Shaping characters

1. Shaping characters Engaging employers in character education Dr Anthony Mann, Director of Policy and Research, Education and Employers Taskforce www.educationandemployers.org @Edu_Employers

2. Two questions Question one: Compared to preceding generations, how well are this generation of young people leaving education doing in moving into sustained work?

3. Two questions Question two: Compared to preceding generations, how well educated is the generation of young people who are now leaving education?

4. Character education in the context of the twenty-first century labour market • Young people and the changing labour market • How the labour market is changing: the implications for education • Employer engagement in education: objectives and outcomes • A model of school-level good practice

5. Who am I? Since 2009, Education and Employers Research has: • run three research conferences uniquely focused on the subject with Andreas Schleicher, Alison Wolf, Harvard’s Bob Schwartz… • addressed audiences in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Demark, Greece (CEDEFOP), Italy, US (Harvard and NAF) as well as at UK DfE, BIS and Treasury. • been responsible for 30+ research publications including first collection of research essays on the subject www.educationandemployers.org/research

6. Free research library… http://www.educationandemployers.org/research-main/

7. Young people and the changing labour marketHow the labour market is changing: the implications for education

8. The youth penalty is worsening Over the last generation the labour market has become increasingly difficult for young people: • The ratio of youth to adult unemployment doubled • Young people’s earnings stagnant • Young people losing the competition for Apprenticeships (43% over 25) • Fewer than 20% of UK Apprenticeship starts are now direct from school or college

9. The ratio of youth to adult unemployment Source: http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/SeriesDetail.aspx?srid=671

10. Why the youth penalty? Technological change Globalisation (off-shoring) Labour market deregulation Inequality Flatter workplaces

11. The UK labour market has changed fundamentally over the last generation – it has become overwhelmingly focused on services, reshaped by technological change and globalisation trends and is now characterised by some of the weakest protections of workers across the OECD countries. Professor Hugh Lauder (University of Bath), Editor of the Journal of Education and Work Many employers have simply lost the habit of employing young people straight from education. David Pollard, Head of Education and Skills, Federation of Small Businesses

12. Forty years ago transitions from education into work were far more straightforward for most young people. Manufacturing, for example, was still strong and there were jobs available which demanded the physical skills of school leavers… Professor Chris Husbands, Director of the Institute of Education High street banks used to recruit huge numbers of school and college leavers into relatively good employment with potential, but due to technological change, deregulation and growing competition, there has been a massive drop in such entry-level recruitment. Kay Carberry, Deputy General Secretary, Trades Unions’ Congress

13. How the labour market has changed for young people Technology: making information/knowledge more accessible; automating lower/middle skilled tasks; changing recruitment practice; and enabling competition from older workers Globalisation: semi-skilled, entry-level jobs being exported; increased competition for entry-level employment Deregulation: reducing employer incentive to invest in training; increasing non-traditional employment patterns (self-employment/zero-hours); marketization of higher education and training Competition: from experienced older workers who are physically capable of extended working lives Inequality: the hour glass economy generating low skill service sector jobs with weak prospects of progression

14. Three key implications for schools/colleges • Complexity: the increasing complexity of the labour market has required greater levels of more authentic careers provision Komplexitet: den ökande komplexiteten i arbetsmarknaden har krävt högre nivåer av mer autentisk studie- och yrkesvägledning • Competition:School to work transitions have become more fractured with young people demanding that they leave education with greater levels of recruitment skills and resilience to compete for employmentKonkurrens: Övergången mellan skola och arbete har blivit mer splittrade med ungdomar som behöver lämna skolan med högre nivåer av rekryteringsförmåga och motståndskraft för att konkurrera om anställning • Change: A rapidly growing number of jobs demand not just knowledge itself, but its effective application in new situations, drawing skills commonly delivered by schools as enterprise educationFörändring: För ett snabbt växande antal jobb krävs inte bara kunskap , utan även effektiv tillämpning i nya situationer, färdigheter som vanligen levereras av skolor som företagsutbildning/praktik

