Career Readiness Review: The Commonwealth of Virginia, United States

Report

1 December 2023

Chapter 3. Career readiness of young people in the progression through education to ultimate work in Virginia: Results of two surveys

Abstract

This chapter presents the results of two surveys which were conducted as part of this review. A survey of 19–26-year-olds provides a user perspective on teenage career development within the state. A second survey of Grade 10 and 11 students allows for benchmarking against international practice as captured in PISA 2018. Overall, the chapter assesses career readiness of young people and career readiness system in Virginia.

Introduction

For young people, finding a job that matches their career aspirations is a major challenge, especially for non-college-bound youth, for whom well-paid, meaningful work opportunities are rarer. One avenue often proposed to enhance these youths' chances of successful professional integration is through career exploration opportunities and work experiences during high school (Thouin, Dupéré and Denault, 2023[1]).

In this regard, policy effort that enables school-mediated career development activities for teenage students pays off. In particular, experience from OECD countries provides evidence on the positive impact of career development activities that promote extensive connections with employers. For example, England (United Kingdom) introduced a statutory requirement for work-related learning in 2004 that demand schools to integrate learning about the world of work into the schooling of 14-16-year-olds. This experience from England shed light on the positive, statistically significant relationships between participation in employer-engaging career activities and adult wage premiums and reduced risks of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) (Percy and Mann, 2014[2]; Mann and Percy, 2013[3]; Mann et al., 2017[4]). This offers valuable lessons to Virginia.

Many studies support this too. For example, Hughes et al. (2016[5]) examined studies that included careers provision, career guidance, entrepreneurial education, ICT and careers, job shadowing, mentoring, transformative leadership, volunteering, work experience, and work-related learning. They found that the way in which teenagers think about their futures in education and employment has a significant impact on what becomes of them as working adults, impacting the status of NEET. Moreover, teenage experience of work is associated with improved employment outcomes for young adults. Also, young people from poorer backgrounds are more likely to have career aspirations that are misaligned with their educational ambitions (Hughes et al., 2016[5]). Mediation analyses in Canada showed that moderate work in high school (less than 20 hours per week) was significantly associated with future career planning, thinking about interests, values and vocational training options (called ‘identity commitment’), which was in turn linked to integration into a career-related job matching professional goals in early adulthood. Among the control variables, having a vocational degree was a strong predictor of integration into a career-related job. Overall, these results suggest that career counsellors accompanying adolescents who do not intend to attend college should consider employment at moderate levels as an option to foster their career identity (Thouin, Dupéré and Denault, 2023[1]). Moreover, as longitudinal data from multiple countries became available, the analysis of these data provides means to establish links between the character of teenage career development and better employment outcomes in early adulthood (OECD, 2021[6]; Covacevich et al., 2021[7]; Covacevich et al., 2021[8]).

Backed by this wealth of evidence, two surveys were conducted as part of this review to see if these positive relationships hold the same in Virginia. As seen in Chapter 2, one important concern for education policy makers in Virginia is the increasing number and share of young people who have no concrete plan for their career when finishing their high school. The question is how Virginia can exploit the policy tools of career development activities well enough to make positive outcomes. The first step is to understand how teenage students explore, experience and think about their potential future in work, and how their engagement in career development activities can shape their career trajectories and outcomes in their adult working life. The analysis of the two surveys that collected the relevant data provides insightful findings related to this question.

OECD Career Readiness Survey of Teenage Students

Background information of the Career Readiness Survey of Teenage Students

Based on PISA questionnaires on career exploration, experiencing and thinking, the OECD review team in collaboration with Virginia authorities selected and developed 30 survey questions. Over 13 000 students in grade 10-11 from 57 high schools were asked about career thinking, plans and participation in career development activities, and how well their high school was preparing them for their transition into higher education and work. The data sample used in this report includes students who completed the survey and from schools with more than 22 respondents or 14% student participation. To optimise the comparison with the PISA data, the subsample analysed in this report only includes students who were born in 2006-08, a total of 9 333 students from 46 schools (9 353 with weight) (see Annex 2.A for details).

The results of this survey show a snapshot of 15-17 years-olds’ career exploration, experience and thinking as well as their perception of the usefulness of the career readiness system.

Overview of the survey results

Although this survey was conducted in a different sampling method and scale from the original PISA data collection, the teenage student survey based on PISA career questionnaires does allow for benchmarking Virginia’s practice against national and international practice captured by PISA. This survey provides rich snapshots about the teenage students who attend high school in Virginia, their career readiness and their perception of the career readiness system (see OECD Career Readiness Survey of Young Adults (19–26-year-olds). Gender, race/ethnicity, socio-economic status (SES), urbanicity and school region show the key demographic characteristics of teenage students, which are further analysed in Chapter 6 of this report.

