How many students feel prepared to enter the workplace? What barriers do they face when searching for jobs, and what have been the greatest challenges of the past year? Prospects' Early Careers Survey seeks to provide answers to these questions and more…
Key findings
- Nearly a third of university students said they had changed their career plans as a result of the pandemic.
- University and college students are increasingly focused on training and development as a priority when looking for a job, ranking it above salary.
- The biggest barrier for university students when searching for a job is having the required work experience.
- A quarter of students interested in apprenticeships are struggling to find suitable opportunities in their area.
- 45% of university students and 36% of college/sixth form students feel unprepared for work.
- A quarter of university students are considering postgraduate study but costs and funding are major concerns.
What's inside
This report includes information on the following themes:
- Challenges of the past year
- Career plans: uncertainty and change
- Career plans: priorities and barriers
- The route to apprenticeships
- Pursuing postgraduate study
About the report
Prospects surveyed its audience throughout January and February 2021 to find out about their career plans and how the pandemic has affected their decisions, receiving 7,189 responses.
This is the second of three reports covering the results of the survey. The first part, Work experience during a crisis, is available now.
Written by
Dan Mason
Editorial manager
Prospects
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