Childwise research: the views of students and teachers on careers in agriculture

Careers in Agriculture Benchmarking the views of students and teachers on careers in agriculture and its associated industries Research Report Autumn 2011

Prepared for: Bill Graham - Farming & Countryside Education (FACE) Victoria Harris – Business in the Community (BITC) ‘Careers in Agriculture’ Campaign

Prepared by: Jenny Ehren, Rosemary Duff, Simon Leggett, CHILDWISE Telephone: 01603 630054 Email: [email protected] CHILDWISE - 6224 / 6232 / 6233 MOORE

Careers in Agriculture Research – Autumn 2011

CHILDWISE – Careers In Agriculture – Research Report – Autumn 2011 1

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CHILDWISE – Careers In Agriculture – Research Report – Introduction 1

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION 3

2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 4

3 METHODOLOGY & SAMPLE 5

3.1 STUDENTS – QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 5

3.2 STUDENTS – QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH 7

3.3 TEACHERS & CAREERS ADVISERS 8

4 SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS 11

4.1 STUDENTS – SUMMARY 11

4.2 TEACHERS AND CAREERS ADVISERS – SUMMARY 15

4.3 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 18

5 RESEARCH WITH STUDENTS AGED 12-18 21

5.1 GENERAL INTERESTS 21

5.2 PLANS FOR THE FUTURE 23

5.3 USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT CAREERS 27

5.4 SOURCES OF INFORMATION 31

5.5 INTEREST IN & KNOWLEDGE OF CAREER DESTINATIONS 36

5.6 AGRICULTURE AND ITS ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES 44

5.7 CASE STUDIES FOR JOBS IN AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES 54

5.8 CAREER RELATED WEBSITES 66

6 RESEARCH WITH TEACHERS AND CAREERS ADVISORS 70

6.1 CAREER RESOURCES 70

6.2 CAREER RELATED ACTVITIES 76

6.3 CAREERS IN AGRICULTURE 79

6.4 ADVICE TO STUDENTS 86

6.5 CASE STUDIES IN AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES 90

6.6 COMMUNICATING AGRICULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES 92

APPENDIX

QUESTIONNAIRE – STUDENTS

QUESTIONNAIRE – TEACHERS AND ADVISERS





1 INTRODUCTION

This report examines data from research with secondary school students aged 12-18 and teachers / careers advisers, conducted by CHILDWISE during Autumn 2011. Research was commissioned on behalf of the recently launched „Careers in Agriculture‟ campaign – a joint industry led campaign designed to promote positive perceptions of agriculture and its associated industries. The purpose of this research is to explore the current perception of careers in farming and its associated industries among young people, and to a lesser extent, teachers and careers advisers – what do young people find appealing about this industry, and how are they made aware of the different career options available to them. This will provide a benchmark against which the future success of the CIA campaign can be measured. The report brings together three complementary modules of research, with the aim of providing credible and robust data, supported by an in-depth understanding of the issues involved.

1. Qualitative research with students aged 12-18 years

2. Quantitative research with students aged 12-18 years

3. Interviews with teachers and advisors responsible for providing careers advice to

young people

Data for students and for teachers / advisers are presented separately within the report.



2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

STUDENTS

To explore and measure young people‟s perception of the agricultural industry

o Awareness of the range of opportunities within agriculture o Attitudes and expectations towards careers in agriculture o Perceived benefits of a career in this industry o Perceived barriers or limitations and possible solutions to these

To explore and measure how they find out about careers in general, and the implications for agriculture

o How, when, and from whom do they find out about careers o What information about careers are they looking for o What channels and approaches do they use o Which approaches work best o How can careers in agriculture best be communicated

TEACHERS & CAREERS ADVISORS

To establish:

o Awareness of the range of opportunities within agriculture o Perceptions of agriculture as a career, compared with other options o Extent to which they provide advice about / promote agricultural

careers among students

To explore: o Main careers-related resources used – online, printed, other o Role of visits, work experience, speakers, careers fairs etc o What information about careers they are looking for o Which approaches work best o How can careers in agriculture best be communicated

To identify: o Examples of good / useful / popular careers resources – what makes

these successful o Examples of less successful material, why does this fail



3. METHODOLOGY & SAMPLE Research with students and with teachers / careers advisers was carried out during October and November 2011. Students – qualitative research Students – quantitative research Teachers / careers advisers – semi-structured online questionnaire 3.1 STUDENTS – QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 3.1.1 Methodology & sample We carried out six discussion groups with boys and girls aged 12-18 years. Two of these groups were carried out via a school from the CHILDWISE panel (rural), whilst pressures on timing resulted in the remaining four groups being recruited outside of school during the half term holidays. In order to focus this element of the research on those who, in the broadest sense, are potential candidates for an agriculture related career, students with an interest in science, maths, geography and business studies were selected to take part. Fieldwork took place in Sheringham (Norfolk), Altrincham (Manchester) and Chester Le Street (County Durham) between 12-28 October 2011. Locations were chosen to reflect the views and opinions from students in rural, suburban and urban communities. Those in the suburban area were chosen as being above average ability levels, to reflect the Campaign‟s desire to attract bright and progressive individuals. Students in the remaining groups represented a cross section of abilities and circumstances. Group Structure:

Boys Girls TOTAL

13-14 yrs (Year 9)

Norfolk (Rural)

Chester le Street (Suburban)

2

15-16 yrs (Year 11)

Altrincham (Urban)

Norfolk (Rural)

2

17-18 yrs (Year 13)

Chester le Street (Suburban)

Altrincham (Urban)

2

3 3 6

The groups opened with a short discussion about plans for the future, and trusted sources of information. It then moved on to look at the extent to which the students are aware of the wide range of career destinations available to them, and the type of information that interests them most. This was then followed by a mapping exercise in which students were asked to arrange a list of example careers, including agriculture, into specific groups e.g. those that are similar, those which you would consider.



Having introduced agriculture to the discussion, the group were then asked to discuss how much they know about this industry, and more specifically, whether it is a path that they have previously considered. Students talked about which elements had the greatest appeal, plus any perceived barriers and limitations that they associate with this sector. The next part of the discussion introduced six case studies of young people who have pursued a career in agriculture. Students were asked to read these in pairs and highlight and discuss elements that interested / surprised them, plus features that put them off. The final part of the discussion revealed the current dilemma facing the agricultural industry – students were asked to think about which elements capture their enthusiasm and interest most, and how these could be effectively communicated to young people their age. They were also shown screen grabs from existing careers websites, and asked to provide their thoughts on these. 3.1.2 About the Groups Norfolk (Rural)

Smaller than average school, situated in rural Norfolk Achievement and standards are good The school‟s curriculum has improved in recent years, particularly by the inclusion of

more vocational options in both the main school and sixth form The proportion of students from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average The school has specialist arts status The number of students in the sixth form is increasing

Chester le Street, County Durham (Suburban)

Area on the fringe of Tyneside / Durham conurbations – some came from Gateshead Students for the groups were selected to be above average in ability Students drawn from a number of different schools serving the area The proportion of students from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average Three of the schools have specialist status – sports and community college,

specialist technology college – with some rated outstanding, whilst the fourth is a catholic 11-18 mixed comprehensive.

All the schools have a sixth form, offering traditional A / AS Levels and also vocational qualifications, including BTEC.

Altrincham, Manchester (Urban)

Students in the groups attend grammar and comprehensive schools, plus some at the local FE college. Because this is a densely populated urban area, there is a wide range of different schools nearby

Some of the girls attend a girls only catholic school Students spanned the range of abilities Although Manchester is an area with a high ethnic minority population, the proportion

from ethnic minorities in this particular part of the wider area is relatively low One of the schools is a specialist sports college, sponsored by the local football club.



3.2 STUDENTS – QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH In order to measure the scale of views and opinions among young people, students throughout England were asked to complete an online questionnaire about their perceptions of the agricultural industry, via schools from the CHILDWISE panel. An online approach facilitates a streamline questionnaire, with students only seeing the questions that are relevant to them, plus answer codes can be randomised to avoid order bias. However, all schools were given the option to complete the survey on paper if they preferred.

37 Schools and Colleges took part in total, covering schools with and without a sixth form, plus Sixth Form and FE Colleges.

Locations were chosen to represent views and opinions from those living in urban, suburban and rural communities

1581 interviews were achieved with boys and girls aged 12-18 years Data weighted to adjust imbalances during fieldwork

Fieldwork was conducted in November 2011

3.2a Sample Profile

24%19%

12%

14%

15%17% Year 8-9 Boys Years 8-9 Girls

Year 10-11 Boys

Year 12-13 Boys

Year 10-11 Girls

Year 12-13 Girls



3.3 TEACHERS & CAREERS ADVISERS As part of the wider research project exploring young people‟s awareness and perceptions of careers in agriculture, we also carried out a small scale consultation with teachers and careers advisers. Whilst parents, family and friends are the most important influences in children‟s career choices, schools play a significant role, particularly in relation to choosing courses and exploring options. Current changes in the career advisory system mean that there is a degree of uncertainty at present. Funding is being withdrawn from Connexions and Aimhigher, with the emphasis shifting to general online services. Work Experience is no longer part of the curriculum for Year 10 students. In addition, the changes in HE funding and the shortage of jobs for young people mean that traditional approaches are coming under scrutiny.

This element of the research looks at:

Careers resources used by teachers and advisers Use and importance of careers-related activities Examples of good and poor resources Knowledge of career opportunities in agriculture and associated sectors Agricultural qualifications Perception of a range of agricultural careers, using case studies Resources that would be most useful to teachers and careers advisers

3.3.1 Research Approach Careers co-ordinators or equivalent from schools, colleges and advisory groups across England were invited to take part in an online survey, which combined pre-coded and open questions in order to explore response. A total of 26 teachers and careers advisers returned completed questionnaires, primarily from schools and colleges across England, but also one careers advisory company. The focus of the survey – Careers in Agriculture – was not disclosed until later in the questionnaire, to avoid biasing participation towards those with an interest in the topic. Respondents had the chance to enter a Prize Draw, with two prizes of £50, as an incentive to take part. The main wave of fieldwork took place from 11-31 October 2011, with a small number of additional responses in early November (after Half Term).



3.3.2 Profile details A total of 26 teachers and careers advisers returned completed questionnaires, primarily from schools and colleges across England, but also one careers advisory company. Half the returns were from schools with a sixth form (13), slightly fewer from schools without a sixth form (9), plus three colleges – two sixth form colleges and one FE college.

SCHOOL / COLLEGE

13

9

3

1

School with sixth form

School without sixth form

Sixth Form / FE College

Guidance Company

SCHOOLS WITHOUT SIXTH FORM:

5 Careers co-ordinator – teacher

1 Careers co-ordinator – non teacher

2 Senior teacher – CEIAG responsibility

1 Working with several schools

SCHOOLS WITH SIXTH FORM:

5 Careers co-ordinator – teacher

7 Careers co-ordinator – non teacher

1 Working with several schools

COLLEGES:

CC – non teacher

Adult Adviser

Work-related learning

co-ordinator

Schools and colleges were divided between urban, suburban and rural areas:

Urban 4 Suburban 14 Rural 6 No information 1

Geographical location:

North 4 Midlands 8 South 12 No information 1



3.3.3 Respondent details The survey was addressed for the attention of the careers co-ordinator at each school or college, and this was the job role in the majority of cases (18). The sample divides between careers co-ordinators who are teachers (10) and those who are not (8). Other roles include careers advisers working with more than one school (2), and senior teachers with specific responsibility for CIAG / IAG (2).

PROFILE – RESPONDENT ROLE

10

8

2

1

2

3

Careers co-ordinator -

teacher

Careers co-ordinator - non

teacher

Careers adviser working with

several schools / colleges

Careers adviser at a specific

school / college

Senior teacher with

CEIAG/IAG responsibility

Other

TEACHERS:

History (2), RE, Philosophy, Ethics (2),

PSE (2), Citizenship,

Librarian; Careers only (3)

Among the teachers, three focused on careers only, but others taught a variety of subjects, including History (2), PSE (2), and Ethics (2). None of the teachers were from a science background. One taught Business Studies. Schools without a sixth form are more likely to have a teacher in the careers role, whilst non teachers predominate in schools with sixth forms. Most give careers advice across the full age span, with involvement concentrated at Years 9 to 11 (present in schools with and without a sixth form).


CHILDWISE – Careers In Agriculture – Research Report – Summary 11

4. SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS

4.1. STUDENTS – SUMMARY 1581 students aged 12 to 19 (school years 8 to 13 or equivalent) from 37 schools and colleges across England took part in the online survey. Data was weighted to ensure representation by age and sex within urban and rural areas. Six discussion groups with 12-19 year olds with an interest in science and related

subjects explored the issues in depth. Almost half of 12-16 year olds (47%) enjoy at least one school subject which is potentially relevant to agriculture, with 32% interested in one of the Sciences and 27% enjoying Maths. 14% enjoy Geography and 13% Business Studies. For those aged 16-18, at sixth form or college, half are studying A levels relevant to agriculture (48%), whilst one in four is taking a vocational course (27%). Among those aged up to 16, the majority plan to stay on at school post 16 (71%). One in four intend to leave school and get a job (25%), and 11% are planning an apprenticeship or job with training. Seven in ten sixth form / college students hope to go to university (69%). One in four across the full age range know exactly what job they would like in the future (27%), but half have a few different ideas (50%), and 13% think it is too early to decide. Children‟s career decisions tend to be based on their interests, and the subjects they

consider themselves to be good at. Faced with a vast number of possibilities, they learn to discriminate on the basis of limited and sometimes outdated information.

Agriculture figures low on the list of job areas that they might consider, with just 4% thinking of this. This is not helped by a limited understanding of what agriculture means and what it might entail. In the groups, most assumed that this is a more formal word for farming. Their first

instinct is to suggest manual, labour intensive occupations, although with some encouragement, several of the children tentatively suggest links with science, engineering and natural resources – although this is a real struggle for some.

Career areas which have links with agriculture have wider appeal. 11% would consider each of Science, Engineering, and Working with animals, whilst 13% are interested in Business / Marketing. Just 4% are interested in a career related to the Environment. Those in the groups are very receptive towards the prospect of a career in science –

they recognise this as a professional and prestigious industry, and expect the entry requirements to demand a high level of qualification and expertise, something which appeals to the high achieving students. Careers in Business and Marketing are also of interest.

Boys are particularly enthusiastic about careers in Engineering, Technology and

Design. These are regarded as modern and innovative industries that again demand a high level of skill and expertise.



Girls are typically more varied in their choices, but lean more towards standard, office

based professions. All three groups liked the idea of a career that involves managing people, and two out of the three showed enthusiasm for Technology and Design based careers.

Factors which are important when choosing a job / career reflect children‟s desire to make the most of their talents and go as far as possible. High salary (41%), Career progression (32%), Family / friends will respect (32%) Reasonable salary (29%), Part of a team (29%), Positive contribution (28%) Good holidays (25%), Opportunity to travel (22%), Flexibility (20%) There is a lower level of interest in Being outdoors (12%), or Working with animals (7%). When considering ways of finding out about careers, almost two thirds of children feel that Work experience is one of the most useful ways of finding out about the range of careers choices (63%), whilst two in five mention the Internet (41%). One in three choose Visits to workplaces (34%), Careers advisers (33%), Personal experience (33%), or Practical hands-on experience (30%). They are less sure about Visits from experts (27%), Advice from teachers (21%), or Careers fairs (18%). The internet is the main source of information for those in the older groups, plus

younger students who have been motivated to source information for themselves. Opinions of careers teachers or advisor are mixed – some are happy with the time and advice they have been given, whilst others feel they have not been made aware of the range of choices available.

Visits from industry experts and recent graduates are regarded as a popular

alternative to reading material. It appeals to most children, but particularly those who lack the motivation or direction to look up information themselves. Children find it easy to relate to the speakers, plus they enjoy having the opportunity to ask questions and get honest feedback.

They feel that they know relatively little about agriculture, in absolute terms and when compared with other industries. 5% know a lot, and a further 30% know a little, but more than half say they know nothing about careers of this kind (54%). They feel they know far more about Business / marketing and about Medicine, and slightly more about Construction, the Environment, and Engineering. Even among students from rural areas, only a minority claim knowledge of agriculture (41%). Jobs that children and young people come across as part of their daily lives e.g. doctor,

plumber, teacher, fireman – are more often top of mind. Several also mention professional occupations, such as law and accountancy. Some children (particularly boys) are not motivated to search for more information, so instead they look to their immediate family and friends for inspiration.

Their awareness of different careers becomes more varied and specialised with age,

reflecting wider experiences and increased knowledge. Agriculture is not an industry that is top of mind for them, although careers they

think of spontaneously that link with the industry include Scientist, Mechanic, Engineer and Gardener. There was just one mention of Farmer.



63% have some exposure to agriculture, rising to 67% of students from rural areas. Farm visits with their family (29%) or their school (29%), plus TV programmes about farms and farming (25%) are the main types of exposure. 12% have family or friends who work in farming, 9% know people working in other agricultural jobs. These numbers rise to 25% and 15% respectively among children from rural areas. When asked specifically about working in agriculture, 4% definitely want to do this, a further 7% say that it is one of the choices they are considering, and 12% see it as one of many possibilities. Rural students are more likely to definitely want to work in agriculture (6%), but numbers seeing this as a possibility at all are similar for rural (24%) and urban (23%) students. For those who would consider a career in agriculture at all, some are influenced by the role of science and research in the industry (33%), others by the fact that they enjoy looking after animals (31%). Being able to plan their own day (26%), working outdoors (25%), the fact that they care about the environment (21%), and that this is an important and worthwhile career (18%) are also factors in children‟s choice. Only small numbers mention having family who work in agriculture (13%) and no need for qualifications (12%). The majority of those who would not consider agriculture are just not interested (64%), but others say the don‟t know enough about it (38%), and one in four are put off because they feel it could be repetitive and boring (26%). This underlines the widespread lack of knowledge of the range of careers in this sector. A minority have more specific concerns, including poor pay (14%), limited career advancement (11%), a generally less progressive industry (10%), and one that is limited to those from a farming background (13%). Few children believe that there are opportunities in the Agricultural industry for those

from non-farming backgrounds. They assume that experience is the key to success, with those from farming families at a distinct advantage.

Unlike many other industries they can see no obvious point of entry, besides working

their way up from the bottom, which many are reluctant to even consider. Many children fail to recognise that advanced qualifications will enable them to enter at a higher level.

Based on their existing knowledge, few see Agriculture as an academic option, and

therefore are unaware that there are specific qualifications and courses available. Any specific reference to Agriculture or Farming is off-putting for most children – once

they see this, they would look no further. They find it hard to come up with alternative terms or descriptions – but agree that jobs in this sector which focus on Business and Science are more appealing

Case studies: 14% of students found at least one of the example jobs very interesting, rising to 60% who found one or more either very or quite interesting. This contrasts with just 23% who earlier showed any receptivity towards a career in agriculture. The most appealing aspects are the salary (52%), the fact that the jobs are challenging / rewarding (24%), job satisfaction (24%), the business skills required (21%), and the level of responsibility (20%). 81% of students could identify at least one aspect that appeals to them.



When asked what appeals most about the agricultural industry, 67% could choose at least one aspect that appeals to them. Responses were diverse, suggesting that different paths will prove more successful with certain students. Having a good work life balance (23%), Flexible hours (21%), Being practical / hands on (21%), Making a difference (21%), Working with others (20%), Being independent (19%), Working with animals (19%), Being outdoors (19%) Children’s response to the case studies demonstrates how interest in agriculture can potentially be boosted. Initial levels of interest:

• 4% select Agriculture from a list of career areas as one that is of interest to them • 23% of children have some degree of receptivity to agriculture as a career –

• 4% definitely want to do this, • 7% say it‟s one of the choices they are considering, • 12% say it is one of many possibilities

When presented with the Case Studies, designed to show the greater diversity of agricultural careers, levels of interest rise significantly:

• 14% are very interested in at least one of the three they are shown, • 60% are very / quite interested in at least one of these

Websites Students in the groups looked at a selection of careers websites to give their views on how useful each might be to them, when seeking careers information. Children were drawn towards websites that gave them the flexibility to search for careers

based on their interests. The Army Role Finder site was voted the best because it had a good balance of pictures

and text, and looked relatively easy to navigate. They like websites that have bright colours (Lantra and Tomorrow’s Engineer),

although a solid background colour often gives an impression of clarity. Case studies and random job generators appeal – they like the prospect of discovering a

job they hadn‟t previously considered or heard of. The Tomorrow’s Engineer site also appealed because it looked creative and a bit

different, without compromising on the detail. Some children liked the idea of videos, whilst others prefer text, particularly bullet points. Several children were quite disappointed by the bConstructive website, with comments

suggesting that it was dull and boring. Although some felt it looked quite professional, they didn‟t feel that it reflected their perception of the industry

The Careers in Agriculture website received a mixed response. Several of the groups were quite critical of it, suggesting that the pictures and colours

reinforced the farming stereotype, whilst others felt it looked less professional than some of the other sites.