15. The labour market has become more complex – demanding improved careers guidance enriched by first-hand employer contacts One of the weakest aspects of the British economy is the extent of the mismatch found between the qualifications and skills possessed by workers and those demanded by employers. If we think of young people making investment decisions as they decide on the qualifications, training and experience (collectively, the human capital) they plan to accumulate prior to leaving education to optimise their ultimate earnings in the labour market, we need to recognise the importance of access to good information about what that labour market actually wants and demands in order for properly informed decision making to take place. In the absence of good labour market signalling, it can be no surprise that poor investment decisions will be made and the widely evidenced skills mismatches in the British economy become a predictable result. Prof. Hugh Lauder, University of Bath; Editor, Journal of Education and Work

16. The labour market has become more complex – demanding improved careers guidance enriched by first-hand employer contacts More complex careers, with more options in both work and learning, are opening up new opportunities for many people. But they are also making decisions harder as young people face a sequence of complex choices over a lifetime of learning and work. Helping young people to make these decisions is the task of career guidance. . . . [Career professionals] need to be able to call on a wide range of information and web-based resources. Strong links between schools and local employers are very important means of introducing young people to the world of work. OECD, Learning for Work2010: 16 Illustration Mapped career aspirations of 15-16 year olds. Source: Mann et al. 2013. Nothing in Common: The career aspirations of young Britons mapped against projected labour market demand. London: UKCES & EET.

17. The labour market has become more complex – demanding improved careers guidance enriched by first-hand employer contacts The challenge to employers is to step up to offer more and better work experience to give young people better chances of going into the labour market with some experience of it at least. .. we need to see a focus on helping young people to travel through pathways into initial employment straight from school and to help them identify jobs with prospects and how to navigate their way into them. There is no reason why employers should not be advertising vacancies directly into schools and colleges and we need to think about learning approaches which help young people to be resilient in the face of adversity. Ewart Keep, Chair of Education, Training and Skills, University of Oxford

18. Competition:School to work transitions have become more fractured with young people demanding that they leave education with greater levels of recruitment skills and resilience to compete for employment The well-structured pathway (such as graduate entry schemes leading to long term employment) is becoming rarer and rarer – we are in the era of portfolio careers, zero hour contracts, part-time and self-employment, employment growth in small, rather than large employers. These are all trends which demand adeptness and confidence from young people if they are to navigate successfully through choppy waters into rewarding and secure careers. Peter Cheese, CEO, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

19. Competition:School to work transitions have become more fractured with young people demanding that they leave education with greater levels of recruitment skills and resilience to compete for employment “..the transition process from education to work has become more challenging and complex, in terms of not only navigating pathways from education into employment, but also accessing appropriate forms of work. ...When they do enter the labour market, [the futures of school and university leavers] are now likely to be played out in far less patterned ways and they continually have to manage the challenges of working in a flexible labour market context.” Michael Tomlinson, Education, Work and Identity (2013), 202. Illustration • Internships, zero hour contracts, temporary and part-time contracts, self-employment • In an analysis of 667 job vacancies requiring limited education and skills in three areas, only 24% were for full-time, day time work. JRF. 2012. Challenges for disadvantaged young people seeking work • Fewer than 20% of English Apprenticeship starts are now directly from education: the majority of Apprentices work for their employer for a year or more before beginning the Apprenticeship

20. Competition:School to work transitions have become more fractured with young people demanding that they leave education with greater levels of recruitment skills and resilience to compete for employment Focus Group recruiters ‘It should be mandatory for schools to teach young people what they need to know for the transition from school to work.’ ‘Schools don’t sit down with them to talk about jobs, what they have to offer and how work works. They don’t understand how to apply for a job, what CVs should look like, how to get themselves a job.’ ‘They really need to be getting interview practice before they leave education – it gets them the practice and starts building the resilience they need.’

