UCAS – Project Next Generation

Back in 2023, UCAS commissioned Project Next Generation to collate information on the different stages students go through to gather information on possible careers and subjects to study. This project went on to inform four different reports – one of which is linked above covering how and when relevant information and guidance can help inform student choices.

Insights were divided up into six themes: inspiration, emotions, experience, confidence, independence, and control. Each theme is important to consider when thinking about the student journey from curiosity right through to final choices.

More than a thousand participants took part in the study, aged between 13 and 17. The overriding conclusion was that with such a wealth of choice, it is really important that students understand their choices and options as early as possible. They need plenty of time to dwell, consider, think and explore all the options that are available to them. With room to explore the possibilities, it gives the student time to build on their instincts as to what they enjoy and what they are good at.

I found the most interesting bit in the report was the acknowledgement that these students are in an adolescence phase – not quite children but not quite adult. They still respond to fun, play and entertainment. These students are optimistic that things will work out if they concentrate on what they are good at. Yes, they might find it difficult to think in a longer-term way, in a way that an adult might, but this is where guidance and the right information is crucial.

With this in mind, it won’t be a surprise that 52% of the participants in this study wanted to follow their passions and dreams at university. Parental influence is a huge factor, both with a pressure to go to university and on the chosen subject. This influence is particularly high from Year 9 to Year 12.

There’s a lot of interesting information in this report, especially from an education marketer’s point-of-view. The report points towards creating prospectuses and marketing centred around subject passions and pathways to dream careers. It’s all systems go once a student starts Sixth Form, where years of information gathering and parental influence come to fruition. But starting the idea of university early in the mind of the student seems to be key. Here’s a quote from my favourite part of the report that seems especially relevant when considering university outreach in secondary school:

“It can be easy for those out of the classroom to forget that, in the face of very grown-up decision making that will shape their futures, young people are new to adolescence and just about graduating from childhood. At 14 years old, they’re only a few summers out of primary school playgrounds. It is so important to remember that teenagers aren’t quite children, but they’re not quite adults either. So, when they’re making adult decisions, we mustn’t forget childhood tendencies – like enjoyment, fun, play, spontaneity, joy, and entertainment.”

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