But some felt the amount of text was about right, and the pictures at the top of the screen appealed to some.

Opinion was divided on the site logo, with some suggesting that the building blocks were childish, and others recognising this as quite creative.

Most considered the word „Agriculture‟ to be off-putting – not a site they would ever use. 9



4.2 TEACHERS AND CAREERS ADVISERS – SUMMARY Twenty six careers co-ordinators or similar from schools and colleges across England completed an online survey exploring their use of careers resources and attitudes to agricultural careers. Careers resources Teachers and careers advisers use an extensive range of different materials. Some examples crop up frequently, but we also had a long list of items that were mentioned by just one or two respondents. There is a broad mix of government / public sector, commercial and industry-related material. All the schools use careers games and quizzes to help students find out about HE options and future careers. The majority use Kudos, followed by The Real Game (used by just over one in three), Fast Tomato and Careerscape (each used by around one in four), whilst a smaller number mentioned JED (Job Explorer Directory), Higher Ideas, Launchpad, Career Companion and U-explore. The majority of general careers resources used are non commercial – Next Step (Directgov) is used by one in three, others refer to the Department for Education, and almost half name a Connexions or local authority site specific to their area. The main commercial site is eCLIPS, with one in five mentioning this. Most are aware that there is a wide range of specific industry sites available to find out more about careers in certain fields, but it is only those sites relating to the most popular employment areas that are widely known by name – the Armed Forces, NHS, Uniformed Services and Construction. One careers co-ordinator mentioned Lantra. Whilst some careers co-ordinators will have these sites at their finger tips, it is easy for the less used ones to get overlooked. A minority still see a role for printed materials. Basic careers directories such as Careers 2011 and Job File are available as reference / a starting point in several schools and colleges, whilst leaflets from eCLIPS or Connexions (Working In …) are also mentioned. When considering resources that are particularly good, key points included: Importance of interactive material, to engage young people and to make it quick and

easy to find what they are looking for Material that gets students thinking, reflects real life Comprehensive / trusted / focused / well prepared Resources that can be adapted to fit specific needs, or can be used in conjunction with

other material – putting together a solution that best suits their students When thinking about examples of poor materials, main concerns are about printed material, including unsolicited leaflets, and material that is over-long or poorly written. Events and activities Most of the schools and colleges offer Work Experience, Visits out of school / college to business careers fairs etc, and Visits or talks in school from industry etc. Just under half hold some kind of careers event, such as a Careers Week, or shorter events. A minority run their careers activity on an individual or small group basis.



Teachers and careers advisers place greatest emphasis on Visits to businesses etc, closely followed by Work Experience and Visits / talks from businesses. Two of the schools pointed out that current education reforms mean that WE is under threat.

Careers-related visits out of school are also widely popular and considered very important. Some mentioned problems in participating as fully as they might wish, including disruption to the school day, cost issues, and accessibility in rural areas.

Teachers and advisers are equally committed to events which bring industry and other potential employers in to school or college.

A few also mentioned linking careers into the curriculum, including running enterprise days where students can build on their business studies and other learning.

There were comments about the difficulty of getting organisations to attend school careers events, making it hard for teachers and advisers to organise a worthwhile event.

Opportunities in agriculture Levels of knowledge and involvement for careers opportunities in agriculture vary widely, from those who have close links with local agricultural colleges, to those who would need to search out the necessary information. On balance, teachers and advisers feel that they know less about career opportunities in Agriculture, compared with other career areas. Teachers are more likely to claim a higher level of knowledge than specialist careers advisers, as are those from schools without a sixth form. Those who know less about agricultural careers put this down to a lack of interest among their students, limited opportunities in their area, and poor perceptions of the industry, but also difficulties in accessing information. Working at a school in a rural area is no guarantor of good knowledge about the Agricultural industry – two of the six respondents from rural areas felt that they knew less about Agriculture than about other career areas. Local agricultural colleges are the major source of information, plus input from local employers. LANTRA, library resources, Connexions and college prospectuses, and the website careersinagriculture.co.uk, were also mentioned. When asked to give examples of different agricultural careers, some focused mainly on the more obvious roles, whilst others showed a clear gasp of the range of different careers that are available. Examples included more skilled and specialist jobs, and jobs away from the conventional core of food production and animal husbandry eg sales and marketing, research, alternative land use. When asked to describe a career in agriculture, some responses reflected traditional stereotypes, others were more aware of the diversity of careers available. Main themes included hard work and dedication, low pay and low status, plus links with those from a farming background, but also links to science, and a varied, worthwhile and rewarding job. When prompted with a list of words, most see a career in agriculture as involving Hard work, being Physically demanding, and linked to a Family business, but also Skilled. Around half see this as a Rewarding career – in terms of the satisfaction of doing a good and worthwhile job – whilst rather fewer consider this to have Good opportunities or be Innovative. Only a minority specifically see this as Poorly paid, however. Overall, the view is more positive than that held by the majority of students, and a couple of teachers pointed out that their students‟ views would be more stereotypical than their own.



Whilst some stressed the wide variety of different types of agricultural role, and hence the range of students who might find such jobs suitable, others see this as particularly suited for less academic students, and those from farming backgrounds. The majority are rarely, or never, asked about careers in agriculture, with only a handful often consulted. Interest is more common in rural areas, and for suburban schools in areas with countryside nearby. But half of the rural schools said that such enquiries were rare. The most common response to such requests is to direct students towards the local agricultural college. Many stressed the wide range of relevant qualifications, depending on the chosen career path, from NVQ to a degree or post graduate studies, whilst others (generally those who receive fewer enquiries) highlighted the relevance of specific subjects – science, business studies, geography, IT and engineering. For qualifications suitable for students interested in working with animals, teachers and advisers point out the diversity of options open, with advice depending on the student‟s academic ability and interest. Most frequent references are to Veterinary science, where students need to take science subjects in preparation for their degree. Response is less clear-cut for qualifications at a lower level. Some mention animal nurse / veterinary assistant, kennel assistants, pet shops, zoo keeping, animal charities. Marine biology (one mention) and equine work (three mentions) also feature. Just one mentioned farm worker. The basic “Animal Care” gets mentioned more often than the potentially higher level “Animal Management” or “Animal Welfare”. When considering the chance of getting a job after qualifying, opinions are mixed, and each path is seen as having benefits and drawbacks. Animal Care is the animal-related course that is seen to have the greatest appeal to students. Veterinary courses and Animal / Veterinary nursing courses are also seen as popular, whilst one or two mention Equine and Animal Management. When considering the case studies, respondents commented on the diverse range of careers featured, and on the fact that these include jobs for those of higher ability. Several commented that the examples would broaden students‟ perceptions of what an agricultural career might involve. Two respondents express reservations about the relevance of such jobs to their students. New resources When asked about the type of resource that would be most helpful to them, teachers and advisers were strongly in favour of Work experience opportunities. Speakers to come in to school / college were also popular, as were Materials etc to display at school / college careers day, and a Website. Posters and Case studies / videos for different careers are less widely supported. Half would like to see Events focusing on agricultural careers, and just under half would like to see Leaflets. Most would expect to hear about these resources either via an email to schools or email newsletter, or through a website with online information. A minority would expect information by post, or through Connexions, Lantra / farming body / publisher. It is clear that some advisers are already widely aware of the opportunities available in agriculture, but lack the resources or persuasive power to encourage their students to consider these. The local colleges play an important role in supporting those who have discovered an interest, but outside help is needed to address the wider student community.



4.3 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Agricultural awareness

Most children have a limited knowledge of agriculture, and what they do know is partial and based on stereotypes. This limits their interest in agriculture as a career area. They need to become aware that the agricultural industry stretches beyond farming, and includes jobs that require specialist qualifications and use science and business-related skills.

The word “agriculture” discourages further enquiry. It is generally not fully understood, typically seen as the formal word for farming, sometimes not known at all, but almost always having negative associations and images. The reaction for many is to switch off.

Whilst some are conscious of the sale and distribution of farm products, most find it hard to visualise the inputs and support services that are needed. This is not necessarily unique among industries, but the face of agriculture (farm / farmers) is less compelling, compared with eg medicine (doctor, nurse), the music industry (singers, groups), sport (footballers).

The Agricultural Industry needs to raise its profile among young people: Build wider awareness of the diversity of careers Communicate that there are careers for all levels of ability and qualifications Find and promote better “poster boys” for the industry Find ways round the prejudice against the terms “agriculture” and “farming” Work with urban as much as rural students, to exploit talent and receptivity

Links with the curriculum

Children‟s career choices are often based on school subjects that they enjoy and are good at, and farming / agriculture is at a disadvantage in not having an obvious route or starting point. The links that do exist may not suggest good career opportunities. In geography, the focus is often on third world countries / developing economies / environmental issues, putting farming in a non progressive light and restricting interest. For GM foods, it is the pros and cons of this that are debated: the science behind the discovery and development of these techniques is not addressed. Farm visits and TV programmes tend to reinforce stereotypes (animals, small scale, artisan, organic food, heritage links). Whist this can appeal to some, it puts too many others off.

The Agricultural Industry needs to improve the accuracy and scope of the image of agriculture that emerges from schools: Providing teaching materials / Case Studies for schools to use in lessons that reflect

agriculture in a wider and more progressive way Ensure that farm visits include the bigger picture, via pre visit / post visit resources /

exercises, and as part of the visit itself With around half of all students enjoying subjects that are relevant to a career in the agricultural industry, the pool of potential recruits for agriculture is wide. The challenge is to ensure that more of these students consider agricultural careers among their wider options.

Career choice

Children are open to a wide range of career options at age 12-13 / School Years 8-9, but then narrow this down, by ruling some areas out. They need to learn about the breadth of agricultural opportunities at this age, before they exclude this by default.

For the majority of students who have no clear career in mind, academic choices are a combination of choosing subjects that they enjoy / are good at, whilst making sure that they leave their options open. This instinct for flexibility continues up to HE level and beyond.



Practical experience of different jobs, including good quality Work Experience, is seen as an important way of finding out more, but this is increasingly difficult for students to access, with outside support for Year 9 Work Experience coming to an end, fewer part time jobs available for young people, and an ongoing perception of restrictive regulations.

Supporting Work Experience places in the wider agricultural industry could help improve young people‟s awareness of the diversity and quality of careers available

Positioning agricultural jobs in their wider context, keeping choices open

Careers advice

Careers advice often focuses more on educational choices than on career destinations. Even at age 16-18, many students feel it is too soon to make a choice, and the changing career landscape reinforces this viewpoint.

Schools and students are biased towards an academic route if this is a possibility, this carries greater recognition and kudos, and students feel that they are doing their best and fulfilling their potential. This militates against agriculture as a career because it is not generally linked with academic qualifications.

Schools careers advice is currently under pressure because of re-organisation. Wider school budgets are stretched. Online resources are becoming more important, with the Connexions service replaced by an all ages careers site. There is less scope for individual personal guidance and interpretation, leaving some students uncertain as to what to do.

Resources

Careers games / quizzes and other online resources are widely used in schools, but in order to be effective, these need to be introduced well and the output discussed and put in context. Many students have tales of the seemingly random career suggestions that have come out of these activities, and tend to dismiss this as a joke rather than see these as a springboard for further ideas.

The selection of agricultural careers that is included on these resources needs to be monitored to make sure that this is comprehensive and projects the right image. This is not always the case at present.

Teachers / careers advisers often know about wider agricultural opportunities, but may not suggest these unless specifically asked about agriculture. These jobs also need to feature on the list of science or business possibilities, if a wider pool of students is to be attracted.

Ways in which this can be promoted / improved: Response to requests for attendance at careers events – local agricultural colleges are

often good here, but a wider presence may be needed. Carry out a comprehensive audit of popular careers resources to find out what

agricultural opportunities come up currently for a student with relevant skills and interests searching for careers (directly and via associated paths). Initial impressions are that this is very patchy, often distorted / partial / misleading or downright odd.

Learn from successful / popular careers sites eg Army, Tomorrow‟s engineer, nhs – attracting young people to look further, structuring their search so that they can home in on what is relevant.

The case studies used in the research definitely widened the appeal to students, and made them more aware of the diversity of the sector, the potential salaries, the level of qualifications that are relevant, the type of skills used (science, business). Ensuring that such job profiles reach as wide an audience as possible will improve chances of attracting recruits.



GROUPS: Perceptions

Where we are now…

…Where we need to be, to attract a wider audience


CHILDWISE – Careers In Agriculture – Research Report – Students 21

5. RESEARCH WITH STUDENTS AGED 12-18 YEARS

The section below brings together findings from the two modules of research with students. Research results for teachers and advisers are presented separately, in the next section. In this section, we cover findings from both the online survey among 1581 students aged 12 to 18 (school years 8 to 13), and the six discussion groups with students. Feedback from the groups, including children‟s own comments, is used to amplify and illustrate the statistical data from the online survey. For both aspects of the survey, the interview asked initially about general career choices, then focused on agriculture and their views of this as a career. The reporting follows a similar format.

5.1 GENERAL INTERESTS

For many children, particularly those who have no clear plans about their future, their career path is a progression from subjects that they have enjoyed at school. Among those aged up to 16, top three subjects (apart from Art and PE) are Design & technology (40%), ICT (35%) and English (33%). Design & technology and ICT are both more popular with boys, English is top choice for girls. For subjects with greatest relevance to agriculture, 32% of students chose at least one of the sciences, 14% enjoy Geography, and 13% Business Studies (rising to 19% of 14-16s). Almost half enjoy at least one of Science, Maths, Geography or Business Studies (47%).

1a. Which subjects, apart from art and PE, do you enjoy most at school?

TOTAL %

Gender Age Other groups: Boys Girls 12-14 14-16

Design & technology 40 43 37 58 22 Black 52 ICT (computing) 35 42 28 40 30 Asian 47 English 33 28 39 37 29 Asian 43 Maths 27 32 21 30 23 Asian 37 History 24 25 24 27 22 Chemistry 21 24 19 29 14 Asian 29 Biology 21 20 23 23 20 Asian 29 Physics 16 20 12 18 14 Rural 24 Geography 14 15 13 16 12 Business Studies 13 11 15 7 19 White 15 Modern languages 12 13 12 15 10 Rural 21 Economics 2 2 2 2 2 Don’t enjoy any 4 4 4 2 5

Base: All aged 12-16 (1182)



Among those aged 16-18 (at sixth form or college), half are studying AS or A Levels in subjects that are relevant to agriculture – science, maths, business studies, economics or geography. Just over three in four are studying AS or A Levels in different subjects (77%, including a significant proportion who have subjects from both groups). One in four is taking a vocational course (27%). Boys are marginally more likely to be taking an agriculture-relevant AS / A Level, also a vocational course, but differences are small.

1b. Which of the following qualifications are you studying at the moment?

TOTAL 16-18 %

Gender Location

Boys Girls Urban Rural AS / A2 – Other subjects 77 77 76 75 82 AS / A2 – Science, maths, business, economics, geography

48 52 44 47 51

Vocational course 27 29 24 26 32 GCSE retakes 5 4 7 6 4 International Baccalaureate 0 0 1 1 -




5.2 PLANS FOR THE FUTURE Among those aged up to 16, the majority plan to stay on at school post 16 (71%). One in four intend to leave school and get a job (25%), and 11% (rising to 14% among boys) are planning an apprenticeship or job with training. The majority of those planning to stay on at school or college are not yet sure what they will study (50%), whilst a smaller number intend to take AS / A Levels (24%) – girls and older students are more likely to have decided on this option. Numbers intending to leave and get a job drop with age, from 30% at age 12-14 to 19% among 14-16 year olds. This option appeals more to students in urban areas.

2a. What do you hope to do after you have completed your GCSEs?

TOTAL %

Gender Age Other groups Boys Girls 12-14 14-16

Stay on but not sure what to study

50 46 54 49 52 Rural 56

Look for / get a job 25 26 24 30 19 Rural 19 AS / A2 levels 24 20 27 18 29

Get apprenticeship / job with training

11 14 7 11 11

Full time vocational course

6 5 7 6 6 Rural 9

International Baccalaureate

3 4 3 3 4

Other full time course 3 4 3 4 2

Don’t know / No reply 14 13 15 19 10


For those already in the sixth form or at college, two thirds want to go on to university (69%). This rises to three in four girls (74%), and almost all students from Asian backgrounds (92%).

2b. What do you hope to do after you have completed the course(s) you are on?

TOTAL 16-18 %

Gender Other groups

Boys Girls Go to university 69 65 74 Asian 92% Get a job 12 17 8 Get an apprenticeship 7 5 8

Don’t know / no reply 11 13 10


We asked children and young people across the age group about their plans for a career. One in four already know exactly what they would like to do (27%), with little difference

between boys and girls, or – perhaps surprisingly – across the age range. This suggests that firm decisions are made early, but for others, a decision will not be made until work is on the horizon. Firm plans among 12-14s are likely to be far less specific than plans held by 16-18s, as career knowledge grows.

Half have a number of different ideas about what they might do (50%), again with little difference by age, but with a higher proportion of girls in this position.

13% have had some thoughts, but feel it‟s too early yet, and 5% haven‟t given it much thought at all so far. Boys are more likely to fall into these categories.



2c. Have you had any thoughts about what you would like to do for your career yet?

TOTAL %

Gender Age

Boys Girls 12-14 14-16 16-18 Know exactly what job I would like

27 28 26 24 28 28

Have a few different ideas

50 46 55 52 50 49

Sometimes think about it but too early

13 14 11 12 11 15

Haven’t given it much thought yet

5 7 3 6 6 3

Don’t know / no reply 6 6 5 6 5 5


5.2.2 Plans for the future - Groups Most of the children in the groups had given some thought to want they want to do in the future, with plans becoming more definite with age. Those who are yet to decide, typically boys, are generally awaiting some sort of intervention from others e.g. teachers, family. A few of the younger girls (13-14), had recently taken part in some role play games in business studies that peripherally involved careers (probably the Real Game), but until they decide their GCSE options in February, this is not something they plan to give much more thought. Decisions tend to be based on interests, and the subjects they consider themselves to be good at. Faced with a vast number of possibilities, they learn to discriminate on the basis of limited and sometimes outdated information. Children who choose professions that aren‟t typically represented by core subjects at school (e.g. Army, Plumber), are likely to have a strong adult influence outside of school, often a relative or family friend. Some also have a part-time job of some kind (e.g. paper round, shop work, dog sitting). These children recognise the importance of having work-based experience – they know that it shows that they have a good work ethic, plus it also helps to give them a better understanding of the opportunities available to them, as well as helping to them to identify the features they enjoy, and are good at. Those who know what they want to do have a strong sense of self belief – they are very much aware of their own strengths, and in some cases their weaknesses too. Decided:

I‟d quite like to either join the navy or go into the medical service, be a doctor or a surgeon. Well my dad is in the RAF so I‟ve been thinking about it for a little while and I really do like biology so I‟m drawn to the medical side of things. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

I want to join the RAF…to see the world really. First I wanted to be a policeman but I went off it a bit, I thought I‟d join the RAF instead. I went to the careers office with my dad, that was really good. Boy aged 16-18, Chester le Street



I‟ve given it a thought. I would like to have a go at trying to be like a doctor or something… medical… but I know how difficult it is… get a degree and a PhD… 7 years… I‟ll go with what I‟ve got and see how far I‟ll get. I like maths and science… they‟re my two strong points in school. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

I‟ve made quite a lot of plans. I want to come to sixth form and study foreign languages and then I want to go to uni where I do a course where I get a year abroad to become fluent in French and German and then I want to teach English in a foreign country. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk I want to work in construction. Electrics. I‟ve started it this year in school. If I can do good in it I can carry it on in sixth form. Boy aged 15-16, Altrincham I’m going to go to university and do a maths and engineering degree Boy aged 15-16, Altrincham

Undecided:

I haven‟t really thought about what job I‟m going to take when I‟m older… my sister did loads of art and photography and yet she got a job on a train… so the first few jobs can be random… Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk Once you’ve got your degree you’re alright, it‟s just making sure that you get there. Boy aged 16-18, Chester le Street

The influence of others: I think with friends and family it’s surprising how many different links to different jobs there are. …the amount of jobs your family have tried and they never really worked out… they might have enjoyed it… there are quite a few possibilities that people have done that they haven‟t necessarily ended up doing as a career. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk One of my dad’s friends used to work in F1 doing fuel and that… so I was speaking to him a few years ago and I started to watch it after that. Then when you get to where they go and everything, that‟s when I wanted to start doing it. Boy aged 15-16, Altrincham



Jack (aged 13), is keen to join the Army, as a mechanic. He wants to go on tour so that he can make a positive contribution in life – “It‟s not the money side that I‟m that bothered about, it‟s helping people”. He doesn‟t think he will do particularly well at school, and doesn‟t see university / HE as path suited to him. Instead, he knows that the army will accept him with average grades and he believes that they will give him a future that many other industries couldn‟t / wouldn‟t. The option to travel also appeals.