21. Change: A rapidly growing number of jobs demand not just knowledge itself, but its effective application in new situations, drawing skills commonly delivered by schools as enterprise education. Schools must stop trying to predict the future, but they should try to prepare young people for the change they will experience. Schools need to stop preparing young people for the jobs that existed a generation ago and start preparing them for jobs which do not yet exist. For example, entrepreneurship education is much more important now than it was a generation ago because it teaches those skills and personal attributes which oil the modern labour market. It should not be taught separately but written into every subject. The art of being enterprising – solution-focused attitudes, spotting opportunities, connecting dots and dealing with uncertainties – has, for example, a very clear and strong relationship with effective maths teaching. The great goal of such teaching is not in ensuring deep conceptual understanding as an end in itself, important as that is, but in fostering the ability of young people to apply the knowledge they have accumulated in new situations. In this way, we give them the confidence and intellectual resource to embrace and deal with the myriad unfamiliar problems they will encounter through life. Andreas Schleicher, OECD

22. Change: A rapidly growing number of jobs demand not just knowledge itself, but its effective application in new situations, drawing skills commonly delivered by schools as enterprise education For schools, it is a question of pedagogy and use of community based resources. In pedagogic terms, there are tried and tested means of teaching young people to apply emerging knowledge in unfamiliar contexts. Enterprise styles of learning are considerably more effective if they engage real people from real workplaces in their delivery... Chris Husbands, Institute of Education, University of London

23. Change: A rapidly growing number of jobs demand not just knowledge itself, but its effective application in new situations, drawing skills commonly delivered by schools as enterprise education ‘The world economy no longer pays you for what you know, but for what you can do with what you know.’ ‘Young people need the ability to be personally effective in applying knowledge to solve new problems.’ Andreas Schleicher, OECD Illustration More than 40% of British workers report that their working environment has substantially changed over the previous three years and half had seen the introduction of new processes or technologies into work – one of the highest proportions across the OECD. - OECD. 2013. Skills Outlook, 51.

25. Employer engagement in education: objectives and outcomes What difference does it make?

26. Employer engagement in education:a definition and some typical activities • Work experience • Job shadowing • Careers talks • CV workshops • Mock interviews • Business mentoring • Enterprise activities • Classroom talks • Reading & number partners “the process through which a young person engages with members of the economic community, under the auspices of their school, with the aim of influencing their educational achievement, engagement and/or progression out of education into ultimate employment.” Mann et al. 2014. Understanding Employer Engagement in Education

27. Teenagers with career aspirations aligned with their educational expectations do better than the misaligned – of whom there are many (UK and US studies) The aligned at 16 are much less likely to be NEET by 19 than comparable misaligned peers Yates, S., Harris, A., Sabates, R. & J . Staff. 2011. “Early occupational aspirations and fractured transitions: a study of entry into ‘NEET’ status in the UK.” Journal of Social Policy. 40, 513-534 The misaligned at 16 earn less than comparable peers at age 34 Sabates, R., Harris, A.L. & J. Staff. 2011. “Ambition gone awry: the long term socioeconomic consequences of misaligned and uncertain ambitions in adolescence.” Social Science Quarterly. 92, 4: 1-19

28. Literature suggests that teenage engagement with workplace makes a difference Teenage part-time employment is associated with reduced NEET outcomes and improved earnings (UK, US, Australian studies) Crawford, C., Duckworth, K., Vignoles, A. & G. Whyness. 2011. Young people’s education and labour market choices aged 16/17 to 18/19. London: Department for Education Ruhm, C. (1997) “Is high school employment consumption or investment?” Journal of labour economics. 15:4, 735-776 Teenage informal contacts with people in the labour market are associated with better employment outcomes (Finnish & US studies) M. Jokisaari. 2007. “From newcomer to insider? Social networks and socialisation into working life” in Youth and Social Capital edited by Helver, H. & J. Bynner. London: Tufnell Press McDonald, S., Erickson, L.D., Johnson, M.K. & G.H. Elder. 2007. “Informal mentoring and young adult employment.” Social Science Research, 36, 1328-1347

