Real Life Parenting Dilemmas: What else is there besides university?

By Garrett Stell

June 13 2022, 5:00 pm

Not every type of career needs high scores and top qualifications.

It’s easy for young people to feel as if their only viable career options are the ones that start at university.

That’s especially true now, amid exam season when qualifications and next steps in life seem to be on everyone’s lips.

But last week, we asked how much pressure we should place on our child’s exam scores.

Most readers who responded to our poll said that they think exams are an accurate measure of achievement. But not every type of career needs high scores and top qualifications.

This week, we set the straight-to-university path aside and look at some of the other options you can help your child explore before they leave school.

Career options: Straight to work?

In the aftermath of the Covid pandemic and in the middle of a national cost of living crisis, it’s not surprising for young people to start thinking about how they can stabilise themselves financially.

For some, that could mean leaving school and stepping straight into the workplace. There are a variety of options available when it comes to getting to work.

In addition to regular full- or part-time work, there are internships, work placements and apprenticeship programmes that can help get school leavers started on a career path that they could follow for years.

Students can join apprenticeship programmes in a variety of careers.

UCAS offers a wealth of information on apprenticeships and how to apply. There are different levels of apprenticeship depending on your child’s learning level and options in a variety of careers.

Many can be completed while still in school, and some even offer the opportunity to work towards a further degree.

Not ready for an apprenticeship?

If an apprenticeship isn’t the right fit, consider a traineeship or school leaver programme. Traineeships can last anywhere from six weeks to six months and are tailored to your child’s specific career needs.

Traineeships provide:

Work experience
Job skills
Basic maths and English support
A competitive edge for future job applications

School leaver programmes provide another opportunity to learn while you work. They can last between one and five years, and workers receive a salary and progress towards a recognised qualification.

More resources

In addition to resources and advice from UCAS and the Scottish Government, Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) also offer resources and tips on what opportunities are available now.

Whether or not exams measure how well students are reaching their goals in school, there are more paths to success than the university track. Since 2017, DYW has organised the NoWrongPath initiative on exam results day in August.

The social media campaign revolves around the message that exams aren’t the only way to success.