As a child I can remember (and also my parents!) being very anxious about the outcome of exams. The results tended to polarise the choices because there was often a vast divide between the academic and non academic routes, with consequences in terms of the world of work.

To be sure there are still differences, but a point to emphasise is that there are now far more choices and many more options to pursue an education route that will help young people develop skills that will help them meet their work aspirations. Of course, a commitment to invest time is essential to producing positive outcomes !

Each country of course has its own education system, but based on the situation in the UK, inspite, perhaps because, of the challenges of the pandemic below are some reasons to be hopeful for young people (and adults too!) about finding routes to achieve their potential, regardless of exam results. Of course, many of the points referred to below will be applicable outside the UK

Technology

• Technology is being used to provide more, and more accessible, information on careers and career educations
• Technology is creating the possibility that people have more choice on how and where to live and work
• Technology is driving down the cost of education as a mixture of classroom and remote learning is becoming more widespread
• There is more content available, including many free and low cost options

Study options

• There is a great range of study options, both academic and vocational, for people with varying levels of experience

Careers advice to help young people to explore possible options is continuously improving

• Careers advice in schools is improving…more information, more professional personnel
• Government, at central and local level, are working to expand choice and encourage engagement of volunteers to work with schools in providing practical insights into the world of work. In my case I have just started volunteering with #Welcome to West London Careers Hub – West London Careers Hub (wlcareershub.com). An organisation that is doing great work to ensure that young people have access to more information on the career choices available to them
• There is growing recognition that both academic and vocational skills are valuable, and that vocational courses offer a pathway to building relevant skills comparable to academic qualifications

Employment and education

• Employers are engaging more with schools
• Inspite of a challenging business environment there continue to be growth industries
• Disruption and the pandemic have created, and will create, work opportunities that didn’t previously exist and hybrid ways of working

 Interpersonal skills

It is easy to think of education in terms of technical skills development. There is now growing recognition that academic content needs to be supplemented by applied  technical and interpersonal skills so that education is increasingly about a person’s holistic development including communication skills and team work.

Of course, exam results create anxieties. Regardless of the results it’s however important to recognise there are an increasing number of routes and choices for young people to develop skills in areas that will be relevant to their working lives. As mentioned above plenty of options for adults seeking to develop their skills too!

Wishing all who are awaiting results of exams, and their families, an enjoyable summer and beyond.