Daisy (aged 15) is adamant that she wants to go to university, possibly to study something like the history of art. She‟s not sure what course yet – a degree is a degree, and it shows that you can apply yourself and work hard. Chloe shows a keen interest in Science, and she is the most receptive of her group to the agricultural case studies. But she feels the information should have been communicated to her when she was younger, when she was perhaps more impressionable.

Max (aged 16) wants to be a forensic scientist – he has an interest in it, sparked off by watching CSI. He plans to do A level maths, biology, then a degree – Connexions helped him find out about what was needed for forensic science, he told them what he wanted to do then they looked this up and printed him out information.

Connor (aged 17) wants to go into business, but doesn‟t know exactly what yet. He might decide to go to university first. He is interested in maths and business studies, and he enjoys working with machinery. He also likes the prospect of running his own business. He is currently applying for part time jobs – he has an interview with a shoe shop in the city centre. He has put in a lot of applications, but this is the first interview he has got.

Sara (aged 18) is studying A Level Geography, Spanish and Economics. She wants to do Geography at university, but hasn‟t thought about what job this might lead to yet. She recently attended an event run by the Geographical society, sowing different careers – she has thought about pharmacy, town planning, also taking a law conversion course to become a lawyer, because other members of her family are lawyers



5.3 USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT CAREERS

We asked students about what was most important when deciding on a career, using a list of possibilities to prompt.

Most important, especially among boys, is the chance to earn a High salary (41%, rising to 48% among boys). A further 29% wanted a Reasonable salary. This ranks almost level with a high salary among the oldest students (39% vs 41%). 66% mentioned salary at all.

One in three place high importance on Career progression and A job that friends and family will respect you for (both 32%). Almost as many stress Making a positive contribution (28%). Older students, and those from BME groups, tend to put the greatest emphasis on these status-related points.

Practical aspects such as Being part of a team (29%), Good holidays (25%), Opportunities to travel (22%) and Flexibility (20%) are the other major factors, whilst Working with children is important for 29% of girls.

3a. Which of the following are most important when making decisions about your future career?

TOTAL %

Gender Age

Boys Girls 12-14 14-16 16-18 High salary 41 48 34 40 43 41 Career Progression / chance to make your mark

32 32 32 21 29 46

A job that friends and family will respect you for

32 31 32 35 28 32

Reasonable salary 29 28 31 23 26 39 Being part of a team 29 30 27 27 27 33 Making a positive contribution

28 24 33 20 22 43

Good holidays 25 26 23 26 26 22 Opportunity to travel 22 21 23 22 20 24 Flexibility 20 20 20 18 17 26

Working with children 16 3 29 17 13 19 Benefits e.g. car, pension medical

13 17 10 13 11 16

Working independently

13 13 14 14 12 13

Chance to work locally

13 13 13 11 12 14

Being outdoors 12 17 6 12 12 12 Standard office hours / regular hours

10 9 12 9 12 10

Working with animals 7 5 9 12 7 2

Chance to work overtime

7 7 7 5 7 8

Office environment 5 6 5 5 6 4

Any salary mention 66 70 62 59 64 74

Don’t know / No reply 8 9 6 10 10 3




Other variations:

Children from ethnic minority backgrounds are more likely to consider a High salary important when deciding on a career (48% compared with 39% of white students) and also A job that family and friends will respect you for (41% compared with 29%).

Students from Asian backgrounds are more concerned than average about Making a positive contribution (41%), Benefits (20%), and working in an Office environment (11%).

Those from Black backgrounds place greater importance than average in Being part of a team (39%) and Working with children (25%), but also Working independently (19%).

Emphasis on Working locally and Working with animals is highest among white students (14% and 9% respectively).

Those from rural areas are more likely to place importance on Being outdoors (17% vs 11% for urban children), but also more likely to look for Regular hours (14% vs 9%).

5.3.2 Useful information – groups Discussion in the groups highlighted the extent to which many children approach career choices by looking at the immediate next steps that they might take, rather than focusing on an ultimate working career. When making decisions about their future, the children were keen to know what qualifications and experience they would need to have, in order for them to be considered for certain careers. This helps them to understand how the decisions they make now will affect them in the future, plus they can also determine from the level of qualification needed (e.g. A-Levels, degree), whether or not it is something that they would consider pursuing further. This is particularly important for those who are status driven. Children who are less certain about their future are keen to keep their options open. For them it is more about tailoring their choices, rather than restricting them. Many overlook vocational qualifications in favour of A-Levels, because they believe this route to be more academic and ultimately will give them more flexibility when choosing a career. Other information they are keen to know includes:

Salary – particularly important for boys. What they can hope to earn long term, as well as starting salary. Some agreed that anything around £30K is acceptable, though they would consider less if it was communicated that there were clear channels for fast progression e.g. once fully trained.

Career Progression – including how to get started, and how to make a success of it. Many have a strong desire to better themselves, and earn the respect of their family and friends. They are more likely to consider an opportunity if they know it will lead somewhere.

Typical working day – what the job involves on a daily / weekly basis. Several would like the opportunity to go and spend a day shadowing someone, in order for them to see whether it appeals to their interests.



Opportunity to travel – very important for some, particularly those who are status driven. Travel is often regarded as a characteristic of success – some children are keen to get away from the places where they‟ve grown up, whilst others find it appealing because it suggests some degree of excitement / varied locations etc

Working environment and hours – this is an opportunity for them expand on their existing knowledge. Many fail to appreciate the wide range of different working environments available within a given industry. As a result, some careers are dismissed early on, based upon limited knowledge and common misconceptions. Children are keen to know whether a role will be office based, or if it will involve working outdoors. Similarly are the hours regular office hours or flexible. Since work experience is no longer compulsory and there are limited opportunities to experience these environments for themselves, it is important that careers literature covers these details.

Benefits – car, pension, medical – most recognise these as important, with several referring to recent events in the media. These are good to know, but not necessarily deal breakers.

Making a positive contribution – particularly important for girls. Some are keen to see how certain roles impact on the wider community and beyond. This appeals to those with a high regard for corporate social responsibility.

Autonomy – opinion is divided on this. Some would be happy to be self employed – they like the idea of working for themselves, plus there is a good chance to make money if successful. Others feel this is too risky, and are put off by the prospect – it‟s possible that they have seen local / family businesses fail during the recent economic downturn – although this wasn‟t explored specifically.

Qualifications:

The main thing I’d want to know is what sort of qualifications I’d need to get that job. I‟d want to know some of the bad points about it though. Everything that is advertised, it‟s always the good things about a job. I‟d like someone that actually does the job and has the experience to actually say what‟s good and what‟s bad. It depends when you want a job, what they require. Whether it’s a job where you get in young and then do it for a long time or whether it’s one that you need a lot of qualifications in order to do it. I think going to university would be just generally a good life experience. Boys aged 13-14, Norfolk

Salary:

I wouldn’t really consider a job if it was quite low paid. Even if I really liked it. Enough to have a secure house and get food and pay bills, I think that‟s a good salary…about £30k Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

If you have a job that you absolutely hate but it pays you loads of money, then actually I’d prefer to take the job that doesn’t pay quite a lot of money but I‟d really love because you‟ve only got one life and you‟re kind of wasting it. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk

Typical day:

What they do, do they enjoy it… you don‟t want a career where you‟re going to work every day and not enjoying it.



Boy aged 16-18, Chester le Street Working environment:

Well I‟m in two minds because I’d really like to work outside… a more difficult outside job rather than being in an office, but then at the same time something like an office job may suit me more because I like maths and stuff like that. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

Contacts:

Some jobs would be really good to do, but I think how on earth do you get to a position where you come to be doing that in the first place. I think sometimes good jobs can be who you know or the sort of education you‟ve been brought up with instead of whether you are specifically talented in that… say you went to a private school and you had a private education… there would be more chance of you getting into a job because of the contacts private schools have. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

Travel:

I’d like to go to different places… I don‟t want to stay at home all the time… I just want to go to different places and try different things. Once you get experience in travel and tourism, you can go anywhere. Girl aged 16-18, Altrincham

Benefits:

Well a pension is important… if you don‟t get a pension then you‟d have to seriously rethink, depending on the pay whether you could save up enough. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk



5.4 SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Almost two thirds of children feel that Work experience is one of the most useful ways of finding out about the range of careers choices (63%), rising to 70% among girls.

Two in five mention the Internet (41%), with boys (47%) and older students (45%) the most likely to want to turn to this. One in three choose Visits to workplaces (34%), Careers advisers (33%), Personal experience (33%), or Practical hands-on experience (30%).

4a. Here are some ways of finding out about the range of career choices available to you. Which do you think are / would be most useful? TOTAL

% Gender Age

Boys Girls 12-14 14-16 16-18 Work experience 63 56 70 62 60 67

The internet 41 47 35 34 43 45 Visits to workplaces / school trips

34 26 41 27 33 40

Careers advisors 33 31 36 28 28 44

Personal experience 33 29 37 27 32 40 Practical hands-on experience

30 28 32 26 29 36

Visits from experts 27 26 28 27 27 28

Advice from teachers 21 18 23 22 17 23 Careers fairs / organised events

18 15 21 10 16 27

Leaflets / booklets 17 15 20 17 19 16

Television programmes

15 17 13 16 15 14

Videos 13 18 8 19 12 9 Visits from recent industry entrants

11 10 12 7 12 14

School website 6 8 5 7 5 7 Library resources 5 5 6 8 3 4 Case studies 5 5 5 7 3 6



Smaller numbers appreciate advice from specific individuals or organised events – Visits from experts (27%), Advice from teachers (21%), also Careers fairs (18%), Leaflets (17%), TV programmes (15%) or Videos (13%). TV and video are more popular among boys, leaflets, events and teacher input among girls.

Other variations:

Children from Asian backgrounds place greater emphasis on finding out about careers via Work experience (76%), and are also more likely to value Advice from teachers (33%); those from Black backgrounds stress Practical hands on experience (44%). TV programmes are cited as a useful way of finding out for 24% of mixed race students.

Visits from experts are more attractive to those from rural areas (31%, compared with 26% for urban students). This reflects issues of rural isolation, with far fewer jobs visible to children who live away from major towns and cities.



5.4.2 Sources of information – groups In the groups, much of children knew about potential careers and higher education has been formed over several years, often through experiences with family and friends, and via teachers at school. Seeds of information are planted throughout their childhood, and as a result there are some jobs and career destinations that they can easily relate to e.g. Doctors, Plumbers, Teacher, Vet, Lollipop Lady etc. There are many others that they are simply not aware of. The internet is the main source of information for those who have been keen enough to source information for themselves. Some are directed towards resources by teachers, whilst others are slightly more arbitrary in their approach – “I type in the subjects I enjoy (maths and science), and „jobs‟, and see what comes up”. Younger children (13-14) are more likely to search for information relating to specific subjects, rather than „career industries‟. As a result, jobs that are traditionally associated with certain subjects generally favour well (e.g. language interpreter, biologist etc), whilst those that are less clearly defined by this method, or perhaps even span more than one subject are more at risk of being missed altogether e.g. agriculture. For those still looking for inspiration, the online approach typically becomes more organised and structured with age. Increasing knowledge and experience leads many children to search via established websites including:

Royal College of Music

British Psychological Society

Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ)

World Geographical Society website – access talks on different careers. http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Our+Work.htm – Going Places Report.

UCAS website As children progress through school, they are increasingly likely to consult with a careers teachers or advisor at some stage. Opinion of this is relatively mixed – some are happy with the amount of time and advice they‟ve been given, whilst others feel they haven‟t been made aware of the range of choices available – even those who know what they want to do, still want to be made aware of other options, just in case they change their mind. One girl in Year 11 questioned whether the advisor was working more in the interests of the school, rather than its pupils. She wanted some help towards her application for a scholarship at a local private school, but felt the advisor actively discouraged this and wanted her to stay at the school. Several have been referred to a careers game by their advisor (e.g. Skills for Life / Guidance), but few have found this useful. Others talked about using resources in their school library – some of which are a legacy of the old Connexions career advisory system. These include folders listing careers alphabetically, with a synopsis for each, many of which are helpful in generating ideas. Besides these largely theoretical resources, the children in the groups placed considerable value on the opportunity to experience the practical element of different careers, and the chance to meet with real people. This is consistent with the findings from the online survey.

http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Our+Work.htm



Despite no longer being part of the curriculum for Year 10 students, work experience is something that most children are keen to take part in, provided that it is well organised and relevant – although this is often not the case. Visits from industry experts and recent graduates are also regarded as a popular alternative to reading material. It appeals to most children, but particularly those who lack the motivation or direction to look up information themselves. In many cases, children find it easy to relate to the speakers, plus they enjoy having the opportunity to ask questions and get honest feedback. Outside of school, many children consider their parents and family to be their greatest influence. With some mixed opinions on formal careers advice, much of they‟ve learnt to rely on is formed from their own experiences at home. Boys in particular are heavily influenced by their parents and other relatives – they have had years of exposure to these careers, and sometimes it can be difficult (or at least an effort), to think beyond this. Despite recognising their important influence, some children also realise that their families can have a potentially negative impact on their choices. Some acknowledge that their parents are keen for them to follow an academic path, whilst others recognise that mothers in particular can be quite overbearing in their opinions, and are reluctant to let their children consider occupations that are dangerous (e.g. police force, army).

GROUPS: Summary of useful sources of information:

Main resources:

Work experience – although hard to get

Internet – when used effectively

Personal experiences – opinions formed throughout childhood

Practical experience – involving real people / experts

Parents and family – main influence outside of school, but not always impartial

Teachers and careers advisors – opinion varies Other resources:

Leaflets and booklets – more girls, condensed information but rarely picked up in the first instance, can be text heavy / boring

TV programmes – works well for some industries e.g. Forensic Science (CSI)

Videos – more boys, potentially useful but can be patronising, not easy to skip through

Careers games – generate random suggestions, rarely taken seriously

Library – not widely used

Careers Fairs – limited experience, sound boring

Work experience:

It‟s good, because then you can see what it’s like. We never got the option to do it. Girls aged 15-16, Norfolk I went to a car manufacturers, I was in the office… I was all over… like the shop floor…. It was quite good, but I wouldn’t want to do that for a job. I wanted to do medicine but you have to be 16 to do work experience, so I couldn‟t do any work experience… Boys aged 16-18, Chester le Street



Online:

I‟ve looked online for military things, RAF stands and musician stuff… I’ve looked into it online and that’s just through my own interest… not really spoken to anyone about it. I searched „RAF‟… that took me to the website and then I looked at all the different things in the musicians area, things like that. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

Most of it is on the internet nowadays anyway Boy aged 15-16, Altrincham

I go on the internet a lot and just research different jobs…just general searching. Look on websites, look at core jobs…look around at what types of jobs and see what careers are best. Girl aged 16-18, Altrincham

Visits from experts and recent entrants:

I like people telling you about it, like from their experience to than just reading. We had people who came into the sports hall… you just had to walk round and pick up leaflets. The army and…RAF, police. Boys aged 16-18, Chester le Street

Speakers in school tell you what you can do. We had someone in their second year at uni telling us about the forensic psychology she does there. She was telling us about the course. Girl aged 16-18, Altrincham We had the Head of British Airways cabin crew for the UK, he came in to speak to us. He told us what first class cabins are like, and all the packages you get given… everything about how the prices are. How it varies from economy. They have their own college so if I wanted to study more in travel and tourism I could live there. They‟d pay for my accommodation if I worked on their airline. I can go to college and study with them… Girl aged 16-18, Altrincham

Parents:

I‟ve been influenced by my dad and granddad because they do both the same job and I wanted to do that job virtually all my life. A fire-fighter. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk I remember in year 9 saying I want to take GCSEs in art, music and drama… my mum says take a step back, you need to do something academic as well. I ended up doing art, graphics and history… and then for A level I thought I wanted to do all the same again, but now I‟m changing my mind onto something completely different. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk Yeah. I think they can be a bit of a negative influence. Like my mum wouldn’t want me to go into anything that would put me in any danger, like the military or a policeman or anything like that. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

Teachers and Careers Advisors:

I haven‟t really thought about what I want to do when I‟m older but I‟m thinking of going to see a careers adviser. I like science and maths and I’m quite good at English but I don‟t know exactly what I want to do. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk



I saw the careers woman, she was useless. I could do her job better than her. She told us one thing to do with the BTec and then his dad rang up and she told him a completely different thing. Boy aged 16-18, Chester le Street When Connexions was still going… in the library you‟d have all these folders and stuff. They‟re only an address on the internet now… it‟s all cut backs. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk Well we had some people come into our school last year to help us (Connexions). They asked us what we wanted to be and then told us how to research it. Boy aged 15-16, Altrincham

Careers games:

The Life Game….they gave this card out saying what you were. I was an Arts teacher. We were on the computers to do it… you could buy a house, a car… all the different type of things you could buy… Whoever earned the most money would get the most stuff. We never got to finish it off. (it was the end of term). Girl aged 13-14, Chester le Street The online quiz. The problem with that is it doesn’t take into account how good you are at those things, whether it‟s actually realistic. I said I love doing art and the computer came up with something to do with art, but it doesn‟t know if I‟m any good or not. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk

You just got given a random job and then you had to go out and buy stuff and manage it…Then they take away the tax and stuff… Boy aged 16-18, Chester le Street

Case Studies:

I think case studies are better pre your „A‟ levels, they can inspire you to go and do something. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk

Leaflets and Booklets

I‟d rather go for a leaflet where it would be more condensed. Girl aged 16-18, Altrincham Sometimes they have too much information on. Sometimes 4-5 pages nearly. Boy aged 16-18, Chester le Street For our age-group, I think that that‟s not a great way to go about it. It‟s more like online is the better way to go… or TV… or teachers. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

Competitions:

We‟ve got a competition in business studies at the moment. Come up with a good idea and you get to go to London to see one of the top football grounds. Boy aged 15-16, Altrincham

The importance of timing:

I can see how (these sources of information) could be helpful, but for somebody like us who has already started deciding… I don‟t know… there are some people who don‟t know what they‟re doing at all or they‟re good at everything… but we’ve already started deciding. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk



5.5 INTEREST IN & KNOWLEDGE OF CAREER DESTINATIONS

5.5.1 Interest:

Sport and Education top the list of popular job areas, each chosen by just under one in five. 30% of boys select sport as an area of interest to them, as do 25% of the youngest age group, whilst education ranks highly among girls (26%) and the older age group (24%). Childcare is also popular among girls (27% of girls, 15% overall).

Agriculture related areas come towards the lower end of the list – 11% choose Working with animals, rising to 15% of girls, but only 4% choose Agriculture, 2% Environment. This puts them alongside Construction (5%, rising to 9% of boys), Leisure / Tourism (4%), and Transport / Logistics (2%) in terms of appeal.

5a. Which of these job areas are most interesting to you?

TOTAL %

Gender Age

Boys Girls 12-14 14-16 16-18 Sport 19 30 9 25 16 18

Education 18 10 26 18 12 24 Media 17 16 18 19 15 16 Law / Finance 16 18 15 22 14 14

Design 16 18 14 20 17 10 Medicine 15 9 21 18 12 14 Childcare 15 3 27 18 14 12

Business / Marketing 13 14 12 12 16 11 Technology 13 21 5 14 13 12 Uniformed Services 12 14 9 13 11 11

Armed Forces 11 17 5 14 13 7 Working with animals 11 6 15 17 11 5 Science 11 11 11 13 8 12

Engineering 11 19 2 11 12 9 Admin / Retail 9 7 10 7 9 10 Construction / Property

5 9 1 3 6 5

Leisure / Tourism 4 3 5 4 4 5 Agriculture 4 5 3 4 4 4 Environment 2 3 2 1 2 4

Transport / Logistics 2 3 1 2 3 2



Other variations:

Children from rural areas show greater interest in Working with animals (13% compared with 10% for urban students) and working in Agriculture (6% vs 3%), but also the Armed Forces (14% vs 10%). Law / finance is of greater interest to those from urban areas (18% compared with just 9% from rural areas).

