The Truth Project Parents

The parent's role in career outcomes

Our research shows that parents serve as a major influence in the lives of young people and their future career success. The level of parental support and engagement a young person receives has a direct link to post-school outcomes however over a quarter of parents say that they do not help their children find a career as they lack confidence in their knowledge of the job and education landscape moving into the new decade.

A Year13 survey of 300 parents asked them when they started actively looking at career options for their child. 29% revealed that they leave it completely up to their child, 23% said they only start considering career options in Year 10, while only 20% said they helped consistently throughout their child’s life.

However, Year13’s After the ATAR report showed that while 48% of young people still relied on their parents as their most-trusted source of career information, 90% of parents said they did not feel confident in their knowledge of the career paths that the future will hold.

When asked what career pathway parents think is best for their child
after school, they said...

Follow a passion
Vocational Education & Training (VET)
University
Enter the workforce
Be an entrepreneur

Gen Zs said that their parents did not have an equal understanding of all post-school pathways. 76% said they thought their parents had a well-rounded understanding of University compared to 53% for TAFE, 44% for apprenticeships, 25% for traineeships, 20% for VET and 10% who said that their parents didn’t have a well-rounded understanding of any of these.

Angela Daley, 43, from Sydney said “it’s difficult as a parent to know what direction to move in, the world of work has changed significantly since we were making these decisions. I feel for young people now it’s even more complex.”

We have created The Truth Project Parents video series to help fill in the gaps in parents’ understandings around their children’s school-to-life transition. The series will take you through the topics taught in The Truth Project, giving you the tools to help your child find meaningful work.

Video series

Year 9

Student Outcomes:

Identify passions and intrinsic motivations
Develop an understanding of enterprise skills
Understand the myths and facts surrounding vocational education
Develop an understanding of how subject choices may align to their future

As Year 9 students approach having to make decisions about their future, we’ve designed this session to highlight some of the key concepts they should be aware of as they progress on their journey to life after school. In particular, we take an in-depth look at purpose and passion, asking what they are, and why they’re so important.

Our presenters motivate through a series of videos, animations, data, workshops and personal stories. Students are encouraged to consider the concept of perspective, after visualising a timeline of their life and will learn about the impact of their choices and decisions.

We then help students gain insight into their sense of intrinsic motivation with a short video and activity. We then link these ideas to subject selection, showing how different subjects can provide the skills they need to achieve their goals. The session then concludes with a breakdown of the myths surrounding Vocational Education and Training (VET), through the perspective of a VET graduate in Graphic Design who opened her own business.

Year 10

Students in Year 10 are under pressure to decide what pathway they are going to take after school. This segment of the Truth Project builds on the topics covered in Year 9 by educating students on the array of new jobs and careers available to them that didn’t exist for previous generations.

We also show that there is no better time to base your career choices around your passions, as well as discuss new concepts about New Collar workers. Students will develop their knowledge of the many post-school pathways available to them over the next few years, including the data-based benefits of Vocational Education and Training (VET).

They will also gain an in-depth understanding of how to use data in order to evaluate their various career options and learn about the future of employment, as well as expanding their knowledge of enterprise skills.

Student Outcomes:

Develop an in-depth understanding of personal intrinsic motivations
Gain an understanding of the future of employment and “The New Collar Worker”
Gain a highly developed understanding of Vocational Education and Training & Apprenticeships
Identify and understand enterprise skills

Year 11

Through this module, it is our mission that students realise the importance of goal setting and set their own goals based on their intrinsic motivations. They learn this through understanding how their strengths relate to their skills, identifying enterprise skills and learning how to interpret data to help with career and life decisions.

We engage the students in activities that ask them to consider their wildest dreams, then break these down into smaller steps with the encouragement of their peers and relate their personal strengths to real life skills and careers. Students hear from Spotify founder Daniel Ek, learning how he has used data to accomplish his goals, and thus how data can be used to fuel their own decision-making.

Student Outcomes:

An in-depth understanding of goal setting and how to make a plan
Insight into personal strengths and relating them to skills in real careers
Empower students with data
A strong understanding of how to use and interpret data to empower their decisions

Year 12

Our presenters resonate with the emotions and experiences of students through a series of personal stories, videos, infographics, statistics, music and questions. We present Year 12 with a vision of what life out of school actually looks like, and a timeline of the transition from high school to the real world. This also includes a discussion of gap years and plans after school, using data insights to highlight the benefits of considering travel as a post-school option, and posing questions that allow the students to develop their plans and widen their perspectives.

Student Outcomes:

Contemplate life out of school and develop a realistic vision
Build connection and empathy for peers experiencing similar struggles
Effectively combat stress and develop resilience
Understand the benefits of gap years