Among a representative sample of 9 333 students (15-17-year-olds) who attended a high school in Virginia at the time of the survey, some 47% gave their gender as male and 49% as female. The rest of respondents answered ‘other’ or ‘prefer not to say’. 54% were born in 2006; 45% in 2007; and 0.4% in 2008. Overwhelmingly, students attended grade 10 (67%) or 33% grade 11 classes.

In terms of ethnicity, 20% of the respondents had Hispanic background. In terms of race, 46% were White, 23% Black, and 11% are Asian. About 91% were born in the US; 8% were foreign-born and 1% preferred not to say.

Socio-economic status (SES) is defined by the occupation and educational attainment of respondents’ parents. Respondents were categorised as high SES; if at least one of their parents has attained tertiary education, and at least one parent has a high-skilled job (manager, professional or associate professional). The rest of respondents were categorised as low SES. With this indicator (8 207 representative sample), 45% were from high SES.

Surveyed respondents were attending different schools in terms of poverty level. 15% of surveyed teenage students were attending in a school with a high poverty level and 34% in a school with a low poverty level.

Figure 3.1. Gender, race/ethnicity, socio-economic status and location of the survey respondents

Within the survey, students in Grades 10 and 11 were required to select one CTE cluster of greatest interest to them personally from the list of 17 clusters available across the Commonwealth. Among 17 CTE clusters, surveyed students show the highest interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) (19%) and Health science (17%). In Figure 3.2, the results are compared to actual patterns of enrolment (Grades 8-12) within Virginia.

Figure 3.2. Grade 10 and 11 student interest in CTE clusters compared to actual distribution of enrolment in CTE clusters (Grades 8-12)

Future career plans

Students were asked about what they would be doing in five years’ time. 53% of students answered that they would pursue a diploma or university degree required for the occupation they want, compared to an OECD average (not including the United States) recorded in the 2018 edition of PISA of 40%. 26% of young Virginians reported that they would work because they need to be financially independent (16%, compared to an OECD average of 17%) or because the occupation they want does not require a college degree (10%, compared to an OECD average of 14%). 8% would be studying because they do not know what they would like to do yet, compared to an OECD average of 16%. While not directly comparable, as the PISA survey was undertaken nearly five years earlier, this remains the best available means of benchmarking Virginian experience against international provision.

Figure 3.3. More than half of students in Virginia are planning to pursue a degree required for the occupation they want

The majority of students (78%) reported that they expect to complete tertiary education. This figure is lower than the average of 88% for US students who responded to the same question in PISA 2018. 9% expect to complete associate degree, 39% bachelor’s degree and 15% respectively master’s and doctoral degree. 21% expect to complete high school (15%) or vocational certificate (6%).

Figure 3.4. The majority of students in Virginia expect to complete tertiary education

Factors in career decision making

Similar to students across the OECD, the majority of surveyed students in Virginia are keen to make career decision based on labour market needs, conditions and options rather than social influence from parents, society or friends. What most of the students surveyed consider important in career decisions include employment opportunities (96% compared to an OECD average of 95%), salary (95% compared to an OECD average of 95%) and education options (95% compared to an OECD average of 95%) for the occupation they want as well as their school grades (94% compared to an OECD average of 95%) and subjects they are good at (91% compared to an OECD average of 95%). Financial support for education or training (91% compared to an OECD average of 92%) was also considered an important factor in the decisions they make about their future occupation. Their special talents (88% compared to an OECD average of 96%) and hobbies (87% compared to an OECD average of 94%) were considered more important than their parents' or guardians' expectations (85% compared to an OECD average of 83%), the social status of the occupation they want (73% compared to an OECD average of 88%) or close friends’ plan (64% compared to an OECD average of 67%).

Figure 3.5. Students in Virginia consider labour market needs and conditions important in their career decision making

In terms of specific career guidance at school, the majority of students (74%) reported that they have an academic and career plan (ACP) that includes the steps they need to take after graduation that aligns with their career of interest. 60% reported that they have access to industry-recognised credentials that align with their ACP. A similar percentage of students agreed that they have received information on how to complete a work-based learning (WBL) experience related to their career interest (57%) and that the career counselling they received helped them to choose classes that align with their future career interests (56%). However, still fairly high shares of students do not benefit from career counselling in choosing classes based on their career plan (44%), do not have WBL information (43%) nor access to industry-recognised credentials (40%).

