In the wake of the recent UK and US elections and Donald Trump’s inauguration, a new survey of primary and secondary school students reveals that less than 10 percent (6.3 percent) of students in England aspire to be a Prime Minister or President when they grow up, leading experts to question if these political events have put young people off leadership.
The survey, conducted by ACS International Schools, asks students aged between eight and 18 years old what job role they would most like to have when they finish education. From a list of job roles including a surgeon, climate change scientist, astronaut, technology expert, Prime Minister or President, singer, actor or actress, and athlete or sports star, almost a quarter (24 percent) of participants chose athlete or sports star followed by an actor or actress (14.8 percent).
Robert Harrison, Director of Education and Integrated Technology at ACS International Schools, said: “The data suggests that young people, more than ever, are disengaged with politics, politicians and, more concerning, leadership in general. With the emergence of new, innovative industries, students now require a unique set of employability skills in order to be properly prepared for life at university and the wider workplace.”
In the survey, students also share their views on the most important workplace and interpersonal skills for the future. Skills listed in the survey as options include being a hard worker, natural talent, confidence, intelligence, communication, leadership, technology literacy and teamwork. Of those students who selected that they wanted to become the Prime Minister or President, only 3.5 percent chose ‘intelligence’ as the most important skill to have for the future.
Across the survey, only one in ten students selected ‘a good leader’ as the most vital skill. Around a quarter of respondents think ‘being a hard worker’ and ‘confidence’ are the most important (25.2 percent and 24.1 percent respectively).
