A survey of 628 northeast Indiana students, educators and parents conducted as part of a Your Future: Make It Your Own (www.yfmiyo.org) career awareness initiative showed that less than 50 percent of student respondents have a positive perception of starting their careers in northeast Indiana.
The survey of 428 mostly middle school students, 115 educators and 85 parents will be conducted periodically throughout the career awareness campaign to assess changes. The campaign is being led by Northeast Indiana Works and supported by the Dekko Foundation and the Olin B. and Desta Schwab Foundation.
Among the findings of the survey:
· Forty-six percent of students have a positive perception of starting their careers in northeast Indiana. Fifty-eight percent of educators and 67 percent of parents have a positive perception of students starting their careers in northeast Indiana.
· Seventy-two percent of students agree or strongly agree they have enough information about different career paths they can explore. Thirty-nine percent of parents or guardians think their child or children have enough information. Thirty percent of educators think their students have enough information.
· Ninety-one percent of students believe they have a great deal or some information about four-year colleges; 85 percent have a great deal or some information about getting a job; 77 percent, community colleges; 65 percent, certifications; 64 percent, apprenticeships; 57 percent, trade schools; and 52 percent, joining a trade.
· Students say they get most of their career information from teachers and parents. Lesser-used sources for career information are school counselors, friends, peers and online searches.
· Thirty-seven percent of parents sometimes, rarely or never discuss with their child passions, interests, skills and abilities and how they relate to specific career paths.