The relatively small numbers expressing an interest in Agriculture, the Environment, and Working with animals are all drawn predominantly from white students (4%, 3% and 13% of white students respectively express an interest, compared with 2%, 1% and 7% for those from minority groups).



Students from Asian backgrounds show above average levels of interest in the professions – Law / finance (30%), Medicine (29%), also in Business / marketing (23%), Technology (20%) and Science (18%).

One in four of those from Black backgrounds expressed an interest in Sport (27%), whilst an above average proportion of white students are considering the Uniformed services (13% compared with 9% from minority ethnic groups).

5.5.2 Knowledge:

In order to put their knowledge of agriculture in context, we asked the students taking part in the online survey to say how much they knew about six career areas, agriculture, environment, engineering, construction, business / marketing and medicine.

5b. How much do you know about the following career paths?

Of the six career areas, Agriculture emerges as the one that children feel they know least about. Just one in twenty feel that they know a lot (5%), whilst a further 30% know a little, but over half (54%) say that they know nothing at all about the area. Engineering, Environment and Construction perform similarly, although in each case slightly better known, whilst for Medicine and Business / Marketing, the majority claim at least some knowledge of the sector.

For Agriculture and also Environment, there is little difference in levels of knowledge by gender, contrasting with Engineering and Construction, both of which are heavily biased towards boys.

5 7 8 611

15

3032

35 38

44

46

54 4746 44

33

30

108

9 11 87

0

20

40

60

80

100

Agriculture Engineering Environment Construction Medicine Business /

marketing


%

DK / NA

Know nothing

Know a bit

Know a lot



Claimed knowledge of Agriculture is highest among the youngest children, with half of 11-12 year olds knowing at least a bit (50%), falling to just 23% at age 16-18, when they are thinking seriously about career areas, and are aware of just how much more there is to know. This pattern is similar for Engineering, and to a lesser extent for Construction.

5b. How much do you know about the following career paths? (know a lot or a bit)

TOTAL %

Gender Age

Boys Girls 12-14 14-16 16-18 Business / Marketing 61 63 59 64 62 57

Medicine 55 46 63 60 52 51 Construction 44 58 28 51 45 34 Environment 43 42 43 47 45 36

Engineering 39 55 24 67 39 34 Agriculture 35 38 34 50 35 23


Those from rural areas are more likely to know something about agriculture (41% have any knowledge, compared with 34% of urban students), and are twice as likely to know a lot (10% vs 4%). Many get their knowledge from family and friends who are involved, or from the wider community, but others have learnt about this through school – primarily in geography, also science and food technology, or have found out via TV or the internet. A few of the girls mention that they ride / keep a horse on a local farm. School visits to farms, and visits in to school relating to farming, are also mentioned, and a few have done work experience related to this, or are / have been involved in an agricultural course.

Family / friends:

A lot of my friends live on farms and have farmer families. (Girl Yr 13, Rural) Because I live in the country and nearly all my friends work on some sort of farm and I live on one! (Girl Yr 8, Rural) I help on a farm a lot and my dad is an agricultural engineer (Boy year 8, Rural) My brother is studying and working on a farm, I also live on a farm and know how things work. (Girl Yr 8, Rural) My dad was working for Alfa Laval, which does stuff with cows and livestock in New Zealand (Boy Yr 10, Rural) Growing up around an agricultural environment and settings (Girl Yr 8, Urban) I found this out by asking people at home because I was interested in what other people's lives are like and what type of things they do. (Girl Yr 8, Urban) I have been told about farming my auntie has a farm and I've been there and learnt some farming techniques (Girl Yr 10, Urban) My brother wants to go into agriculture and my parents used to be farmers before I was born. (Girl Yr 12, Urban) My Uncle is a lecturer at an agricultural farm and my family have done a lot of study at an agriculture college in Sussex called Plumpton College. (Girl Yr 11, Urban)

School:

At school we do food tech and at home I grow stuff (Boy Yr 8, Urban) Environmental science (Boy Yr 13, Rural) From any work we do in lessons, science gives us some information about agriculture. My grandad lives on a farm (Girl Yr 11, Urban) From studying AS geography (Boy Yr 13, Rural) Human geography (Boy Yr 12, Urban) I have found out about agricultural industry from school, friends and family since I find this topic quite interesting. (Boy Yr 8, Urban) I learnt a bit about this in Geography, it‟s to do with farming. (Boy Yr 9, Urban)



I learnt it when I was learning geography/citizenship and the environmental research such as child soldiers, child trafficking and the theory of evolution. (Boy Yr 8, Urban) School eg Geography and occasional lessons in Primary school (Girl Yr 8, Rural)

TV / internet:

Books, tv shows, watching people do these things. (Girl Yr 8, Rural) I have found out about agriculture from television programmes. (Boy Yr 10, Urban) I know about this from the television, books and from people I know. (Boy Year 8, Urban) I watch lots of documentaries on Animal planet (Girl Yr 9, Urban) I‟ve watched How Do They Do This and some other tv programmes (Girl Yr 9, Rural) Just common knowledge, just something I‟ve heard about maybe on tv (Girl Yr 10, Urban) Just general knowledge ie tv programmes. (Boy Yr 11, Urban) My grandad does this, I live near fields and I watch Emmerdale (Girl Yr 11, Urban)

Visits / Work experience:

By working on a farm and going to college (Boy Yr 10, Urban) Did work on a farm in primary school (Boy Yr 11, Urban) I know a bit about the agricultural industry as I have visited a couple of farms in the past (Girl Yr 13, Urban) I've done voluntary work at a farm (Girl Yr 8, Urban)

Other comments:

Because I learnt a bit about it where I use to have my horse (Girl Yr 8, Rural) I have horses, and once researched about this field/sector (Girl Yr 12, Rural) I have horses, dogs and I have handled rabbits and ducks. Also we sometimes grow hay in our fields. (Girl Year 8, Rural) I have had a lot of experience with animals and I enjoy it (Girl Yr 10, Urban) I know that it has something to do with faming????? (Girl Year 8, rural) It's to do with a range of farming activities (Boy Yr 10, Urban)

5.5.3 Awareness of potential career destinations – groups The children in the groups were all regarded as potential candidates for an agriculture related career – having all previously expressed an interest in either science, maths, geography or business studies. To help understand which careers are at the forefront of these children‟s minds, each group was asked to list the occupations that first came to mind. In some of the groups, 3-4 examples were explored further, to help identify which features stand out the most. The types of career chosen become more varied and specialised with age, reflecting wider experiences and increased knowledge. Those that are mentioned frequently include the medicine (e.g. Doctor, Nurse, Surgeon, Phlebotomist), trades-people (e.g. Plumber, Builder, Carpenter), uniformed services (e.g. Police, Fire Service, Paramedics) and the teaching profession, all of which children are likely to come across at some stage during their childhood. Several also mention professional occupations, such as Law and Accountancy. Although Agriculture wasn‟t mentioned specifically in any of the groups, careers that are closely associated with the industry include, Farmer, Scientist, Mechanic, Engineer and Gardener.



GROUPS: Top of mind careers among students aged 13-18

Boys aged 13-14 Girls aged 13-14

(Medical) – Surgeon, Nurse

Linguist (one boy interested in languages)

Teacher

(Uniformed Services) – Police, Liaison Officer - Prison, family, something you

hear on the news / TV)

(Science) – Scientist, Biologist, Chemist

– smart, requires a degree, there are different types),

(Construction / Trade) – Architect, Builder, Carpenter, Mechanic – these

require skill

Accountant

Musician

(Animal Care) – Vet (one girl wanted to be

one) (Medical) – Nurse, Ear clinic nurse

Chef

(Uniformed Services) – RAF, Fireman, Police

(Construction / Trade) – Builder, Engineer

Shopkeeper

Community centre

Teacher

(Creative) – Artist, Model, Hairdresser, Clothes designer

(Media) – Reporter, Journalist, TV presenter, Singer


(Business) – Entrepreneur, Businessman

(like on The Apprentice, Dragons Den)

Teacher

(Construction / Trade) – Architect, Engineer

(Uniformed Services) – Paramedic (saves

lives, drives ambulances, knows CPR), Policeman, Detective, Fireman

Forensic scientist

Psychologist

Race driver, Bus driver

Prompted to think of obscure careers:

Secretary, Housemaid, Butler, Shop assistant

Prompted for less important careers:

Priest, Cleaner, Footballer, Clowns

Teacher (difficult, challenging, lots of

holidays, job satisfaction)

(Construction / Trade) – Plumber, Bricklayer (a good job, can pay well, a job

everyone knows about)

Medicine

Banker

Lawyer

Manager

(The Services) – Police, Fire

Fashion Designer (something you learn at

College, more of a hobby)

Undertaker (something everyone needs /

knows about)

Lollipop lady (see them everyday)


(The Services) – Police, Fire, Paramedic

Armed Forces

(Medical) – Doctor, Nurse

(Agriculture) – Gardener, Farmer

Chef

(Creative) – Interior designer, Photographer, Artist, Singer

(Business) – CEO, Business man,

Teacher

Gym instructor

Bin man

Factory worker

Historian, Archaeologist

Technician

(Medical) – Doctor, Nurse, Phlebotomist

(take your blood)

Lawyer – office, suits, pressure.

Teacher

(Uniformed Services) – Police, Fireman

Armed forces

(Media) – Magazine editor (organise

layout, select interesting stories, check sources, work at a big desk with a computer screen, hectic), PR, Journalist, Events management

Town planner – more outdoors, meeting

different people, talking about development.

(Construction / Trade) – Engineers, Chartered surveyor

(Science) – Pharmacist, Marine biologist

(Hospitality) – Waitressing, Cook

Banker



Following this initial unprompted exploration of careers, which established that Agriculture is not at the forefront of these children‟s minds, they were asked to arrange a list of 19 different careers into groups that they felt shared similar characteristics. The listed careers were:

Administration, Agriculture, Animal Care, Army, Business & Marketing, Childcare, Construction, Creative, Design, Engineering, Management, Media, Medicine, Police or Fire, Service, Science, Sport, Teaching, Technology and Transport

This task was designed to show which occupations they regard as alike, and their reasoning behind this. The table below illustrates which careers boys and girls across the age range associate most with agriculture. Clusters / set names were chosen by the children.

GROUPS: Careers that are similar to AGRICULTURE


The Service Group

Army Police / Fire Service Engineering Transport Construction

The Science Group

Science Medicine Animal care


The Service Group

Army Police Animal care Medicine Childcare

The Farming Group

Animal Care


Extension of public services

Engineering Construction

The Science Group

Engineering Transport Construction Technology Science Medicine

OVERALL Three groups associate Agriculture with Engineering, Construction, Animal Care and

Medicine Two groups associate it with Science, the Army, Police and Transport

Perceptions of agriculture vary by gender, with some children unsure what exactly this even means. Most understand it to mean „farming‟, possibly a more formal term for this. In the majority of groups, this was the last card to be placed in a cluster / set. The boys were more likely to see agriculture as an industry that provides a service, alongside the Army and the Police / Fire Service. They struggle to see beyond farming, and when asked about associated industries, they think mainly downstream – butchers, supermarkets, people involved in selling farm produce – reinforcing their view that it fits alongside other service industries.



The girls on the other hand are more likely to associate agriculture with other science based careers, including medicine. The younger ones typically see it sitting alongside Animal Care, a career that tends to be viewed more positively among children, but this relationship is less apparent among the older girls, many of whom see agriculture as a more industrialised sector. The children were then asked to divide the same 19 careers into two separate groups – those that they would consider in the future, and those they would not. The results from this task are intended to highlight the careers that appeal, above others.

GROUPS: Careers that children would consider

Chosen by Boys aged 13-18 Girls aged 13-18

All groups Science Engineering Medicine Business & Marketing Technology Design Media Creative

Teaching Childcare Science Management Media Business & Marketing

2/3 groups

Construction Army Police / Fire Service Sport Management

Medicine Creative Technology Police / Fire Service Design

1/3 groups

Transport Administration Teaching

Transport Animal Care (16-18) Sport

0/3 groups

Childcare Animal Care Agriculture

Engineering Army Administration Construction Agriculture

The findings from this task illustrate that based on their existing knowledge, Agriculture is not a career that many of these children would be willing to consider. However, there are many other career paths that require similar skills and qualities that are viewed much more positively. For example, the boys and girls in the groups were very receptive towards the prospect of a career in science – they recognise this as a professional and prestigious industry, and expect the entry requirements to demand a high level of qualification and expertise, something which appeals to the high achieving students. Many would expect to find out about careers in this industry via their subject teacher at school, or their careers advisor. Business and Marketing also perform well across the genders – these skills can apply in many different industries. The boys were also particularly enthusiastic about careers in Engineering, Technology and Design. These are regarded as modern and innovative industries that again demand a high level of skill and expertise. Construction and Management are also popular choices.



Girls are typically more varied in their choices. They are less keen on the more industrialised careers, such as Engineering and Construction, but instead lean more towards standard, office based professions. All three groups liked the idea of a career that involves managing people, and two out of the three showed enthusiasm for Technology and Design based careers. Several of the older girls were keen on Animal Care as a potential career destination – this age group don‟t immediately link this to agriculture, suggesting that it could be a useful angle from which to encourage future interest. Other Industries:

I know you‟d have to get a degree if you wanted a career in chemistry. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

Engineering could be good. People say our generation is good with technology and all that sort of stuff. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk It‟s the childcare side and stuff like that… and creative stuff and art. More girlyish compared to like the army and engineering. Boy aged 13-14, Chester le Street (Those you would consider) They all involve money. They‟re all kind of business. Boy aged 16-18, Altrincham

Agriculture:

I think it‟s quite odd that agriculture is over there (in the „wouldn‟t consider‟ set) and coming from the country, you‟d expect it to be one of the main ones. But at our age you wouldn’t expect anyone to go ‘oh I want to be a farmer’. You would have to work every day… I‟ve got some friends who work on farms and they start at 5 o‟clock. You‟d be doing more of the same thing, it would be quite repetitive. It‟s the only thing you do all the time, it might get quite boring after a while. I think there are more meaningful subjects. English, Maths they‟re the main ones… but things to do with agriculture, you don‟t really think of much. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

People think „I‟d like to work with animals‟ when you‟re younger, but then you grow more realistic. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk Working on a farm…. I‟m not really into gardening at all. It‟s a lot of hard work, if you own a farm you can‟t go on holiday. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk



5.6 AGRICULTURE AND ITS ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES

Just under two in three children had some form of contact with farms or farming (63%), mainly through visits with their family (29%) or on a school trip (29%), or watching programmes about farming on TV (25%). Girls are more likely to have visited than boys – with their family (36% compared with 22% of boys), but also with their school (32% vs 26%). Overall 67% of girls have some involvement, compared to 57% of boys.

Involvement dips among those age14-16, then recovers, possibly in part due to the generally lower levels of enthusiasm and involvement among mid teens compared with younger and older children.

6a. Which of the following statements apply to you?

TOTAL %

Gender Age

Boys Girls 12-14 14-16 16-18 I have visited a farm with my family

29 22 36 30 26 32

I have visited a farm with my school

29 26 32 36 19 32

I sometimes watch TV programmes about farms and farming

25 26 23 24 22 27

I have family / friends who work in farming

12 12 13 10 13 14

I have family / friends who work in other agricultural jobs

9 9 9 11 7 9

I have no contact with farms or farming

26 30 22 24 28 25



Other variations:

Children from rural areas are more likely to have family or friends who work in farming (25% compared with 9% for urban areas), or in other agricultural jobs (15% compared with 8%). But there is little difference in their chance of visiting with their family (31% vs 29%), and it is urban students who are most likely to have been on school trips (30% of urban students, 23% of rural students). Overall involvement differs surprisingly little – 67% of rural students have some involvement, compared with 62% of urban students.

One in three white students have visited a farm with their family, compared with 18% of those from ethnic minorities. But 33% of BME students have visited on a school trip, 28% watch farming programmes on TV, and 67% have some involvement. One in ten have family or friends who farm (10%), 11% have family or friends who work in other agricultural jobs (qualitative input indicates that this may well be grandparents / uncles etc abroad).

5.6.2 Knowledge of the industry – groups Most of the children in the groups said they had visited farms when they were younger, either with their school or with family. Other than this however, they don‟t typically have much contact with people in this industry.



Several of the children talked about living near farms, but often they feel that greater involvement is actively discouraged, because the farmer is too busy or simply not approachable. Visits to school from local experts and recent graduates could help to bridge this gap, and ensure that children are better informed about what the industry has to offer. Other children claim that much of what they know comes from television. Although some industries, such as forensic science have enjoyed huge exposure as a result of dramas such as CSI, representation of the agricultural industry tends to be via programmes such as Emmerdale and Countryfile, neither of which reflect the progressive and innovative aspects of the sector. The recent Yeo Valley advertising campaign has created a bit of a stir, and although several of the children said they found this entertaining, most agreed that it simply reinforces the farming stereotype. One boy‟s family has a farm in Iraq. He has helped out during past visits, but says he didn‟t enjoy it because of the extreme heat. In some of the later groups the children were asked to imagine a poster with a farmer at the centre, surrounded by all those who support them. The idea of this was to help illustrate the wide range of jobs associated with farming, besides just the farmer. This was a concept that most were receptive to, with suggestions for these including: Butcher, supermarket, wool merchant, rape oil trader Diesel supplier, Tractor manufacturer, Engineer, Animal feed merchant, Seeds GM crops, Hydroponics (described, but name not known – grown with no soil, you add

the nutrients) Experience of Farmers:

I did a walk and I got shouted at by a farmer. They‟re angry people. Boy aged 16-18, Chester le Street You might get the odd school trip to some farm where you get to see a goat… that‟s our understanding of agriculture. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk

Television:

Well I have my interests and obviously on the telly I watch stuff that matches my interest that might show me what I’d like to do. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

When you put on the TV and there‟s like tractors…or they say this is Johnny and he works on a farm. It runs in the family like a family business. It reminds me of one of them industries where everyone knows everyone. The farms that are there now are probably from generations. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk

It’s a lot of work for not a lot of money. As a farmer you get money but you have to spend loads of it out. Just look at Emmerdale Boy aged 16-18, Chester le Street (I want to be a) forensic scientist. Like CSI. Boy aged 15-16, Altrincham



5.6.3 Agriculture as a career

When asked about Agriculture in a wider context, just 4% regarded this as a job area of particular interest to them (see section 5.5 above).

When asked specifically about the possibility of working in agriculture and its associated industries, 4% say that they definitely want to do this, a further 7% say it is one of the choices they are considering, and 12% regard it as a wider possibility – a total of just under one in four (23%).

Interest drops off with age, from 37% of 12-14 year olds expressing some degree of interest, to 19% at age 14-16, and 14% at age 16-18. There is little difference between boys and girls.

There is no real difference between urban and rural students in terms of overall levels of interest (23% urban, 24% rural), although rural students predominate among those who definitely want to do this (4% of urban students, 6% rural). This suggests that the full spread of students – from urban as well as rural areas – are potentially relevant when planning recruitment.

6b. Which of the following statements best describe how you feel about the possibility of working in Agriculture and its associated industries? e.g. food, science TOTAL

% Gender Age

Boys Girls 12-14 14-16 16-18 I definitely want to do this

4 5 4 6 4 4

It’s one of the choices I’m considering

7 8 6 13 6 2

It’s one of many possibilities that I’m thinking about

12 11 13 18 9 8

It’s unlikely 38 38 38 33 41 40 I definitely don’t want to do this

33 34 32 25 31 43

Don’t know 5 4 7 6 8 2


Interest in agriculture is sparked by a range of factors. Two distinct motivations top the list:

One in three of those with any interest in agriculture are attracted by the role of science and research in the industry (33%, equivalent to 8% of students). This is the main motivation for those from ethnic minorities.

A similar number are interested because they enjoy looking after animals (31%). This skews towards girls, those from a rural area, and white students.

Other motivations, appealing to around one in four of those interested, are the idea of working independently (26% of those interested in agriculture), or working outdoors (25%) – both these show a small bias towards boys, with working outdoors appealing most to those from rural areas.

One in five say that they are interested because care about the environment and the countryside (21%), or feel that it is an important and worthwhile career (19%).



A relatively small proportion, 13% of those interested, is influenced by family background. This rises to 24% of those from rural areas who are interested in this sector (5% of all rural students).

12% of those who see agriculture as a possibility do so because they see it as practical / hands on / with no need for qualifications. This is most important among students from rural areas, and among boys.

6c. What are the main reasons why you might consider a possible career in agriculture and its associated industries?