29. The evidence is consistent and compelling that it improves employment outcomes US quantitative studies, of varying quality, testing impact of school to work transitions programmes show links to improved employment outcomes and higher earnings (6.5% to 25%) above control groups 1-6 years into labour market. Applied Research Unit. 2001. Post-Secondary Employment and College Enrolment Among Montgomery County Public School Graduates: The Role of Career-Focused Programs. Rockville, MD: Montgomery County Public Schools. Arum, R. & S. Way. 2004. “School-community relationships and the early labour market outcomes of sub-baccalaureat students.” In After the Bell eds. Conley. D et al. London: Routledge. Jobs for the Future. 1998. School-to-Career Initiative Demonstrates Significant Impact on Young People. Boston, MA: Jobs for the Future. Neumark, D. & D. Rothstein (2008) “School-to-career programs and transitions to employment and higher education” Economics of Education Review 25, 374-393 MacAullum, K., K. Yoder, K. Scott, &R. Bozick. 2002. Moving Forward – College and Career Transitions of LAMP Graduates – From the LAMP Longitudinal Study. Washington, DC: National Institute for Work and Learning. Kemple, J. &C. J. Willner. 2008. Career Academies – Long-Term Impacts on LaborMarket Outcomes, Educational Attainment, and Transitions to Adulthood. New York, NY: MDRC.

30. Study. Kemple, J. & C. J. Willner. 2008. Career Academies – Long-Term Impacts on Labor Market Outcomes, Educational Attainment, and Transitions to Adulthood. New York, NY: MDRC.

31. US Career Academies: Wage premiums average 11% at age 26 1,764 subjects randomly assigned to CA and control groups, tracked 8 years after leaving high school. 80% retention. CA = vocationally focused, academic learning programme enriched by extensive employer engagement, taught discretely, ages 15-18. Reference: Kemple, J. J. & C. J. Willner. 2008. Career Academies Long-Term Impacts on Labor Market Outcomes, Educational Attainment, and Transitions to Adulthood. MDRC Orr et al (2007) “National Academies Foundation Career Academies” in Neumark D. Ed. Improving School-to-work transitions, 190-191

32. Studies. Mann, A. & C. Percy. 2014. “Employer Engagement in British secondary education: wage earning outcomes experience by young adults.” Journal of Education and Work 27:5, 496-523Percy, C. & A. Mann. 2014. “School-mediated employer engagement and labour market outcomes for young adults: wage premia, NEET outcomes and career confidence.” In Mann. A. et al. Understanding Employer Engagement in Education: Theories and Evidence. London: Routledge

33. YouGov survey - 1,002 UK adults aged 19-24 Question: Some schools and colleges arrange for their students (aged between 14 and 19) to take part in activities which involve employers of local business people providing things like work experience, mentoring, enterprise competitions, careers advice, CV or interview workshops, workplace visits, taking part in classroom discussions. Did you take part in such activities between those ages? If so, on how many different occasions (more or less) did it happen?” Four times or more Never Once Twice Three times Don’t know

34. Income variable: annual salary before income tax or any other deductions 800 Less than £10,000 a year £25,001 To £30,000 £15,001 to £16,000 £20,001 To £25,000 More than £30,000 N/A

35. Results Statistically significant positive relationships between volume of engagement and career confidence Each school-mediated activity with employers relates to average earnings premium of £900 (4.5%). Individuals who attended 4 or more engagement activities will earn on average £3600 more than their peers who did zero activities. Across range of models, higher level (2+) employer contacts relates to lower likelihood of NEET outcomes (at 5-20 percentage points) than comparable peers with 0 contacts.

36. Study. Kashefpakdel, E. & Percy, C. “Career Education that works: An economic analysis using the British Cohort Study” Journal of Education and Work.

