IT
PRESS RELEASE
Inapp, jobs: “One in two young people have no idea what they will do when they grow up, and career orientation remains unknown for one in eight”
Fadda: “Too many young people get lost in the search for a professional identity. We need to shift career orientation support from sporadic counselling to continuous assistance of one’s personal and professional development both in society and in the workspace”
Rome, June 14, 2023 – Young people are directionless and confused about their professional future. 57.3 percent of 15- to 28-year-olds have no idea about the work they will do in the future or the professional skills they want to develop. This percentage, predictably higher for the lower age groups, exceeds 50 percent for the 18-24 age group and stands at 41.2 percent for the 25-and-over age group. That is, the age groups that could and should already be included in the labour market.
This is what emerges from the early results of the survey on Career Orientation Services carried out by Inapp (National Institute for Public Policy Analysis) on a sample of 3,642 young people between the ages of 15 and 29 and presented today at a conference in Rome.
“Too many young people lack professional identity and awareness and are unable to combine their aspirations with their talents and the needs of the labour market” said Professor Sebastiano Fadda, president of Inapp, “and this calls for reflection and a revisiting of the entire professional orientation services system in synergy with the education and vocational training systems. Also because, in most cases, the individuals concerned are adults. There is an unexpressed need for guidance that needs to be intercepted and met through support that facilitates the complicated transition of young people in the various stages of their path, be it educational or professional.”
Generally, young males tend to be more unsure, 60 percent compared to 55 percent of females, and represent a higher share of inactive individuals (i.e. Those who are not studying or working.)
As for using career services, as many as 38.1 percent of respondents say they have never used any. Among the reasons for this is a perceived lack of need, partially due to the idea that such services are primarily useful in the job search phase. However, there is a more concerning reason for this, which is that 13 percent are unaware that such services even exist.
In short, career centres are not well-known nor exploited. When people visit these centres, they usually seek information on internships and support in their job search. Furthermore, 19.5 percent of young people ask for career advice to understand and define their professional and training goals. This is a sign of confusion and uncertainty about their future, at least by one in five young people.
66 percent of those using career services offered by schools or employment centres said they were satisfied, while 29 percent said otherwise. The reasons for this dissatisfaction include not having received adequate information or leaving the centre feeling more confused.
A large section of the survey is devoted to the values young people attribute to work. The results obtained show a change in perspective. Young people increasingly understand work as a life project and no longer just as a means of earning money, putting quality of life at the centre. Young people are looking for more than jobs and a salary, they are looking for self-realisation, personally and professionally speaking.
“Young people would need to be supported to build their life project” Fadda continued, “but oftentimes career advice is only provided when choosing a job or an education path. There is a lack of continuous support throughout one’s lifetime. There are certain steps made in a positive direction, the NRP provides for a reform of Career orientation services. The Ministry of University and Research allocates about 200 million EUR for education in the coming years, albeit a general shift in the way career advice is provided is needed. For instance by accompanying the innovation of training paths and a more targeted allocation of resources to meet the ever-changing professional and training needs of young people”
For more information:
Giancarlo Salemi – INAPP President Spokesperson (347 6312823)