TOTAL %

Gender Age

Boys Girls 12-14 14-16 16-18 I am really interested in the role of science and research in this industry

33 33 33 31 27 46

I enjoy looking after animals

31 23 40 34 36 19

I like the idea of being able to plan my own day, and not work to someone else’s schedule

26 29 22 25 30 20

I like working outdoors

25 29 21 17 33 33

I care about the environment and want to help preserve the British countryside

21 25 18 16 26 29

It is an important and worthwhile career

19 19 19 19 10 32

My family / friends work in agriculture

13 16 10 10 18 15

No need for qualifications / more practical, hands on

12 16 9 10 14 17

No reply 12 14 10 14 9 12

Base: All those who would consider a career in agriculture and its associated industries12-18 (354)

For those who would not consider agriculture, the dominant reason is that they feel that they are just not interested in this – almost two thirds of those rejecting agriculture do so at least in part for this reason (64%, equivalent to 35% of all students). Oldest students feel this most strongly, but it is a sentiment held by the majority across the board, in rural areas as well as urban.

A secondary reason relates to lack of knowledge – 38% of those rejecting agriculture say that this is because they don‟t know enough about it. This comes up most frequently among those from Asian backgrounds.

One in four reject agriculture as a career because they think it would be repetitive and boring (26%), with girls most likely to hold this view.

A minority refer to a perception that it does not pay well (14%), that it is mainly for those from a farming background (13%), there is limited opportunity for career progression (11%), or that it is less advanced than other industries (10%). 6% are put off because they think it would be difficult to get a job of this kind.



6d. What are the main reasons why you wouldn’t consider a career in agriculture and its associated industries? TOTAL

% Gender Age

Boys Girls 12-14 14-16 16-18 I’m just not interested in this

64 61 66 56 58 75

I don’t know enough about it

38 37 40 37 33 44

I think it could be quite repetitive and boring

26 23 30 27 27 25

It doesn’t pay well 14 16 12 12 16 14

This is mainly for those from a farming background

13 16 11 10 13 16

There’s not much chance of progression

11 11 11 10 12 11

I don’t think it is as advanced / progressive as other industries

10 10 10 10 9 11

It’s not easy to get a job of this kind

6 6 6 3 7 6

Work experience at school doesn’t include these sorts of jobs

3 4 3 2 5 3

My friends and family wouldn’t approve

3 2 3 4 3 2

I’m worried about the working environment

3 3 2 3 4 2


Base: All aged 12-18 who would not consider agriculture (1227)

5.6.4 Agriculture and associated industries – groups Having established the relative position of Agriculture compared with other potential career destinations, the children in the groups were asked more specifically about their views and opinions of the industry, and their reasoning behind these. This will help identify where there are potential gaps in their knowledge, and opportunities for the future. Agriculture is not a word that children are particularly familiar with. Some didn‟t know what this meant, and others felt that it was simply a formal word for farming. Their knowledge of the industry is based very much around the idea of working the land, self sufficiency and family heritage. It doesn‟t carry the same credibility as other popular industries, such as Science and Engineering, with many regarding it as old fashioned and in some cases even cliquey. Alternative words that children felt more at ease with included rural, environment, food producers and science. One boy argued that the word „environment‟ suggested problems though.

Agriculture sounds more private school. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

Would animals come under agriculture, like looking after sheep and stuff? Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk



What’s agriculture? I‟ve never heard the word. Girl aged 13-14, Chester le Street I‟ve never heard of it…You‟ve never heard of farming? I’ve heard of farming but I’ve never heard of agriculture. Boys aged 15-16, Altrincham

5.6.5 Perceptions of the industry – groups When asked what jobs come to mind when thinking about the agricultural industry, the first instinct of the children in the groups was to suggest manual, labour intensive occupations. However with some encouragement, several of the children tentatively suggested links with science, engineering and natural resources – although this is a real struggle for some. For most children, it is hard to think beyond the stereotypes, given that this is an industry that they know little else about. Thinking back to how children make decisions about their future career, this is not an industry currently aligned to a particular school subject, and only a handful know family or friends who work within it, both of which are key drivers in helping to promote awareness.

GROUPS: Careers in AGRICULTURE (top of mind)


Farming, Animal care

Farmers markets, Butcher

Gardening

GM Crops

Money

Vet

Fair trade

Marketing – to buy / sell to people, where do they buy their seeds?

Helpers

Fix tractors – engineers


Farming

Chickens, crops, tractors

Farmer, Fishing

Food

Gardening, Show gardens

Science, Experimental science – GM crops

Boys aged 16-18 Girls aged 16-18 Farming

Butcher

Tractor manufacturer

Engineer

Farmer

Plant nursery (one girl‟s parents run one)

Equestrian After probing quite hard

Other primary resources – eg coal

Butchers / Tesco – to sell end product

Machinery-related

Feed suppliers

Builders

Several of the groups were encouraged to think beyond farmers, with some prompted to think about what the animals might eat, and who supplies this – one of the older boys made the comment that “they eat grass, don‟t they? You plant it (once), then it just grows”



Thinking back to the key attributes and useful information that children value when researching potential careers (5.3.2 useful information), the groups were asked what their perception of these were in relation to the agricultural industry, along with any other thoughts they have about the industry as a whole. Once again, their limited experience leads many to refer only to farming at first, which can result in some relatively downbeat views and opinions. However, further discussion encourages to them to think about farming as part of a wider complex.

Entering the industry – where do you start? They presume they would need to buy some land, equipment, livestock etc. Perception that they would need to borrow money / rent land, and commit to this for the long term, including possibly taking on debt. Several feel that it‟s not just about getting a job, you‟re choosing an entire way of life – one that for many young people, is far removed from their existing lifestyle – or so they believe. This is not a consideration in most other industries.

Career Progression – limited. Perhaps some opportunities for diversification – eco farms, leisure etc. It most cases, it is a labour of love for those who do it

Opportunities to travel – none

Typical day – long, routine, repetitive, hard work

Status – not particularly aspirational. Friends and family might judge, not an academic route, never a first choice “Something you end up doing because you failed at something else”

Cliquey – everybody knows everybody. It‟s assumed that it‟s not easy to integrate, you might feel like an outsider. Several feel it is an industry that you grow up in, you don‟t choose it, you‟re born into it – family heritage

Autonomy – appealing to some, but quite risky. It‟s not an area they know much about BUT...

Requires in-depth knowledge – there is a need to know a lot about what you‟re doing, it‟s a responsibility. This gives a perception of greater status, recognition that expertise is required

Impact of science – in order to effectively look after crops and animals etc. This isn‟t something that children instinctively think of, but earlier discussions about Science prompt some to see the relationship between the two industries, and in some cases this helps them to realise that agriculture is a progressive sector. The link between these two industries must be exploited, in order for children to appreciate this more.

Potential – for improvement and innovation. This is based on a common assumption that the industry is in need or modernisation. Boys in particular recognise that there is a role for technology and engineering

Trade – buying and selling. This is appealing to some children. Opportunities to negotiate, drive down prices. Potential to make money

Making a positive contribution – involvement with the local community.



Entering the industry:

I think agriculture is something you‟re born into. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk You‟d have to have a background in it. Boy aged 15-16, Altrincham If you‟re thinking of careers… like we‟re in school and we‟re going to think of this area… and I know (Norfolk) is not that built up… you don‟t really think I‟m going to go into agriculture… you don‟t really think like that… you think I‟m going to do something to help the community or something quite interesting. I don’t think people would want to go into agriculture if they haven’t been brought up with it. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

You have to have money to buy the land to do your farming with. If you were to start from like scratch, you need to get money like a loan to rent the land first and pay for water and equipment… If your family is a long line of farmers and that‟s traditionally what they do, then you would already have all that Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk I’ve got a friend at college and she’s studying agriculture. She found out because her family stay on a farm like every summer and she helps out there. There‟s a university in Yorkshire that is like agricultural care. She just loves animals and being on the farm and growing stuff. Girl aged 16-18, Altrincham

Career Progression:

Farmer…Master Farmer?!?! Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk I don’t think anyone aspires to be a farmer. He lives on a farm but he doesn‟t want to be a farmer. I suppose it sounds less attractive just because it‟s agriculture. Boys aged 16-18, Chester le Street

Typical day:

It’s a lot of work. At the end of the day you‟re not going to get much credit from a lot of people. You‟d get a lot more credit for being a doctor than you would do for being a farmer. Boy aged 16-18, Chester le Street

Trade:

Things that come from farming. Tescos. People who kill the animals. Who create the machinery. Girl aged 16-18, Altrincham

Impact of Science:

I think there’s a lot of space to improve scientifically in farming, and with the engineering side of things.. design and technology. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

Things like engineering seeds that‟s more like chemistry than agriculture. Boy aged 16-18, Chester le Street

In-depth knowledge

You would need in-depth knowledge of what you‟re doing. And you‟d have to enjoy it. But you‟re not going to get a Ferrari doing it Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk



5.6.6 Career Opportunities – Groups In the groups, few children believed that there are opportunities in the agricultural industry for those from non-farming backgrounds. They assume that experience is the key to success, with those from farming families at a distinct advantage. Unlike many other industries they can see no obvious point of entry, besides working their way up from the bottom, which many are reluctant to even consider. In comparison to other industries such as the British Army or Medicine, the Agricultural industry has no clear route of progression, with many children failing to recognise that advanced qualifications will enable them to enter at a higher level. Based on their existing knowledge, few children see agriculture as an academic option, and therefore are unaware that there are specific qualifications and courses available. Children feel there are few industries that require the same level of dedication and commitment as agriculture. At their age, the idea of just being able to „have a go‟ at something appeals, without having to restrict their options too much. Agriculture is not perceived as a career that you can walk away from if you decide it‟s not for you, or if it wasn‟t what you thought it was going to be. More needs to be done to communicate the different levels of entry to children, with particular emphasis on positions that require higher level qualifications, such as a degree. In order to make children more aware of the vast range of positions available in this industry, the CIA Campaign may need to consider aligning key sectors with subjects on the national curriculum, such as Science, Business and Geography – many of which children are very receptive towards. It seems to fit far better if you start from these subjects, and then think of agriculture as an area where scientists / business / management can be applied. Going the other way doesn‟t appear to work, since several are put off by agriculture before they go further and find out more. Qualifications:

I always thought farming meant you didn’t go to university. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk You can get a degree in crowd safety, so of course you can get a degree in farming. Boy aged 15-16, Altrincham

Following the academic path:

I knew I wanted to do A levels, but I didn‟t know what to do inside the range of courses. You need A levels for university. I think you get a better job with more education. You can do vocational courses but obviously if you do A levels it‟s like a higher level. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk

A life long commitment:

It would be like your entire life. If you worked in an office and did 9-5, your work and home life would be separate. You couldn‟t just think I‟ll have a day off today. Girl aged 16-18, Altrincham

If you had a degree in engineering, if you got bored of it, you could go off and do other things. Boy aged 16-18, Chester le Street When I think about what you learn about other jobs, then I think a lot of that can be transferred into agriculture. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk



5.6.7 The influence of others In the groups, most children assumed that their parents would probably steer them away from a career in agriculture, and may perhaps even laugh at them for considering it. Others feel their parents would support their decision if that‟s what they wanted to do, although they may not actively encourage it. All of the children are keen to push themselves towards a level of achievement that makes their parents proud. Their existing knowledge of the agricultural industry leads many to assume that a career in this area would not encourage them to fulfil their true potential, and in turn would not enable them to earn the respect of their family and friends. In most cases, they expect their teachers to be more impartial, but some are sceptical about how much they would know about the industry. Family and friends:

Parents may not see agriculture as a very academic workplace. I think they would be quite supportive if it‟s something you really wanted to do… not just something you change your mind about the next day. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk I don’t think my parents would be very impressed with me because they want me to be more academic. They‟d be like where did that come from? Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk It‟s not a very common job. Also it doesn’t sound that good. Girl aged 16-18, Altrincham My mum‟s always wanted me to go to university… Boy aged 16-18, Chester le Street

Teachers and Advisors:

I think it‟s more fair that you have to go and approach (teachers) about some things because you‟re interested in them and they haven‟t influenced you… I know my German teacher has shown me a website about languages and stuff like that. I think if you went to the teacher they should know what’s out there. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

I think she‟d probably put you onto the website and say type in agriculture and then a load of blogs will come up or she‟d give you a leaflet or something…. Or she’ll say okay, let’s look at where this can take you. Maybe look at getting an apprenticeship. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk I think college is a bit different, it‟s not as pressurised to „do this do that‟ as school is. They let you do it by yourself and you have individual tutorials. Girl aged 16-18, Altrincham



5.7 CASE STUDIES FOR JOBS IN AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES

Each child who completed the online survey was shown three case studies from a selection of six, chosen to give an insight of the range of career options within agriculture. The case studies included details of salaries, the content of the job, and the path taken to get there, and were illustrated with a photo.

We used month of birth to randomly assign children to groups:

Those born in Spring or Autumn months were asked about Farm Manager, Animal nutritionist and Grain Trader

Those born in Summer or Winter months were asked about Crop / Soil scientist, Agricultural Engineer and Rural Surveyor

For five out of the six examples, between 6% and 7% of students said that the job sounded very interesting. This compares with just 4% who say that they are interested in agriculture as a career. Between a quarter and a third more found the jobs quite interesting.

How interesting does this sound?

Group A Group B

Farm manager

Animal nutritionist

Grain trader

Crop scientist

Agricultural engineer

Rural surveyor

Very interesting 6 6 7 4 7 7 Quite interesting 30 35 26 32 32 30

Not at all interesting

60 54 62 58 55 57

Don’t know 5 5 5 6 6 6

Base: All aged 12-18 (790 / 791)

Overall, 14% of students found at least one of the case study jobs very interesting, whilst 60% found at least one either very or quite interesting. Interest is greater among younger children and among boys, and is also slightly higher in urban, rather than rural, areas.

Overall levels of interest in case studies

Total %

Gender Age Location

Boy Girl 11-12 13-14 15-16 Urban Rural Any very interesting

14 17 11 20 12 10 15 12

Any very / quite interesting

60 61 58 70 56 53 60 57

None seen as interesting

40 39 42 30 44 47 40 43




5.7.1 Farm Manager

“Ben is 29, and helps manage a 200ha mixed farm for the owner – raising animals and tending to crops, managing staff, working machinery, organising farm admin and planning.

He enjoys the mix of technical and practical work, plus the responsibility and chance to make his own decisions. His starting salary as a trainee manager was around £22K, which should eventually rise to £60K plus house, vehicle.

He has a degree in environmental science and business, and originally planned to work in conservation, but changed his plans after working on a local farm whilst studying.”

FARM MANAGER: How interesting does this sound?

TOTAL %

Gender Age

Boys Girls 12-14 14-16 16-18 Very interesting 6 8 3 6 6 5 Quite interesting 30 28 31 36 24 29

Not at all interesting 60 59 60 50 65 62

Don’t know 5 5 5 7 5 3


Main attraction is the salary, plus some see this as varied and offering responsibility. But many feel that, while it is in theory interesting, in practice it is not for them.

Gets a good salary in the end (Girl Yr 9, Urban) High Salary ;) (Boy Yr 10, Urban) Although it pays well, you need to enjoy the job not learning anything about it or not interested its boring!! (Girl Yr 9, Urban) Chance to be out side and have an interesting job that is different everyday. (Girl Yr 10, Urban) I like mostly working with machinery (Boy Yr 10, Rural) I might think again about agriculture (Boy Yr 8, Urban) I think it is interesting for some one who likes this (Girl Yr 8, Urban) I‟d prefer to do study of the environment rather than looking after the environment (Girl Yr 11, Urban) It could be better but not knowing enough about farming means this is boring to me (Girl Yr 9, Urban) It's good to know, but it doesn't really interest me (Boy Yr 12, Rural) Farming is for old people, I don‟t want to wake up early & dig in the mud :(, but I like animals. (Girl Yr 10, Urban) I like animals but am not a fan of working with plants. I have a pet at home and know how to clean it put/ feed it/ and care for it (Boy Yr 8, Rural) Farms like this don‟t exist in Cumbria (Boy Yr 12, Rural)



5.7.2 Animal Nutritionist

“Sarah works as an animal nutritionist for a farm advisory group. She visits local farms to advise on how best to feed their animals, helps design diets to maximise growth and health, and tests out new feeding systems.

She has always been interested in science, but also enjoys business management and working with people. Her starting salary was just under £20K, which should rise to around £35 - £50K. She has a degree in biochemistry, specialising in nutrition in her final year, and was lucky to get work experience shadowing an animal nutritionist.”

ANIMAL NUTRITIONIST: How interesting does this sound?

TOTAL %

Gender Age

Boys Girls 12-14 14-16 16-18 Very interesting 6 4 7 10 5 3

Quite interesting 35 27 43 42 33 32 Not at all interesting 54 63 45 45 56 62

Don’t know 5 5 4 4 7 3


The link with science appeals to some, but puts others off. Others would rather work with humans than animals, or dislike the idea of visiting farms.

A rewarding job which she has, also has interesting job role duties. (Girl Yr 12, Urban) I think sound ok I the sort of think that I might want to do when I get older (Girl Yr 8, Rural) It seems alright you have different experiences everyday. (Girl Yr 8, Rural) If I was going to choose a job that involved anything medical, I would be a doctor. (Girl Yr 9, Urban) Would like it more if it was with humans (Girl Yr 11, Urban) I think this could be an interesting job and I think it is part of working with animals, and personally I am not interested in this line of work. (Girl Yr 9, urban) Good career but I‟m not interested (Boy Yr 8, Rural) It might pay well, but I don't see myself in that career, at all. (Boy Yr 10, Rural) This sounds a bit boring just going round farms and telling people how to feed their animals. It does pay well though :) (Girl Yr 8, urban) I don't really like going to farms but I do like animals (Girl Yr 10, Urban) I‟m not smart enough to do this you know. (Girl Yr 10, Rural) I‟m just not the kind of person who likes science and smarty things (Girl Yr 9, Urban) Dead boring, not the best salary :( (Boy Yr 10, Urban)



5.7.3 Grain Trader

“Kelly works as a grain trader for a major commodities company. She works with a network of farms, negotiating prices and setting up contracts to buy their grain, arranging storage and delivery, and checking quality.

She has always been interested in marketing, and is good with numbers, and enjoys the challenge and excitement of making deals. Her starting salary was £20K, this could rise as high as £150K for an experienced trader at the top of their game. She joined as a junior trainee straight after A Levels, but could have chosen to take a degree in business, marketing or economics before entry at a higher level.”

GRAIN TRADER: How interesting does this sound?

TOTAL %

Gender Age



Don’t know 5 4 5 6 4 4


The top-end salary catches several students‟ eye, and some like the nature of the work and the challenge. Others are put off by the fact that this is farms, or are unsure of their capabilities.

Good pay and the job is more related to business. (Boy Yr 10, Urban) I like to work out sums, like number work, like to market and be involved in technology (Girl Yr 11, Urban) It‟s a bit interesting because of the salary. (Boy Yr 8, Urban) I would do it for £150K (Boy Yr 13, Urban) It does pay good wages, but working with other farms etc.. Isn‟t for me otherwise I would just do farming myself, I think it could be interesting in this line of work, working in the market (Girl Yr 9, Urban) Also it is a good well paid job I‟m not very confident at making this such as deals. (Girl Yr 8, Rural) I do not think that this looks very interesting and not something that I would want to do (Girl Yr 8, Rural) I think that although it is good money it‟s not all about money and I would not enjoy doing this (Girl Yr 8, Urban) Not interested but it sounds good. (Boy Yr 8, Rural)



5.7.4 Crop Scientist / Soil Scientist

“Heather works for a research laboratory, gathering, interpreting and evaluating information about the chemistry, biology and physics of soils, for agricultural and environmental purposes. She sometimes carries out field work, producing maps of soil types, but spends the majority of her time monitoring laboratory research, also advising clients.

Starting salaries are around £16 - £22K but those with experience can earn anything from £25K to more than £50K. Whilst this type of work demands a good honours degree in a science or science-related subject, there are also technician roles open to those with A levels or a diploma.”

CROP SCIENTIST / SOIL SCIENTIST: How interesting does this sound?

TOTAL %

Gender Age



Don’t know 6 7 4 8 7 1


The salary is again an attraction here, and also the science link, but the overall job only interests a minority – the science involved deters as well as attracts, and others are not convinced that soil could be interesting.

