Blog
“A series of articles for parents interested in coaching their children to make wise career choices” by Barbara Paterson
Why business should be interested in Parent Career Coaching!
April 05, 2023
I have been blogging for a few weeks now about parents becoming their young person’s career coach. I have focused on how parents can develop a happy, trusting relationship with their child, and building an awareness that if parents use their influence wisely, then their youngsters will understand what they should do to get the career they want.
We are about to launch a new Parent Career Coach website as a place to which parents or other caring adults in education or business can refer to as a resource and guide. This will provide information about what parents should consider when first assessing their own skills and readiness to coach their children.
So, what about business? Why should they be interested? We know from reliable research that parents are the biggest influence on their child’s career. Parents tell us that they don’t feel they know enough about the new business landscape and, in particular, the many new jobs that are out there and the routes to them. They are also unsure about the other options available, such as apprenticeships and other graduate schemes.
I wonder if business has yet realised how interested they should be in parents for competitive advantage. Where possible, of course, the focus for business is on young people entering or about to enter work and how this relates to their organisation or industry; naturally, they also want to access the best of the young talent available! Businesses are trying to get closer to education and careers services, but unfortunately, careers provision across the country is fragmented and there is no “one voice”.
The professionals in organisations that have recruited graduates and apprentices for a number of years are looking for a new approach. One blue-chip, professional services’ firm has recently launched an innovative parental advice campaign and are putting career conversations with parents and young people at the forefront of developing a “Better Working World”. In doing so, they are speaking to the people who can directly influence their acquisition of new talent – the parents.
The next most influential group, after parents and friends, are teachers but they also say they don’t know enough about employment and career opportunities. From recent research, we know that headteachers in schools aren’t yet focused on the employability and careers of their pupils. Their focus is still on assessment, academic achievement and aspiration. Some young people we have spoken to believe that schools just want pupils to be academic and go to University if possible.
It takes time for cultures to change – and that includes families, schools, academic institutions and businesses. Incentives help, of course, and the business world has embraced the expansion of the apprenticeship market. It has also looked seriously at skills development for the groups of talented young people who might previously have gone to University, but would now rather earn and learn. In a climate where half the country is seriously in debt, and there is an increasing debate about university tuition fees, this is hardly surprising.
So, what can businesses do for parents? We have some ideas:
- We know that parents have the biggest impact on their children’s career choice, so parents, as well as children, need access to working environments. Maybe parents and young people need to do work experience together?
- Many businesses provide family-friendly policies to increase the flexibility that is essential for working parents. Much of the emphasis is on parental leave around birth, health benefits and other perks that make life easier if you are working full time and bringing up a young family. Why not provide a workshop for working parents on how to help their school-age children make good career choices? It’s hard for working parents, without the support of their employer, to find the time to be more involved in their children’s career journey.
- Parents should have access to up-to-date knowledge of what opportunities are available for their children in the myriad of industries across the UK. Businesses would make it easier to transmit that knowledge to parents via Parent Career Coach. We invite businesses that know they would benefit from helping parents expand their knowledge of new training opportunities and new jobs, to contact us and we will show you how.
Our website is coming soon (Exciting!) – Ready for you to talk careers with your children during the Christmas holidays! We will be providing workshops in 2018 for parents who are looking for more face to face support. Watch this space and follow us for updates on Facebook and LinkedIn.
