Teens Are Optimistic About Their Futures

May 6th, 2008 at 01:17pm Larry Messing

I thought this was rather interesting:

More than half of all teens surveyed (54 percent) believe they are “extremely likely” or “very likely” to have their ideal job one day according to a Junior Achievement survey conducted by Harris Interactive, which polled teens nationwide. Such optimism among teens is relatively uniform across gender and age bands but is down significantly from a similar poll in 2000 conducted by Junior Achievement.

Achieving self-awareness of one’s noble purpose and vocational calling is a right of passage that, increasingly, teens look to their schools to help them develop. Where do they expect to learn the skills needed for their future careers? According to the survey, nearly half (47 percent) selected a traditional source—”classroom education.” Coming in a distant second was “on the job training” (24 percent).

“Results of this poll demonstrate how critical it is to get work-readiness programs into our schools,” said Sean C. Rush, president and chief executive officer of JA Worldwide. “Junior Achievement helps prepare students for success in a global economy and bridges the gap between what they learn in school and what happens in the world of work.”

Junior Achievement has three work-readiness programs, which are invited into classrooms by educators and taught by business people and other volunteers from the local community. JA Careers with a Purposeâ„¢ helps teens answer the age-old question, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” In addition to providing students with information about specific career paths, program activities teach students the skills associated with understanding the world of work such as enhancing personal awareness of vocational interests, skills, and values; recognizing the importance of ethics in career and life decisions; and exploring careers in high-growth, in-demand industries such as healthcare.

With the help of a $250,000 grant from the HCA Foundation, Junior Achievement is reaching middle grades and high school students in their classrooms. “We’re inspiring students to align their skills and interests with a career calling,” said John Steele, Senior VP of Human Resources at HCA. “JA Careers with a Purpose can help our young people be successful in their work and in their lives. This is an investment in the future workforce.”

The survey was administered online in December 2007 by Harris Interactive on behalf of Junior Achievement and included responses from 626 teens, ages 13 to 18.

What do you think?

Entry Filed under: workforce readinesss