Good pay and interesting job (Boy Yr 8, Urban) Seems an interesting job if you like that stuff. (Boy Yr 11, Urban) I'm interested in science but not particularly soil. (Girl Yr 11, Urban) It looks a little bit boring but I would have to try it and my opinion would change (Girl Yr 9, Urban) The high salary is good but it takes a lot of time (Boy Yr 10, Rural) A lot of money but need good A-levels (Boy Yr 8, Urban) I think it can pay well if you‟re experienced but it‟s not that interesting for me. (Girl Yr 8, Urban) It‟s a good Salary but I‟m not interested. (Girl Yr 8, Rural) I quite like working in the farm or some places like that. But I don't particularly want to work with science. (Boy Yr 12, Urban) I don‟t want to be a scientist because it doesn‟t interest me and I'm not good at science (Girl Yr 10, Urban) It looks geeky and boring (Boy Yr 8, Urban)

Some of the rural students have other ambitions:

This doesn‟t sound very interesting to me, because I want to run a beauty salon with nails, hair, fake tanning NOT A SOIL SCIENTIST!!! (Girl Yr 10, Rural) It's not interesting to me because I want to be a Formula 1 driver (Boy Yr 8, rural)



5.7.5 Agricultural Engineer

“Jake works as an agricultural engineer, specialising in large-scale machinery such as combine harvesters. He gets to travel around the country, and occasionally abroad. He hopes to set up his own business in the future.

He has always been good at working with machinery and making design improvements, and also has good business and management skills. His starting salary was just over £20K, which should rise to £35 - £50K or higher. He has a BSc. degree in Engineering, and was attracted to agricultural engineering when he discovered how sophisticated much of the machinery is nowadays. Those without a degree can train as agricultural mechanics, with a chance to qualify on the job.”

AGRICULTURAL ENGINEER: How interesting does this sound?

TOTAL %

Gender Age



Don’t know 6 6 6 7 8 2


The machinery / engineering aspect appeals to some of the boys, whilst others mention the salary or the opportunity to travel, but others are put off because it is agriculture.

Driving and using machines is fun (Boy Yr 8, Urban) Seems something fun and that I could get into if I can‟t do what I want. (Boy Yr 11, Urban) I can think about doing machines and I can do it quite well. But it really makes me headache sometimes and I don't enjoy it that much. (Boy Yr 12, Urban) It‟s good he gets to travel the world because he could learn stuff from that as well but it‟s not interesting for me. (Girl Yr 8, Urban) Quite good pay but not the field of work I think about too much. (Boy Yr 9, urban) I'm not that interested in the engineering side much. (Girl Yr 8, Urban) ........I wouldn‟t want to do anything involving agriculture (Boy Yr 10, Rural) Again, I am not interested in agriculture (Boy Yr 11, Urban)

5.7.6 Rural Surveyor

“Tom works for a firm of consultants, managing the interests of rural landowners. He advises them on laws relating to agriculture, the environment, planning, and taxation.

He also gets consulted on estate management, forestry, conservation, leisure uses for land, and spends much of his time out of the office, visiting clients and other contacts. His starting salary was around £18K, plus a company car, and should rise to £35 - £40K or more. He has a HND in rural studies, and is studying part time to become a Chartered Surveyor, which will lead to a h igher salary.”

RURAL SURVEYOR: How interesting does this sound?

TOTAL %

Gender Age



Don’t know 6 6 6 8 8 1




Salary and benefits appeal to some, plus the wider scope of the job. Others are put off by the rural setting.

A good job to do and the experience of it will make you learn and get to earn more (Boy Yr 9, Urban) I like the sound of the money. (Girl Yr 8, Rural) The company car is good because he has to do a lot of travelling (Girl Yr 9, Rural) It would be quite interesting deciding what to put where on different land (Girl Yr 8, Rural) You can earn more than £40k which is interesting, but the job sounds dull. (Girl Yr 10, Urban) Its good pay and its sounds like a good job but I don‟t think I‟m that interested. (Girl Yr 8, Rural) Quite interesting but not that interesting. (Girl Yr 8, Urban) I wouldn't want to work for rural land-owners, as rural studies isn't something that appeals to me (Girl Yr 8, Urban) Not an exciting job. (Boy Yr 8, Urban)

5.7.7 Case studies – groups The children in the groups were given some time to read all six of the case studies. The purpose of this activity was to highlight the range of different jobs associated with agriculture, with the intention of identifying aspects that appeal or surprise for each. Overall response to the case studies was positive, with several children finding that these expanded and strengthened their understanding of farming and agriculture as a business, rather than simply a collection of small holdings. For some, this was the moment they realised that, whilst agriculture is indeed farming, it relies upon so much more than just farmers. One group was shown the case studies before discussing agriculture specifically, and without labelling these as linked to agriculture. They were asked what they thought the jobs all had in common. Agriculture / farming did not come to mind.

Environment…They‟re all kind of business. Business… jobs in business. Jobs in rural areas…? Boy aged 14-16, Altrincham

Children in all the groups were surprised by the level of qualifications needed, and the starting salaries. They were also surprised by the extent to which the agricultural industry utilises skills from other sectors, such as science and engineering.

GROUPS: Summary of main points highlighted

The range of different subjects covered – Environmental Science, Business, Biochemistry,

Science – (Biology, physics and chemistry), Engineering Good Salaries Level of qualifications needed – degree, but also A levels Not all outdoors, some laboratory research, consultation – fixed location Mix of technical and practical work Opportunities to travel – this was unexpected Sophisticated machinery Benefits – house, vehicle etc Overlap with leisure and tourism, not all about farming



Before I thought they were only just like scratching off (a living)… I looked at one that was you start off on £22k per year and it rises to £60k and you also get a house and vehicle. I didn’t think you‘d get all that just for being like a manager on a farm. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk This one… the agricultural engineer sounds good because you get to travel all round the country. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk

You‟ve got the grain trader, that‟s £150k per year, then with the agricultural engineer, you get a lot lower but that‟s more fun. You‟d enjoy that. If I couldn’t get in the army then I would probably choose to do something like this Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk I wouldn‟t have put down crop scientist, soil scientist. Because I didn’t know they existed. There‟s loads of stuff coming out of the science bit. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk Rural surveyor. That’s more interesting than being a farmer. They‟ve all got weird names. Boy aged 15-16, Altrincham I didn‟t know that scientists got involved. Girl aged 13-14, Chester le Street You have to break it down. You have to have the word agriculture in there, but you can‟t just sum them all up as that. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk

Although there are many features within these case studies that appeal to the children, most said they were still put off by the reference to Agriculture – they would notice this and then look no further. They find it hard to come up with alternative terms or descriptions – but do agree that these jobs are Business and Science related, and this is a stronger, more attractive approach. Several of the girls agreed that talks in school would be a good way to put this information across. They have similar events for other subjects, such as Psychology, Law and Medicine. In order to make the maximum impact it would be necessary to play down the links with agriculture in the first instance, with jobs instead aligned to key school subjects. Once children are interested, they are more likely to be receptive towards the wider context. Visits schools:

Do talks in school. They have talks on Psychology, Law, Medicine. In Year 10 or 11. (Link it with) specific subjects for GCSEs, that influences what you choose. Business and science. People like the idea of business and being able to run something and be in charge of something. With agriculture, the first thing you think of is a farmer. Girl aged 16-18, Altrincham Highlight the wages… like the grain trader… if people see £150k. Advertise it more. And get better names. Boy aged 16-18, Chester le Street



Educate and inform: I think first they‟ve just got to educate people in schools and get rid of these stereotypes. Society looks down on you if you work in agriculture. It‟s a lower status really. Before I didn‟t find it interesting, but some of the jobs caught my attention when they showed the money. With all the stuff that’s happening nowadays, you want a good paid job. Boy aged 13-14, Norfolk You need to build on the bits that aren’t to do with tractors and fields. Expand on the travelling side of things… and mixing subjects together. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk Get them a lot younger than GCSE or High School… by that time the more creative or more sporty ones have already got their sights fixed on that and agriculture doesn‟t really have a part in the education system. You might get the odd school trip to some farm where you get to see a goat… that‟s our understanding of agriculture. Girl aged 15-16, Norfolk

Let people our age know what the job is about. When you see Grain Trader you think oh they just sell grain, but you wouldn‟t know everything… things you might be interested in… like the marketing side of things… you’d never know about it because nobody’s ever told you about it. Girl aged 16-18, Altrincham

Hands on experience:

Take you to a farm. Get hands on experience. At school they just make us all do gardening. Girl aged 13-14, Chester le Street



5.7.8 Case studies – overall points

Overall, most young people could see aspects of the case studies that they found appealing – just 12% said that nothing appealed to them, whilst a further 7% were unsure / unable to answer. On average, they mentioned just over three separate points.

By far the most widely appealing aspect was the Good salaries on offer (52%). This matches young people‟s wider priorities when asked what was important in careers in general (see above).

One in four liked the Good level of job satisfaction and the fact that the jobs are Challenging / rewarding (both 24%), whilst one in five mentioned the use of Business skills (21%), Level of responsibility (20%), Wide range of jobs available (19%), and Opportunities to travel (19%). All these challenge the received view of agriculture as low level and non progressive.

One in six mentioned the Links with science and technology as being of interest (16%), and slightly fewer referred to Using academic qualifications (13%), both aspects which reposition agriculture in a more positive light.

7b. Which aspects of these case studies were most appealing to you?

TOTAL %

Gender Age

Boys Girls 12-14 14-16 16-18 Good salary 52 54 49 56 51 48 Good level of job satisfaction

24 25 24 31 19 22

Challenging / rewarding 24 23 24 29 21 21

Business skills 21 24 19 30 18 17 Level of responsibility 20 20 20 25 16 18 The wide range of jobs available

19 17 21 23 18 17

Opportunities to travel 19 17 20 23 16 17 Interesting / varied 18 15 21 22 15 17 Opportunity to make a positive contribution / help people

17 14 21 19 15 18

Opportunities to work in a team

17 17 17 17 16 19

Links with science / technology

16 16 17 20 13 16

Good prospects / chances for promotion

15 14 16 17 12 15

The working environment

14 15 13 16 12 13

Local / near to family / partner / friends

13 12 15 20 12 9

Using academic qualifications

13 12 13 14 9 15

The technology / machinery involved

12 16 8 12 13 10

The range of school subjects they cover

8 8 8 11 5 6

Nothing 12 12 12 6 12 17





Other variations:

Both urban and rural students were equally likely to see positive aspects to the example careers. The ability to use academic qualifications was more important among urban students, whilst rural students were more likely to appreciate the chance to work locally.

Salary, job satisfaction, use of business skills, links with science / technology and levels of responsibility all featured highly among students from Asian backgrounds.

Young people‟s responses to this question highlight potential approaches that may be used to present agricultural careers in a more appealing way, depending on the target group – for example stressing the scientific or business aspect, the skills required, and the wider professional status, in order to attract urban high flyers.

5.7.9 Appeal of agriculture

When asked to say what most appeals about the agricultural industry, two thirds of young people found something they considered positive (67%), mentioning an average of just over two items each overall. Girls are more likely to find some aspect that appeals (71% of girls compared with 62% of boys), but there is no difference across the age range.

Aspects that appeal relate primarily to job conditions – a good work / life balance (22%), flexible working hours (21%), working with others (20%), being independent (19%), and making a difference (21%), also the more traditional attributes – being practical and hands on (21%), working with animals (19%), working outdoors (19%).

Some of the more specifically agriculture-related attributes get fewer mentions, eg protecting the environment (14%), the landscape (14%), caring for the land (12%).

7c. Which of these do you find most appealing about the agricultural industry?

TOTAL %

Gender Age

Boys Girls 12-14 14-16 16-18 Having a good work / life balance

22 20 25 25 19 22

Being practical, hands on 21 20 22 22 19 23

Flexible working hours 21 20 22 21 19 22 Making a difference 21 17 24 25 16 21 Working with other people

20 16 24 22 20 18

Working with animals 19 13 26 21 19 17 Being independent 19 16 22 22 17 18 Being outdoors / not confined to an office

19 19 19 16 17 23

Protecting the environment

14 12 15 12 12 17

The landscape 14 12 15 14 13 14 Being part of the community

13 11 15 14 11 13

Caring for the land 12 11 13 14 10 14

Being innovative / taking on new technologies

9 11 8 10 8 10

Operating big machinery 8 12 3 9 6 8

None of these 22 25 20 16 24 27

No reply 11 13 9 15 11 7




Other variations:

Those living in rural areas are more likely to pick up on being practical, working with animals, and being outdoors.

Those from BME groups place greater emphasis on making a difference, protecting the environment, flexible hours, and being independent.

Among those who would consider agriculture at all (definitely / one of a few / one of many options), four in five see some aspect as appealing (81%). Aspects that they are most likely to favour are work / life balance (32%), working with others (31%), flexible working hours (29%), being independent (28%), being practical (28%) and making a difference (28%). One in four mention working with animals (25%), and working outdoors (23%). One in five like the idea of being innovative and taking on new technologies (18%).

Looking at those who are interested in the range of school subjects most linked with agriculture (science, maths, geography, business studies), there is no difference in the overall proportion who see any aspects of agriculture as appealing (67%), but they are slightly more likely to mention the attractions of working with animals (23% vs 17% for those not interested in science etc), being independent (22% vs 17%), being part of the community (16% vs 11%), and being innovative / taking on new technologies (12% vs 8%).

Those interested in science are most likely to consider some aspect of agriculture appealing (70%); top aspects are making a difference (26%), working with animals (25%), a good work / life balance (25%), working with animals (24%) and being practical / hands on (24%).

Among those interested in geography, 64% consider any aspect appealing, and are most attracted by working with animals (26%).

Those interested in business studies are less attracted to agriculture, with just 64% seeing any attraction. Of greatest appeal is being independent (21%), plus a good work / life balance (20%) and working with other people (20%)

These variations suggest a possible basis for different approaches depending on the school subject chosen as a link, when promoting careers in the agricultural industries via schools.



5.8 CAREER RELATED WEBSITES In order to provide guidance for future online resources covering careers in agriculture, students‟ views of a number of existing websites were explored. This topic was explored in the discussion groups only. Children were asked to look briefly at a selection of career related websites, chosen specifically before the research. They were asked to give their first impressions of each, including what they liked and disliked. Overall the children were drawn towards websites that gave them the flexibility to search for careers based on their interests. The Army Role Finder site was generally voted as the best because it had a good balance of pictures and text, and looked relatively easy to navigate. They like websites that have bright colours (Lantra / Tomorrow‟s Engineer), although a solid background colour often gives an impression of clarity. Case studies and random job generators appeal – they like the prospect of discovering a job they hadn‟t previously considered or heard of. The Tomorrow’s Engineer site also appealed to several children because it looked creative and a bit different, without compromising on the detail. Some of the children liked the idea of videos, whilst others prefer text, particularly bullet points. Several children were quite disappointed by the bConstructive website, with comments suggesting that it was dull and boring. Although some felt it did look quite professional, they didn‟t feel that it reflected their perception of the industry The Careers in Agriculture website received a mixed response. Several of the groups were quite critical of it, suggesting that the pictures and colours reinforced the farming stereotype, whilst others felt it looked less professional than some of the other sites. Despite this, several children felt the amount of text was about right, and the pictures at the top of the screen appealed to some. Opinion was divided on the site logo, with some suggesting that the building blocks were childish, and others recognising this as quite creative. Most considered the word „Agriculture‟ to be off-putting – not a site they would ever use. 9



GROUPS: Summary of career related websites:

Army Role Finder

http://www.army.mod.uk/rolefinder

Lots of good pictures Looks easy to navigate Clear Like the idea of being asked what their skills are first Colour coded bar The picture suggest there will be videos to watch

Tomorrow’s Engineer http://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/ careers.cfm Eye catching – lots of pictures, not too text heavy Clear Modern and inviting Facebook link

Careers in Agriculture

http://www.careersinagriculture.co.uk/ Reinforces the stereotype for some – field, hay bales Basic, unsophisticated, less professional Pictures at the top appeal to some Building blocks divide opinion – childish vs creative Good balance of writing “Agriculture” off-putting

Real Cool Futures

http://www.realcoolfutures.com/ Sounds patronising Lots of writing Colour is good, also words down the side Random Job generator is good, also Case Studies.

http://www.army.mod.uk/rolefinder

http://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/%0bcareers.cfm

http://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/%0bcareers.cfm

http://www.careersinagriculture.co.uk/

http://www.realcoolfutures.com/



bConstructive

http://www.bconstructive.co.uk/en/ careers-in-construction.aspx Quite professional but a bit dull and boring – doesn‟t reflect perception on industry Organised Like the idea of putting in what you are good at

Grow your career

http://www.growcareers.info/ Too much writing for some Looks nice, quite practical – main picture draws your eye “Read on” – suggests a lot to read “Search course or college” – this is good

Careers in Racing

www.careersinracing.com/ Eye catching, but first instinct is often racing, not horse racing Too much writing, not tempted to look further Another „cliquey‟ industry

Skillset

http://www.skillset.org/ Looks dry, not very creative Several not keen on the Signpost

http://www.growcareers.info/

http://www.careersinracing.com/

http://www.skillset.org/



Outstanding in the field

http://outstandinginthefield.co.nz/index.php/home/career/agricultural_pilot/

A bit cheesy They like the section about what interests you, bit overall too much writing

Lantra

http://www.lantra.co.uk/ Christmas-y! – colours, „ribbon‟ It‟s okay, bit not great Like the clickable words, intrigued to know what it would suggest if they clicked on „trees‟ Career in Farming

http://www.careerinfarming.co.uk/ Eye-catching, but don‟t like “Farming” This strongly reinforces the (negative) “farming” image – cow, colours – green, yellow Don‟t like the ads at the bottom (sponsors‟ logos)



http://www.lantra.co.uk/

http://www.careerinfarming.co.uk/


CHILDWISE – Careers In Agriculture – Research Report – Teachers and Advisers 70

6. RESEARCH WITH TEACHERS AND CAREERS ADVISORS

6.1 CAREERS RESOURCES We asked teachers and advisers about the different career related resources that they used, prompting for careers games, general online sites, industry sites, leaflets and booklets, and any other resources. We gave examples of the main resources, to illustrate. Teachers and careers advisers use an extensive range of different materials. Some examples crop up frequently, but we also had a long list of items that were mentioned by just one or two respondents. There is a broad mix of government / public sector, commercial and industry-related material. 6.1.1 Games and Quizzes All bar one respondent (FE College) use one or more of the various games and quizzes that are available to help students find out about HE options and future careers. Most widely used is Kudos, with 18 out of the 26 respondents saying that they use this to some extent. This has a careers quiz for students to complete, guiding them to HE / job options. Some of the respondents said that this required a high level of initial input for students to benefit fully. The Real Game is next in popularity, used by just over one in three teachers / advisers, followed by Fast Tomato, and Careerscape, each used by around one in four, whilst a smaller number mentioned JED (Job Explorer Directory), Higher Ideas, Launchpad, Career Companion and U-explore. (These last two are more general careers resources which include a game / quiz module.)

CAREERS GAMES No. using

Kudos 18 CASCAiD – age 13-19 – explore future options – 700 careers / 1800 job titles – quiz

The Real Game 10 KS3-KS4 – careers and wider life skills

Fast Tomato 6 Age 13-19, questionnaires to assess interests

Careerscape 6 CASCAiD – age 13+ information on careers, courses, with case studies, links etc

JED 4 Careersoft, age 13+ - Job Explorer Database. Videos, pictures, quizzes, 'top tens', career facts of the day, text.

Higher Ideas 3 Careersoft – HE courses, with quiz

Launchpad 3 CASCAiD – KS3 – profiling quiz

Career Companion 2 Comprehensive careers advice resource. Links to the BUZZ test from iCould

U-explore 2 Online resource which informs and inspires young people about the world of work. Using video case

studies, virtual tours and interactive skills logs.

Centigrade 1 COA – choosing HE course – profiling quiz

Talking Jobs 1 KS3 / KS4. Videos for different careers

Pathfinder 1 Babcock lifeskills – psychometric assessment



Some of those using The Real Game run parts of this only, others comment on the high level of inputs to run this in full. This extends beyond career / course choice to look at wider life skills – students in the groups in the North East described taking part in a game which was probably this one. (They had been assigned careers at random.) Fast Tomato – comments suggest that this is used as an introduction, with students enjoying the interactivity, but the resource as a whole lacking depth if not adequately supported by the teacher. Careerscape – used by half of the schools with sixth forms.

“The students like anything that is ICT led and interactive” (Suburban school with sixth form)

“The Real Game gives a realistic twist to the real world of work” (Suburban school with sixth form)

“Serves the purpose as part of a scheme of work. But I‟m beginning to get worried about the costs, and ICT facilities are often a problem when you have a 240-student year group” (Rural school, no sixth form)

“Depends on the quality of the introductory session explaining what Kudos is about and how to interpret the information” (Urban school with sixth form)

6.1.2 General Careers Websites The majority of general careers resources used are non commercial – Next Step (Directgov) is used by nine respondents (six schools with sixth form, one without, plus two colleges), four refer to the Department for Education, and almost half name a Connexions or local authority site specific to their area. The main commercial site is eCLIPS, with five respondents mentioning this, including schools with and without a sixth form.

