers and careers advisors have a limited understanding of the everyday work of engineers, and this leads to a gap between what they communicate to young people, and the reality of the profession.

In order to address this issue, the ETB proposes:

- Targeted intervention to ensure all education professionals from teachers to careers advisors are well informed about engineering apprenticeships and other pathways into engineering
-Consistent, targeted and age-appropriate careers information, advice and guidance for all students at all secondary schools