Young eye marketing roles but parents aren’t so sure

student2As students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland find out their A-level results, three-fifths of those aged 16 to 21 are considering marketing as a career choice, although the industry faces a challenge in convincing parents that their children should join the profession.

So says new research from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, which looks at the views of 500 young people and over 500 parents in the UK.

According to young people, the profession being well paid tops the lists of reasons why they would enter the industry (37%), with good career progression coming in second (33%). Working in a creative job is in third place (28%) while having a role that provides transferable skills comes in fourth (25%).

For the parents who would encourage their children to choose a career in marketing, 37% also agree that they think it is a well paid role, with good career progression also ranked highly (31%).

Interestingly, for the young people who said they would not consider a career in marketing (27%), the top reason is because they do not think they would succeed in the industry (26%), highlighting a fear of failure or potential lack of confidence.

CIM director of qualifications and partnerships Maggie Jones said: “It’s really encouraging to see so many young people consider marketing as a future career. Marketing is a role that provides such a diverse set of skills and opportunities, so it’s great to see that recognised amongst the younger generations.

“If we’re able to attract, support, develop and retain this young talent, it puts the industry in a strong and exciting position for the future.”

However, despite young people’s interest in the sector, parents’ worries over their child’s wellbeing if they were to enter the industry could be holding them back from choosing marketing as a career path – in fact, three in ten (30%) parents would not recommend their child choose it as a job.

A quarter of parents (25%) believe the industry has a reputation of being a stressful job, while a fifth (20%) believe it also has a reputation for poor mental wellbeing among its workers. What is more, 19% feel it does not offer a good work life balance, highlighting the need for the industry to address parental concerns if it is to recruit and retain young talent.

Even so, regardless of concerns around the industry’s reputation, both parents and young people view it as a stable choice in the face of rising costs and economic uncertainty.

One fifth (20%) of the parents who are open to their child entering marketing say it is because the industry seems future-proof and resilient. More than a third (36%) of young people view marketing as a safer choice compared to other career choices in terms of being financially stable – as opposed to just 16% who feel it is less safe.

An additional online poll on LinkedIn by CIM of over 3,000 people found that three-fifths (62%) do not feel that going to university is important to get into marketing. It reinforces the research findings that half of young people (50%) would consider doing a marketing apprenticeship to enter the sector, highlighting the opportunities available for students who will not be attending university.

Jones continued: “Today’s research has shown that the marketing industry provides a career choice with many benefits for young people – from being financially resilient and future-proof, to offering a route into a role that doesn’t require a considerable investment like university.

“We hear parents’ concerns loud and clear that it can be a career that is stressful – now as an industry we must address these worries to ensure any young person starting their working life in marketing is supported.”

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