GENERAL CAREERS WEBSITES No. using

Nextstep 9

eCLIPS 6

Connexions / Connexions West / … Medway / connexionslive.com / connexions360.org.uk

6

Department for Education 4

iCould.com 3 Careers advice including videos

National Apprenticeship Service / apprenticeships.org.uk

3

skillset 3 Careers in the creative industries



Sites / resources with one or two mentions:

Locally based sites:

Bright Ideas (Charity with links to London), LeCAP (Leicestershire), Shropshireyouth.com, helpyouchoose (Norfolk), focus on careers (aimhigher, west of England), Youthoria (Cambs), Workabout (Calderdale & Kirklees)

Post-16 decisions:

notgoingtouni.co.uk (sponsored by Sainsbury‟s etc plus ads), apprenticeships.org.uk

bestCourse4me, coursefinder.co.uk (various), whatuni.com (alternative online prospectus), push,

unistats, unionview, degrees ahead, unionpod (Oxford Brookes uni info / choice site), hot courses

Graduate careers / Careers:

prospects.ac.uk (graduate careers), allaboutcareers (graduate careers), careers box (careers films), careercomp@nion

TDA (Training and Development Agency for Schools) – teacher resources

There is also a number of sites giving information about post 16 choices, university and college courses, and apprenticeships, plus sites dedicated to careers information, including graduate careers.

“We use so many that I couldn‟t list them all … Generally many good and informative websites” (Suburban school with sixth form)

6.1.3 Industry sites Most careers co-ordinators are clearly aware that there is a wide range of specific industry sites that are available for students wishing to find out more about careers in certain fields, but it is only those relating to the most popular employment areas that are widely known by name – the Armed Forces, NHS, Uniformed Services and Construction. These are all areas where many students will enter direct from school / college. One careers co-ordinator, from a Midlands suburban school with sixth form, mentioned Lantra.

INDUSTRY SITES No. using

Armed forces / Army / Navy / RAF 8

NHS – nhs / step into the nhs / nhs careers 6

Medical – tasteofmedicine.co.uk / medschoolsonline.co.uk / BMA 3

Uniformed services – Police / Fire Brigade 2

Construction – bConstructive / CITB / On Site 4

Sector skills councils / websites 2

Lantra

All about law

Skillset

Creative Choices

Institute of Physics; future morph (careers in science, technology and engineering)

S and B (automotive industries)

Day in the life (health and social care in the south west)



Whilst some careers co-ordinators will have these at their finger tips, it is easy for the less used sites to get overlooked.

“We probably use hundreds of specific industry sites for various year groups” (Suburban school with sixth form)

“I am aware of a number of these sites but in truth I have not made use of them to date. You have reminded me of their availability” (Urban school with sixth form)

Several of the students in the groups talked about using sites of this kind, either as a result of careers advice, or from their own or their parents‟ initiative (eg BPS for Psychology, also sites for Architecture, Medicine). 6.1.4 Leaflets and booklets Opinion is divided on the role for printed material alongside online. Whilst some clearly favour the simplicity and economy of focussing material online, a minority still see a role for printed materials. This is consistent with views expressed in the student groups, where some (mainly girls) felt that a concise leaflet or similar was a good way to start a search, moving online for more detailed information. Basic careers directories such as Careers 2011 (or in one case an earlier edition) and Job File are available as reference / a starting point in several schools and colleges, whilst leaflets from eCLIPS or Connexions (Working In …) are also mentioned.

LEAFLETS & BOOKLETS No. mentioning

Company / industry leaflets eg NHS, ACCA 4

Job File (Babcock) 4

Careers 2011 / Careers 2009 (Trotman Directory) / Job Book 4

eCLIPS / CLIPS / Keyclips 3

Working in … (previously from Connexions, now VT / Babcock Lifeskills) 3

School‟s / Adviser‟s own 3

College leaflets 2

Connexions leaflets 1

Which Way Now? (DfE) 1

Getting into … (Career Guides published by Trotman) 1

Which A Levels? (book from Lifetime Publishing) 1

Good University Guide (Times), League tables, HEAP 1

Careerscape (print out leaflets) 1

Industry teaching packs 1

Local Authority 1

The emphasis is generally online, especially when looking for detailed and up to date information, and is likely to become increasingly so:

“Trying to persuade young people to look inside a book in addition to accessing the internet is the problem” (Urban school with sixth form)

“We cannot afford these anymore!” (Suburban school, no sixth form)



6.1.5 Other resources There was a limited number of mentions of other resources, including visits, which almost certainly does not reflect numbers actually using these, but gives a first indication of what is happening. Software – Ways and Choices, Boardworks Visits – Visitors to the school / Employer visits / Roadshows / Workshops Events in school – Careers days / Careers convention / FOCUS Days (3 schools) 6.1.6 Examples of good resources Most teachers and careers advisers could give at least one example of a resource that they found particularly good, with the majority naming more than one. The list is varied, covering different games and quizzes, job profiles and career descriptions, and information about choosing courses. Some key points that come up: Importance of interactive material, to engage young people and to make it quick and

easy to find what they are looking for Material that gets students thinking, reflects real life Comprehensive / trusted / focused / well prepared Resources that can be adapted to fit specific needs, or can be used in conjunction with

other material – putting together a solution from various resources that best suits their students

RESOURCE No. naming Good because …

Kudos 5 Interactive

Motivational

Start to think about a career management plan

Generates real thinking – what is realistic /

achievable

The Real Game 4 Enables young people to experience life in the adult fast lane

You can adapt the resource

More fun online

Tutors and pupils love this … an important reality check

eCLIPS 3 A ready database of careers descriptions, entry requirements, prospects etc

The only resource for career handouts

Working in … 2 Very clear and useful for Year 9 students

DVDs eg job interviews 2 Must be seen as well prepared and focused

Next Steps – Job profiles 2 Comprehensive career information in one hit

A great starting point with the basic info, with links to resources that cover the career in greater depth



U-explore: Who am I / Work Experience / Option Choice

1 (Different aspects available from one source)

JED 1 Easy access

Fast Tomato 1 Interactive, matches options to their strengths and

preferences

iCould 1 Videos and short clips are easy for non careers specialists to deliver

Which Way Now 1 Gives students ideas how to start thinking about

choosing their options

Ways and Choices 1 Lots of different activities so keeps up the pace

prospects.ac.uk 1 Trusted as it is from careers professionals in the unis, right level for high achievers

Pathfinder 1 Exceptionally useful to students

Plus:

Army, NHS Careers, Course Discover, Destinations, ACA

6.1.7 Examples of poor resources Fewer than half of the teachers and careers advisers gave examples of careers resources that they found poor. Main concerns are about printed material, including unsolicited leaflets etc, and material – online as well as printed – that is over-long or poorly written.

RESOURCE No. naming Poor because …

Leaflets / paper resources 3 Can be very wordy, boring

Just get thrown away

Most are available on computer and are interactive rather than passive

Worksheets 2 Death by worksheet – students don‟t learn by answering questions, they need to debate the

issues

Open Door prospectuses 1 Full of advertising and badly written

OLAP instructions 1 Very complicated and long-winded

Next Steps – Skills Check 1 Too long and unwieldy

Connexions – Aspire – Work Experience Placements

1 Very long winded and complicated

Apprenticeship Guide 1 Not specific enough

Life Tracks 1 Out of date

KUDOS 1 If student puts in a lot of “not sure” selections are very obscure

DVDs 1 Waste of time without pre-planning



6.2 CAREER RELATED ACTIVITIES We also asked about careers-related activities that were run in their school or college, prompting specifically for work experience, visits and careers events in school. Most of the schools and colleges offer Work Experience, Visits out of school / college to business careers fairs etc, and Visits or talks in school from industry etc. Nineteen out of the 22 schools / colleges offer each of these. Just under half hold some kind of careers event, with five holding a Careers Week, and a further four running shorter events. A minority said that their careers activity is run on an individual or small group basis, including individual interviews.

Activity No. offering this No. considering this very / quite important

Visits to businesses / careers fairs etc 22 20 / 6

Visits / talks from industry 22 19 / 6

Work Experience 21 18 / 6

Careers Week / days in school / college 11 11 / 5 (6 DK)

Base: 26 advisers / teachers Five spontaneously mentioned individual careers programmes, interviews or group sessions. Other events mentioned relate to HE choices rather than careers as such, including visits to universities or colleges, and enterprise days. When asked to rate the main activities in terms of importance in informing students about careers, teachers and careers advisers place greatest emphasis on Visits to businesses etc, closely followed by Work Experience and Visits / talks from businesses. 6.2.1 Work experience All bar four of the schools / colleges interviewed offer this – the exceptions were two of the colleges, plus two rural schools with no sixth form. Almost all consider Work Experience to be very or quite important in informing students about careers. However, two of the schools pointed out that, with the introduction of the Wolfe Report, this will no longer be part of the KS4 curriculum, with one referring regretfully to the closure of the local Education Business Partnership, who had organised WE.

“Impact of the Wolfe Report – pre 16 work experience has been stopped and the local EBP has been closed. No-one left to organise Work Experience post 16” (Suburban school with sixth form) “I am very unhappy that Work Experience will not be part of our KS4 curriculum” (Rural school, no sixth form)

Another school “used to organise Take Your Child To Work week, but the Health and Safety issues became too great” (Rural school, no sixth form).



6.2.2 Visits to businesses / careers fairs etc Careers-related visits out of school are also widely popular and considered very important. Some of the schools went into further detail about these activities, and also to visits to universities or colleges to find out more.

Schools and college working in partnership within their local community have the opportunity to provide 'real life' experiences and knowledge to help young people in making their career decisions As much access to 'real people' doing 'real jobs' in the world around them. Taster Days, Look at Life days with Army - Personal development days Attendance at Worldskills (skills competition and careers event held in London) Visits en masse to events at Universities, specific area events provided by links with Universities (eg City) I always strive to keep students informed and up to date with opportunities, making a point of being linked in myself to endure we receive them. I have created an events tool and a careers interest tool on our Intranet- which I see as key to keeping all of our 1200 students informed of all the (many) opportunities I receive!

Some mentioned problems in participating as fully as they might wish, including disruption to the school day, cost / funding issues, and accessibility in rural areas.

We would like to do more, but taking students out of school costs money and there are constraints on our budget. Big constraints about taking pupils out of lessons! It seems people are now charging for things that were free - this will mean they are reduced AimHigher provided funding to visit Universities and other career related experiences, especially for those students whose parents did not go to university or stay on at college. That has now stopped!! Difficult to run as we are a rural school and cannot easily transport students to events or arrange visits to employers

6.2.3 Visits / talks from industry etc Teachers and advisers are equally committed to events which bring industry and other potential employers in to school or college. Some gave further details.

Army Exhibition visit, various Science talks, Law talk, Medicine talk Masses of opportunities all through the year such as visits and speakers via tutors or Careers, our regular Challenge events and talks, a cross-college Higher Education Afternoon in March Mock Interviews with industrialists We take part in University Taster Days, accept a trainee careers adviser each year Parental involvement - something we are working on improving

A few also mentioned linking careers into the curriculum, including running enterprise days where students can build on their business studies and other learning.

Curriculum linked work relevance ie topics combined with how they are used in industry, like functional maths and science Enterprise sessions giving them real life work situations to solve



6.2.4 Careers Week / careers events Five of the schools / colleges run a Careers Week, and as many again run smaller scale careers events, or are planning to do so, but others focus more on individual needs.

We arrange one of the largest Careers Conventions held by a school in the region I do a big Careers Fair in school time every year for yr11 mainly but also yr10 Future Fest event in school (this year aimed at Yr 9 prior to options choices) Careers Days - Off timetable days Focus Days … Careers Convention … Careers event being planned We do not have a dedicated careers week. All students have a particular careers programme. A whole "progression Month" June- July after AS year.

There were comments later in the research about the difficulties of getting organisations and companies to attend school careers events, making it hard for teachers and advisers to organise a worthwhile event.



6.3 CAREERS IN AGRICULTURE Teachers and advisers were asked about their knowledge of career opportunities in agriculture, how they find out about this, and the advice they would offer. Levels of knowledge and involvement vary widely, from those who have close links with local agricultural colleges, to those who would need to search out the necessary information. 6.3.1 Overall knowledge On balance, teachers and advisers feel that they know less about career opportunities in Agriculture, compared with other career areas. Nine out of 23 say that their knowledge of Agriculture is about average, but thirteen feel that they know less about this than about other sectors, including five who say that they know a lot less. Just one respondent feels that they know more about Agriculture than about other sectors (Independent school, suburban location). Knowledge of Agriculture compared with other sectors:

Know much less about Agriculture

Know a bit less About average Know more than average about this

6 10 9 1

Urban (1)

Suburban (4)

(NA – 1)

Urban (2)

Suburban (6)

Rural (2)

Urban (1)

Suburban (3)

Rural (4)

Suburban (1)

With sixth form (4)

VI form College (2)

No sixth form (1)

With sixth form (8)

FE College (1)

No sixth form (7)

With sixth form (1)

Company (1)

No sixth form (1)

Teacher (2)

Non teacher (4)

Teacher (2)

Non teacher (8)

Teacher (7)

Non teacher (2)

Teacher (1)

Teachers are more likely to claim a higher level of knowledge than specialist careers advisers – eight out of the total of 12 teachers know an average amount or more, compared with just two out of the 14 non teachers. However, this may reflect greater knowledge of careers in general among advisers who are not teachers, rather than a lower level of agricultural knowledge. Those from schools without a sixth form are also more likely to claim knowledge of careers in the Agricultural sector, with all bar one of the nine schools without a sixth form saying they have at least average knowledge. Working at a school in a rural area is no guarantor of good knowledge about the Agricultural industry – two of the six respondents from rural areas felt that they knew less about Agriculture than about other career areas.



6.3.2 Information sources Those who know less about agricultural careers put this down to a lack of interest among their students, limited opportunities in their area, and poor perceptions of the industry, but also difficulties in accessing information. The majority of comments refer to a lack of interest among students.

Not an area that is asked about by many students.

We don't have many students interested in it. Although I don't know much about it, I can find out.

When holding career induction sessions - the students tell what they would like to do - Agriculture is not a popular topic that is requested from individuals

Not always a popular choice of study. Not always seen in a positive light

We have not had many enquiries for this sector

Not many students at our inner-city school are interested in this

Not many opportunities in Greater London

Even though Hampshire is an agricultural county farming now involves fewer employers and it only appeals to a minority.

Agriculture is thought of as a 'dying industry' - most of our students only come into contact with it if they have a horse or want to be a vet. We try to make sure that every opportunity has equality or information for students but the perception of agriculture often does not fit with our students (predominantly girls) aspirations (doctors / lawyers / journalists etc...)

Our students don't tend to come from a farming background

Local community job market is not heavily influenced by this. Nearest college offering agricultural studies is 25 miles away

Lack of information is also a contributory factor:

As we are based in Liverpool, it is not a sector of work our young people particular ask about. Consequently I do not really feel the need to update my knowledge. Having said that, Myerscough College do have a site in Liverpool and they do offer some land based courses.

Not enough specific information Open Days etc

Materials we have in the connexions resource centre are limited only have 3 to 4 books and leaflets like the Working In series

We have really struggled to get anyone in to talk to the students or at least raise the profile of the land based industries. The careers convention really does influence students but this area of employment hasn't been able to send a great variety of representatives. The Institute of Horticulture / BIGGA and Myserscough College are the only one who regularly attend the convention which has been going over 20 years. The sector is invited every year

Local agricultural colleges are the major source of information, plus input from local employers. A minority mention LANTRA, or talk about resources in the wider career library, including Connexions and college prospectuses. One teacher mentioned the website careersinagriculture.co.uk

We live in an agricultural environment. It is around us all the time. We have local colleges - Walford, Holme Lacey, Harper Adams - on the doorstep!



Locally the employers are mainly in the agriculture sector and we have close links with Easton College Lantra and local college, Berkshire College of Agriculture Links with local agricultural colleges Harper Adams University, Capel Manor College, Plumpton College Warwickshire College Lantra I get out to farms occasionally on work experience monitoring. There is plenty of info in many of our resources Employers, careers library careersinagriculture.co.uk Connexions resource centre, college prospectuses that offer courses associated with agriculture We have students on the Environmental and Land Based studies diploma and have accessed resources thought support tools for this

6.3.3 Awareness of different careers Respondents were asked, unprompted, to give examples of different agricultural careers that they were aware of, both top-of-mind and thinking more laterally.

Example careers – top of mind

Farming / working on a farm 23 mentions Engineering / machinery 8 Advisory / government agency / research 7 Veterinary science / vet 5 Horticulture / small holdings / garden centres /

landscape gardening 5 Land management / forestry / estate management 5 Agricultural chemicals / seeds 4 Animals / animal care 4 Food production 3

Some showed a clear gasp of the range of different careers that are available, whilst others focused mainly on the more obvious roles:

Engineering, farming, horticulture/amenity horticulture, horse related, leisure, fishing, forestry, gamekeeping, stonemasonry, dry stone walling, animals -

veterinary etc

Farming, animal husbandry, vets, agricultural engineer, seed technicians,

McConnels on the doorstep, organics

Designers and engineers for all the equipment, developers of pesticides, jobs in

the control and regulation, sales, transport, logistics

Agronomist, ecologist, chemical engineer, genetic engineer, farming, animal care...

Scientist, farmer, gamekeeper, market gardener..............

Ministry of Agriculture Advisory Service, Garden Centres, Farming

Farming, research into agricultural chemicals, Engineering

Farming, Food Production, Veterinary, Research, Testing,

Farmer, engineer, sales, research, govt agencies

Farming / Land management / Forestry

Land worker, mechanic, manager, transport



Machine operators, farming

Farming, veterinary Science

Farming, Land management

Organic small holdings to collective farming.

Working on farms in a variety of roles

Animal farming, anything connected with the supply of food

Farming and land based jobs

Farm Worker

Further examples When asked, two in three could give further examples, including examples of more skilled and specialist jobs, and jobs away from the conventional core of food production and animal husbandry eg sales and marketing, research, alternative land use.

Agricultural Sales, Buying, Mechanical, Accounting, Contract management,

Welfare protection

Agricultural Engineering / marketing / Advertising /Leisure

Agricultural sales, property law, accountancy, floristry

Landscape gardening, animal care, market gardening, organic products, floristry,

farm shops, honey-making etc

Agricultural engineering, arboriculturalist, forestry worker, groundsman, various

management jobs,..

Farm Manager, Agricultural Engineer, commercial horticulture, floristry, Garden

Design and environmentalist

Forest Worker, Farm Hand, Scientist etc.

Agricultural research, Distribution

Agricultural Engineering - eg tractor design, mechanics etc

Management, scientific, transport

Machinery and engineering;

Veterinary. Arborists

Thatching, crafts, restoration, traditional trades, horticulture

Driving Tractors and other related machines

Farm shop worker. Pickers and packers,



6.3.4 Perceptions of a career in agriculture Respondents were asked to describe a career in agriculture. Whilst some responses reflected traditional stereotypes, others were more aware of the diversity of careers available.

The main themes that came up:

Hard work / time consuming / requires dedication Low / variable / undependable pay Varied Scientific / links to science Worthwhile / valuable / rewarding Low profile Family / students from farming backgrounds

How would you describe a career in agriculture?

Working with the land - from tractor driving to farm management and anything in

between

Farm Worker, Tree Surgeon, Racing etc.

Farming, growing fruit and veg

A career involving knowledge of both agriculture in terms of animals and also land

based studies

Demanding. Variable in its rewards

A person would be willing to dedicate an enormous amount of time, demanding,

need for a huge amount of knowledge from practical hands on to finance!

Hard physical work; mainly low paid work;

Hard work, reducing opportunities, undependable earnings if (you are a) business

owner

Outdoor work, creative, physical

Varied - outdoor and indoor opportunities, can be very low paid but also can be

very rewarding regarding work and pay conditions.

Varied lots of opportunities

Varied, likely to include working outside, likely to need an enjoyment of applied

science in the fields of biology and chemistry

There's as much variety as in any other field (no pun intended!!)

Personally I would describe it as being connected to nature, business and

commerce, politics to an extent and food production and sales.

Scientific

Links to science - food, production, animal care, environmental, R&D

A vitally important industry involving land based careers both traditional and

technical

Locally limited

Unusual, not often discussed. Valuable as a choice.



Agriculture today in the UK is in a state of flux, adapting different business models

in a modern market place.

