Research by Enginuity reveals a change in attitudes towards vocational education

15 August, 2024

Vocational routes gaining traction

Parents and children aged 11-18 in 1000 households across England were surveyed, with the results revealing a significant shift in attitudes towards vocational routes into employment.

Nearly 90% of parents and are now more interested in vocational routes for their children to enter their chosen careers instead of the traditional university path. As for the children surveyed, 82% said they would be interested in more vocational routes to enter their chosen career. This shift is largely driven by the escalating costs associated with university education. For many parents, the prospect of saddling their children with substantial debt is becoming less appealing.

Parents are also recognising that vocational education, particularly in technology-based careers, offers a pragmatic and financially viable alternative. A staggering 89% of parents and 80% of children agreed that hands-on experience is now more critical than purely academic qualifications for certain tech careers. This sentiment is especially strong among parents aged 45-54, with 91% affirming the importance of practical skills over theoretical knowledge. Parents said the most important reasons for supporting their children taking more vocational routes were to help them develop skills that better prepared them for the workplace (56%) or to gain skills specific to the career they want to go into (54%).

Apprenticeships: growing interest among young people and parents

Another significant finding from the survey is the growing interest in apprenticeships as a means to "earn while you learn." A resounding 93% of parents expressed a desire to learn more about apprenticeship opportunities for their children. This interest peaks among parents of 15-year-olds, with 97% keen on exploring this route.

Young people also had a strong interest in apprenticeships. Among those surveyed, 86% of children aged 11-18 would now consider an apprenticeship over a conventional university degree. This trend is particularly evident in cities like Manchester, where 93% of students would consider an apprenticeship over a traditional university degree, and 76% of parents said they would encourage their children to consider an apprenticeship, closely followed by London (74%).

When asked why they would consider a more vocational route, like an apprenticeship, into their chosen career, 44% of children aged 11-18 said they wanted to take a more vocational route to develop skills specific to the career they would like to enter in to, closely followed by those who said that they are keen to develop skills in order to be better prepared for the workplace (40%). Only less than 3% said that they would not consider taking a more vocational route into their chosen career