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Career intentions in 16–18-year-olds

The Project

What do 16 to 18-year-olds really care about when it comes to selecting their future career? Do they see the teaching profession as a viable choice? It’s these big questions that we are aiming to start a conversation in with our nationwide study of Sixth Form students’ career attitudes, intentions, and beliefs to better understand career motivations and choices.

We are working with schools and colleges across the UK to survey their students and provide schools with information relevant to Gatsby Benchmarks about the breadth of career intentions, student motivations, and their learning experiences.

This study will form a part of an international piece comparing 16- to 18-year-olds in the UK, to those globally.

Research Questions

  • How do A-level students make career decisions?
  • What are the key motivations driving their choices?

Research Team

External Team

    Secondary schools in the UK, Germany and India

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Project Details

Funder: Economic and Social Research Council
Theme: Oxford University Teacher Education Research Group; Pedagogy, Learning and Knowledge