Can be very rewarding / hard work. Do we as a school know enough about the different areas? - No. There are a whole range of job areas within the sector yet

our students aren't really told about them

For many of my students it is the number 1 choice - follow in family footsteps

Many of our students come from the agricultural community - we feed into a very

rural community so the students more than often can answer this for themselves

Great to be a part of as you can watch things grow and thrive. Must be rewarding

and so healthy. Very satisfying.

6.3.5 Words associated with an agricultural career When prompted with a list of words, most see a career in agriculture involving Hard work, being Physically demanding, and linked to a Family business, but also Skilled. Around half see this as a Rewarding career – in terms of the satisfaction of doing a good and worthwhile job – whilst rather fewer consider this to have Good opportunities or be Innovative. Only a minority specifically see this as Poorly paid, however.

No. choosing Positive descriptors?

Hard work 22 Physically demanding 19 Family business 17 Skilled 16 * Rewarding 13 * Poorly paid 8 Good opportunities 8 * Innovative 6 * High risk 5 Career development 4 * Solitary 4 Modern 4 * Old fashioned 3 Well paid 2 * Aspirational 1 * Unskilled 1

Overall, the view is more positive than that held by the majority of students. A couple of teachers pointed out that their students‟ views would be more stereotypical than their own.

I have answered this question as my students would view it - I know that it is totally the opposite. However, this is the perception my students would have on this sector because they haven't really experienced anything else (Hard work,

Physically demanding, Poorly paid, Solitary, Old fashioned, Family business)

This is not what I think but what I believe the perception of my students to be...

(Skilled, Physically demanding, Poorly paid, Old fashioned, Family business)



6.3.6 Skills required for an agricultural career Whilst some stressed the wide variety of different types of role, and hence the range of students who might find such jobs suitable, others took a more restricted view, seeing this as particularly suited for less academic students, and those from farming backgrounds.

There is such a wide range of opportunities that most students could have an

agricultural or related career

It would depend on the actual job as there are many different ones ranging from Farm Worker to Soil Scientist to Warden etc. If you are working outdoors in a physically demanding role then the type of student would need to be fairly fit and willing to work in all weathers etc. However, some jobs may involve a mixture of

outdoors working and office work and may therefore suit a wide range of students.

From the hard working to the intellectual. This sector has a whole variety of occupations which is far away from the stereotypical view - Science / Engineering

etc.

Practical application of science / research / understanding of business and the

economy (and European politics)

Hardworking. Willing to work in all sorts of weather.

For us it tends to be less academic, who love the practical, but do lots of relevant

academic learning on the job

Interest in working outdoors and in any weather, love the environment, animal and

plants and have an interest in science

Hard working, willing to learn, adaptable,

Hard working and reliable. Not afraid to work unusual hours and prepared to

travel.

Flexible, hands-on, patient, caring, physically strong

Someone who is practical and can problem solve

Motivated, like the outdoors, innovative thinker, someone who likes the

environment and animals

Affinity with nature, numerical ability for calculations, physically fit

Perhaps somebody from an agricultural background or an entrepreneur.

Students who have family in agriculture. Creative, responsible hard working self

motivated.

Skills depend on the area they are going into - many students keen to follow family

business but many see it as a dead end

Knowledge of animals and land studies. Students that enjoy the outdoors and that

are happy to work independently

Increasing demand for higher skills to deal with technology and research. Students

who are committed to the industry (which implies they know what it is about)

DEPENDS ON THE JOB!!! You are more likely to get youngsters going into 'agriculture' in an area like ours than from an inner city I would guess mainly because it is more in their sphere of awareness.

Practical skills; problem solving; knowledge; planning and budgeting; literacy, numeracy and IT skills; ability to cope with working in an outdoor environment all

year round;

Team work, problem solving, managing time effectively

Resilience, responsibility, endeavour, forward thinking, team work



6.4 ADVICE TO STUDENTS 6.4.1 Response to enquiries about a career in agriculture Nine out of the 23 teachers and advisers are asked about careers in agriculture at least occasionally, with four of these often consulted. But for the majority, such requests are received rarely (12) or never (2). Interest is more common in rural areas, and also for suburban schools in towns and smaller cities with countryside nearby. All four urban schools / colleges in the sample rarely receive enquiries. But half of the rural schools (three) also said that such enquiries were rare.

How often are you asked about careers in agriculture?

Total Rural Suburban Urban

Often 4 2 1 -

Occasionally 6 1 4 -

Rarely 13 3 6 4

Never 3 - 3 -

The most common response to such requests is to direct students towards the local agricultural college – two thirds would do this (16). Other agriculture-specific suggestions are to get practical experience, either work experience or talking to those in the industry (5), to contact LANTRA (4), or the local NFU (1), or to visit the careersinagriculture website (also 1). More generalised approaches include contacting Connexions (3), looking up information in the careers library (3), searching on the internet (3), or checking out Next Step, eCLIPS, KUDOS or prospects.ac.uk (each 1). One London careers adviser would refer those enquiring to a course in “Holticulture” (spelt as such in two separate places) – implying limited familiarity with this particular option.

Read relevant articles, talk to people in the industry and look for work experience if they don‟t come from the industry. If they do they are usually very well informed (Often asked)

Online - Shropshireyouth.com Connexions Adviser, Careers Library, Link up with the local college provider, Local NFU (Often asked)

In the past there has been some opportunity to place them with a local farmer for Work Experience - but this is no longer possible. Highlight local specialist colleges (Occasionally

asked)

I would direct them to the careersinagriculture website and also nextstep. I would suggest that they do some labour market research too. (Rarely asked)

Give them the relevant career e-clips relating to the specific job they would like to do - give them the Lantra website details - give them the college prospectus where relevant courses

are available. (Rarely asked)

To look at KUDOS, to think of finding a placement for work experience, to talk to people in those jobs (Rarely asked)

Connexions firstly then the Warwickshire College Website (Rarely asked)

Connexions resource centre, website, local colleges (Never asked)



Refer them to a course in Holticulture (sic) (Rarely asked)

To the appropriate section in the library (Rarely asked)

When asked about the qualifications needed, many stressed the wide range of relevant qualifications, depending on the chosen career path – from NVQ to a degree or post graduate studies. Others (generally those who receive fewer enquiries) highlighted the relevance of specific subjects, over and above basic literacy and numeracy – science (9 mentions), business studies (3), geography (2), IT (2) and engineering (1).

Depends what career path the person wants to follow. (Never asked)

Business studies would be advantageous alongside the equiv. of a Bsc. (Never

asked)

Post-16 qualifications: I would assume that most A Levels, BTECs would suffice. However, for science-related careers in agriculture, the sciences would help.

(Rarely asked)

Apprenticeships, NVQ's, Degrees, post grads. (Rarely asked)

Up to degree level. (Rarely asked)

Science, English, Maths, Geography, Holticulture, (Rarely asked)

There is a whole host of specific qualifications post 16, pre 16 I would advise the core plus geography but would add that any will help and to look more at what they

would like to specialise in for post 16. (Rarely asked)

Maths and science based subjects. (Rarely asked)

Maths, DT subjects, science (Rarely asked)

English, maths, science, engineering. Business studies. Land based studies at a

college. (Rarely asked)

Literacy, numeracy, IT, science and relevant land management qualifications,

business management. (Rarely asked)

Across the board from GCSE level to degree. (Rarely asked)

Dependent on what type of role and level you would want to be going into. (Rarely

asked)

Sciences / Technology. (Rarely asked)

Maths, english, science, computers - level depends on job aiming for. (Rarely

asked)

Anything from common sense up to postgrad /doctorate. (Occasionally asked)

We do a range of intro units. (Occasionally asked)

From a few GCSE's grade C up to university level. (Occasionally asked)

GCSEs in core subjects (English, Maths, Science) plus other subjects to enhance and enrich outlook. Diplomas and Degrees in specific vocational areas.

(Occasionally asked)

Probably BTECs and through Apprenticeships for many land-based jobs. (Occasionally asked)

Depends on the job. (Often asked)

Would depend on the role. (Often asked)

Entry level to levels 5+. (Often asked)

All - routes are varied from degree to diploma to NVQ. (Often asked)



6.4.2 Working with animals When asked what qualifications they might suggest for students interested in working with animals, several teachers and advisers point out the diversity of options open, with advice depending on the student‟s academic ability and interest. Veterinary science / qualifying to become a vet comes up frequently, with eight respondents talking specifically about this, and identifying the importance of studying sciences in preparation for their degree. Response is less clear-cut for qualifications at a lower level. Several highlight the distinction between vet and animal nurse / veterinary assistant at the opposite ends of the scale, others mention kennel assistants, pet shops, zoo keeping, animal charities. Marine biology (one mention) and equine work (three mentions) also feature. Just one mentioned farm worker. When talking about specific courses, there are more references to the basic “Animal Care” (four mentions) than the potentially higher level “Animal Management” (two) or “Animal Welfare” (one).

It would very much depend on academic aptitude, for vet the sciences, for less

able any from the wide range offered locally (Occasionally asked re agriculture)

Depends on what sort of work they are looking for. Advice for a would-be vet is going to be different to someone wanting to go into work with an animal charity

(Often asked re agriculture)

This depends on the level - Veterinary sciences I would suggest biology chemistry and maths A Level - for conservation work I would suggest Biology Geography and possible sociology... for more 'hands on careers' I would suggest college courses

that relate directly to animals... (Rarely asked)

It depends on their interest and ability. Vets at the top end to Vet nurse / guide dogs / Zoo Keeping at the lower end. Sometimes we get unusual requests concerning equine issues such as a farrier / physio. (Occasionally asked re

agriculture)

Local College provide Animal Care L2, Countryside Management L2 plus

numerous others (Often asked)

Animal care or animal welfare Level 2 dip/level 2 apprenticeship, same one at Level 3 for pupils at that level. Animal management level 3/similar for equine

courses (Occasionally asked)

NVQs in animal care/equine, Degree in veterinary science (Rarely asked)

NVQ Animal Management Level 3, Veterinary assistant qualifications (Rarely

asked)

Sciences, Animal Care, Vet, Vet Nurse (Rarely asked)

The majority do not feel that the chance of getting a job varies much between different qualifications. Several are unsure about this, whilst others see different levels as having their own challenges and opportunities.

No, they are all the same

Not really - Several students have gone onto becoming a vet - many more have

made it as a vet nurse. The more specialist areas also seem to get employment

Students seem to be able to get jobs once qualified

All animal based jobs seem to be difficult to get into either because at a lower level the student has to find their own placement and at a higher level because the

qualifications are so high



Others highlight the advantages of a vocational qualification for those wanting to work with animals, with the practical work experience aspect also important.

Yes - You need to ensure that the work experience element is relevant and substantial

NVQ or Degree - A levels not good

Yes, having done a BTEC in Animal Care would help, more general subjects would not

Yes - qualifications which deliver practical skills are more likely to yield jobs in my opinion

Yes – A levels and subsequent college or degree courses are useful, although

sometimes this can lead to being over qualified

Three respondents referred (indirectly) to the limitations of a basic animal care qualification:

Veterinary science - best chance! With diplomas depends on job situation at time, NVQ students usually have placement anyway - very little at lower end of animal care

for paid opportunities

Yes. Working in a pet shop is limited

Vocational qualifications are the best – skills based. More “creative” qualifications –

like dog grooming – are less good.

6.4.3 Most appealing animal-related courses among students Animal Care is the top animal-related course that is seen to have the greatest appeal to

students. Seven teachers / advisers mentioned this. Veterinary courses and Animal / Veterinary nursing courses each receive four

mentions, putting these in joint second place. Equine was mentioned twice, and Animal Management just once. Respondents referred to the appeal of a hands-on course, and the attraction of working with small animals.

Animal Care, easier to complete via the BTEC route and does not require high qualifications, and students tend to be interested in looking after the animals and not

via the vet nurse where they are often involved in operations and putting animals down.

BTECs in animal care as they often have work experience and it is the hands-on

which attracts (or not) students

Animal care / animal nursing because they are accessible to those who want to work with animals but for whom veterinary surgeon is a huge step too far. They see programmes on TV about RSPCA and zoos and see themselves doing that rather

than stock management for example

Any animal care courses - subject more to their academic qualifications on entry.

Vocational qualifications involving practical 'hands on' approach to learning

Horse/equine and small animal care

Vet, physiotherapist, conservation - they like the idea of caring for animals rather

than the science of animals

There was just one mention of Animal Management, from a London Sixth Form College:

NVQ Animal Management Level 3. It can lead to a degree in Veterinary medicine

Another teacher stressed the need for students to be realistic in their choices:

From Y9 students are told about being both informed and realistic when choosing their careers - It depends on the ability of the student who is interested in working with animals. Their perception of Guide Dogs has completely changed after they attended the careers convention



6.5 CASE STUDIES IN AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES Teachers and advisers were shown the same six case studies that were used with students in the other sections of this research, with modified wording, and asked for their comments.

Farm Manager Animal Nutritionist Grain Trader Crop / Soil Scientist Agricultural Engineer Rural Surveyor

6.5.1 Spontaneous comments Respondents commented on the diverse range of careers featured (5 mentions), and on the fact that these include jobs for those of higher ability (5). Several (9) commented that the examples would broaden students‟ perceptions of what an agricultural career might involve. Animal Nutritionist was singled out by four teachers / advisers as of particular interest to students, whilst Grain Trader, Crop Scientist, Agricultural Engineer and Rural Surveyor each got two mentions. No one mentioned the Farm Manager, perhaps seeing this as closest to traditional views of this sector, although this role was popular among students, however. Just two mentioned pay (in contrast to students‟ response), with one impressed by the potential rewards from grain trading, but another finding the starting salaries low.

Good range would appeal to male and female although students might not initially hear about them until later or directly once they are involved in a farming career

(Rural school, no sixth form)

Agricultural engineer, sometimes they focus on being an engineer but do not know the

variety of engineering placements open to them (Suburban school with sixth form)

All show the range of jobs that I keep mentioning though these are at the top end of the ability spectrum. They all sound interesting to me but pupils looking at engineering for example would need to have these opportunities pointed out to

them. (Suburban school, no sixth form)

The pay is very good - and the Grain Trader pay can be exceptional. I doubt our students are aware of this particular career. They all require high level qualifications so again, there may be a misconception amongst students that Agricultural careers are low paid and are only for students getting low level qualifications. (Suburban school with sixth form)

Varied professions. Could be attractive to students. Initial pay for all of them is low.

(Suburban school, no sixth form)

They would certainly open the eyes of students who may not have any prior

knowledge of the area (Suburban school with sixth form)

A better range than I had appreciated previously (Suburban school with sixth form)

Good range. Soil scientist (would appeal) - we have a lot of keen scientists here

(Urban, Sixth Form College)

I think our students would not think of these as agricultural jobs, rather science

based or business based (Suburban, Sixth Form College)



Use of scientific qualifications and business skills (Suburban school with sixth form)

Very diverse. Grain Trader and Rural Surveyor would be appealing. (Suburban school with sixth form)

The range depicted here is at the top end of the spectrum and less "hands on" than

most would expect (Rural school, no sixth form)

Two respondents express reservations about the relevance of such jobs to their students.

I would like to see the direct entry level type of positions, many need a reality

check (Suburban school, no sixth form)

Good but not always available in a locality like ours (Rural school, no sixth form)

6.5.2 Response to statements There is almost complete agreement that There is a varied range of jobs in agriculture and that Agriculture includes jobs that are worthwhile / important to society. Around two in three agree that Jobs in agriculture are of interest to all abilities, that Agriculture has many jobs that students would be interested in, and that There is an exciting range of jobs in agriculture. Just three respondents felt that I wasn‟t really aware that jobs like this existed (all schools with sixth form, one urban and two suburban).

No. agreeing

There is a varied range of jobs in agriculture 23

Agriculture includes jobs that are worthwhile / important to society 22

Jobs in agriculture are of interest to all abilities 17

Agriculture has many jobs that students would be interested in 15

There is an exciting range of jobs in agriculture 15

I wasn‟t really aware that jobs like this existed 3



6.6 COMMUNICATING AGRICULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES 6.6.1 Resources When asked about the type of resource that would be most helpful to them, teachers and advisers were strongly in favour of Work experience opportunities – 20 out of the 24 schools and colleges would like to see this, with those from suburban areas particularly enthusiastic. Speakers to come in to school / college were also popular, with 18 choosing this option, especially suburban and urban schools. Almost as many wanted Materials etc to display at school / college careers day (17), and same number wanted to see a Website, with all six rural schools asking for this. Support is lower in suburban and urban schools, possibly because they feel that a more proactive approach will be needed. Posters (14) and Case studies / videos for different careers (14) are less widely supported, with greatest interest from suburban schools. Half the sample, especially those in rural areas, would like to see Events focusing on agricultural careers (12 overall). Just under half would like to see Leaflets (11).

What information / materials / activities / events would be most helpful to you?

Total

(26)

Rural

(6)

Suburban

(14)

Urban

(4)

Work experience opportunities 20 4 12 3

Speakers in school / college 18 2 11 4

Materials to display at school 17 3 10 3

Website 17 6 7 2

Posters 14 1 10 3

Case studies / videos 14 3 8 2

Events focusing on ag careers 12 5 5 2

Leaflets 11 2 7 2

Looking at variations between different types of school / college, we find that all rate Work Experience highly, schools with a sixth form are particularly keen on Speakers in school, schools without a sixth form favour Materials to display in school and a Website, whilst all three colleges wanted Events focusing on agricultural careers. Small sample sizes means that these variations can only be indicative, but they underline the diversity of approaches required.



Further comments elaborated on their interest in events and visitors:

“Events focusing on agricultural careers could be useful, but anything that involves a monetary cost to the school may prevent us from attending. Exciting activities perhaps that could be run in school may be of use. A great website would be particularly helpful - with plenty of videos. Well designed and informative websites

can be ideal” (Suburban school with sixth form)

“We have a careers day in May when we have people from varied industry sectors to talk to students about different career types. This would be an excellent opportunity for those who work in the sector to meet with young people”

(Suburban school with sixth form)

“We have a Careers Fair in February and all the local Agricultural Colleges attend, but a National Representative would be a new development”

(Rural school, no sixth form)

“It would be good to have a representative come to our careers fair (we already

have Pershore College represented)” (Suburban school, no sixth form)

“We run a skills festival each year, to get students to think about different career areas and their employability skills. Having someone able to come and be on a stand

and talk about this area would be a huge help” (Suburban Sixth Form College)

“Some full lesson plans with free resources!” (Suburban school, no sixth form)

6.6.2 Communication channels

How do they expect to hear about these resources?

Email to schools / email newsletter 13 mentions Website / online information / search results 10 By post 6 Via Connexions 4 Lantra / farming body / publisher 3 Posters etc sent to school 2 Careers convention or similar 2 Updates from ICG / careers updates 2

I would hope that a speaker would come to our Careers Information manager's

meeting. Otherwise, email newsletters

Through an email / information through the post. Perhaps advertised via

Connexions too?

Website with a section for students, adults and teachers

Publishing company or Farmers professional associations,

Via Connexions or through Google search. An email out to schools so that they

can be forwarded on to the relevant people

Online - website addresses Link into Kudos (Cascaid) make sure they put the

information in their programmes.

Through either post or e mail as reminders to look on specific websites or alert us

to upcoming events

If sample posters are sent to school I am likely to display them and follow up with

research or request more information.

email me a website where I can look up info on what's available

I would love a full range of display materials covering all the key sectors



6.6.3 Final comments It is clear that some advisers are already widely aware of the opportunities available in agriculture, but lack the resources or persuasive power to encourage their students to consider these. The local colleges play an important role in supporting those who have discovered an interest, but outside help is needed to address the wider student community. The comments below sum up these teachers‟ / advisers‟ predicament.

“I do advertise lots of opportunities, websites etc. to our students regularly, so I would be really interested to hear about anything you have on offer for our students. It is important that we provide them with the information and advice and guidance to increase their chances of success in life, and in particular, of finding something that they will enjoy and excel at. Websites, work experience opportunities, other activities - anything that may help our students to find out more” (Suburban school with sixth form) “I have tried to get this sector into our careers convention for many years but without much success - could you direct me to the correct people who might be able to help raise the profile of this very important sector - there are plenty of job opportunities out there!!” (Suburban school with sixth form) “I feel that my students are well aware of the opportunities available because they live in an agricultural community. However, those students who have a real interest in science and related subjects must seriously look at agriculture as a sound career path” (Rural school, no sixth form) “Thank you for opening up some other avenues on agriculture” (Suburban school, no sixth form)



7. QUESTIONNAIRE



Student Questionnaire























Teacher Questionnaire





















Queens House 123-129 Queens Road

Norwich NR1 3PL

Tel: 01603 630054

Fax : 01603 625054

Email : [email protected]