37. The 1970 British Cohort Study provides a large, robust longitudinal dataset to explore pathways to labour market Survey background • Follows ~17,000 people born in England, Scotland and Wales in a single week of 1970 • Data is available at Birth, age 5, 10, 16, 26, 30, 34, 38 and 42 - most recent data from 2012 • We gather data for background variables at birth to age 16 • Survey attrition means ~48% loss of respondents from birth to age 26

38. Variables of interest Full-time weekly income in 1996 (age 26) [nominal £] • Following Mann & Percy part-time wage earners were excluded (n=710) in order to identify a more internally comparable set of labour market participants • Approximately 38% of full time employed individuals reported a weekly income between £200 and £300; Male earns more than female on average (£238 vs. £192 per week) • Academic ability at age 16 is strongly associated with earning at age 26; the high achievers on average earn more. (on average 7%) • Young people‘s wage from more privileged families is higher than families with lower social classes ( on average 4.3%)

39. Career talks (1986) - overview # Career talks with outside speakers aged 15-16 • 66% did at least one, with many doing two or more, allowing us to test the idea: “more is more” • Typically held during school day, decided by school – less individual agency

40. Including control variables, the average effect at year 10 is 1.1% - highly statistically significant (at 1%)(At year 11, there is a small directionally positive effect at 0.1% but it is not statistically significant) • Teacher assessment of academic ability at 16 • Maths - CSE/O-level results • Highest level of qualification at 26 Academic attainment Control variables (Bold = Incl. in final analysis) Results1) • Father socio-economic status • Mother socio-economic status • In receipt of council housing (or benefits) Regression: Number of talks at year 10 vs. Ln(wage) at age 26 Co-eff: 1.1% Stnd-error: 0.3% P-value: 0.00 R^2 24% N 826 Socio-economic status • Frequency of parents reading to child age 5 • Mother’s interest in child’s education age 5 • Cognitive assessment age 5 (hum. fig. drawing) • Amount of TV watched age 10 Early home learning environment • Gender • Whether has a UK parent Demo-graphics 1) Remove 43 outliers identified by Cook’s D analysis, to generate well-behaved residuals. With outliers, co-eff of 1.1%**

41. Individuals who found career talks very helpful displaya stronger wage premium Did you find the careers talks useful? Regression, Career talks co-eff1) If we include Quite Helpful alongside Very Helpful, the difference between the cohorts shown in this table disappears. Outliers included to support sample size. Both analyses are indicative only due to the small sample sizes. * Sig at 10%; ** Sig. at 5%

42. Why does employer engagement make a difference?

43. What makes the difference? Some options… Human capital: technical skills, employability skills, attainment, qualifications (Becker) Social capital: ‘norms’ and support networks, access to non-redundant trusted information and opportunities (Granovetter) Cultural capital: attitudes and assumptions; confidence in aspirations, language and presentation, ‘a fish in water’ (‘business awareness’) (Bourdieu) (We must control for access to finance capital)

44. Stanley, J. & Mann, A. 2014. “A theoretical framework for employer engagement” in Mann. A. et al. Understanding Employer Engagement in Education: Theories and Evidence. London: Routledge

45. Study.Jones, S., Mann, A. & Morris, K. 2015. “The ‘Employer Engagement Cycle’ in Secondary Education: analysing the testimonies of young British adults” Journal of Education and Work

46. Social capital:access to new and trusted information Helpful in deciding on a career “Told us from experience. Told us straight.” “You got advice that seemed more genuine.” “I trusted the word of someone in the working world as opposed to a careers advisor or teacher ‘telling’ you what to do.” “Following my work experience placement I obtained permanent part-time work at the same business. This steady job helped as a stepping stone into the working world.”

47. Effects appear more driven by social and cultural capital than by human capital acquisition (testimonies from 190 young adults)

48. Cultural capital: attitudes and assumptions Changing attitudes to education (young people) E.g. Academic motivation “My work experience placement made me determined to work hard in education and aim for a worthwhile job I will enjoy.” (young adult) “You see the change in attendance, behaviour. They realise how important it is to get English and Maths. Impact on motivation is huge” (teacher) “My kids learn that you don’t need to be unemployed when you leave school” (Special school teacher) Elimination of options and visualisation of potential new pathways “I did work experience at a hairdressers. It made me realise that I wanted to go to university so that I got a good job and didn’t have to fall back on boring jobs like hairdressing.” (young adult)

50. A model of school-level good practice