Figure 3.6. Still many students think that they do not have necessary career support from school in Virginia

Career exploration and experiencing of teenage students

The survey asked students if they took part in a range of career development activities in high school. Drawing on the OECD Career Readiness Indicators, these activities are categorised into three thematic groups:

Career exploration activities: career info, Higher education programme info, Questionnaire, Guest speakers, Speaking to teachers, Speaking to school advisor, Touring, How to apply, Job fair, Vocational program, Job shadowing, Worksite visits, Speaking to outside-school advisor (see Figure 3.7, Panel B) as well as learning how to search for job, how to write resume, how to find info, how to prepare for interview, how to find aid info (see Figure 3.7, Panel A).
Career experiencing activities: volunteering, internship and paid part-time job including work outside school hours, family business and occasional informal jobs.
Career thinking activities: activities that promote career certainty, career ambition, career alignment and instrumental motivation (see Career thinking for more details)

All surveyed students in Virginia participated in at least one type of career development activities (CDA) while in high school. All students participated in at least one career exploration activity such as learning how to search for job or write a resueé. 83% participated in at least one career experiencing activity while in high school. While compared to Grade 10 students, slightly more Grade 11 students participated in CDA consistently across activities, the patterns remain at similar levels.

Participation in career exploration activities of teenage students

All students in Virginia from the sample participated in a career exploration activity, including learning skills necessary to career preparation and development. The most common activity was learning how to find information on jobs they are interested in (87%) – however, 62% participated in such activity outside school. Talking to someone about the job they would like to do when they finish their education (82%) was also common.

Speaking directly to a career counsellor was comparatively rare. Only a third of students (36%) spoke to a career counsellor at their school, and one student in eight (12%) spoke to a career counsellor outside of their own school. Around a quarter of surveyed students participated in job shadowing (24%) or an organised tour at a college or university (25%); a third of students (34%) participated in a job fair. 27% used a career planning software programme.

Figure 3.7. Many students in Virginia participated in exploration activities, but with a varying degree across types of activities

Benchmarked against OECD countries for which data is available from the PISA 2018 survey, comparatively few Virginian students reported having taken part in important guidance activities that provide the opportunity to engage with people in work, to visit post-secondary educational institutions and/or speak directly to a guidance counsellor.

Figure 3.8. Relatively few Virginian students reported having taken part in career exploration activities compared to students in other OECD countries

Participation in career experiencing activities of teenage students

Career experiencing activities involve first-hand experiences of workplaces such as part-time work, internships, and volunteering. About half of grade 10-11 students in Virginia engaged in volunteering (54%) or worked occasional informal jobs (48%), similar to the level of volunteering in Lithuania (56%) and of occasional job experience in the United States as a whole (51%), Finland (51%) and Canada (46%) as recorded in the OECD PISA 2018 study. 41% of students in Virginia work outside of school (e.g., a holiday job, part-time work), similar to the US average (42%) and the OECD average (40%).

Those who participated in an internship are less common (11%). Those who worked in a family business (16%) were slightly more common. This is at a similar level to the students’ family business experience in Canada (17.5%) and Spain (14%) from OECD PISA 2018 data although they are not directly comparable.

Hughes et al. (2016[5]) concluded that studies on career education broadly support the hypothesis that careers education helps young people to better understand the relationship between educational goals and occupational outcomes, increasing pupil motivation and application. Studies suggest that higher levels of attainment can be expected when young people engage in career development activities, or when such interventions are delivered in specific ways. In fact, Virginia showed this relationship: 80% of participants of experiencing activities expect to complete tertiary education while 68% of non-participants do so. Although this is not a causal relation but an association, those who expect to complete tertiary education are three times more likely to participate in experiencing activities, in reference to those who do not expect to complete high school (without controls) or two times more likely when controlling for gender, socio‑economic status, migrant status, race and school region.

Figure 3.9. Participants of experiencing activities are more likely to expect to complete tertiary education

Figure 3.10. Career experiencing activities are less common

Career thinking

Clearer career thinking is associated with better employment outcomes

The OECD Career Readiness Indicators highlight four aspects of career thinking that are associated with better employment outcomes typically at the age of 25: career certainty, career ambition, career alignment and instrumental motivation (Covacevich et al., 2021[7]; Covacevich et al., 2021[8]).

Career certainty : The capacity of teenagers to name an occupation in which they expect to work as an adult. No assumptions are made that students will retain the same occupational expectation through their schooling.
Career ambition : The articulation of a managerial (ISCO major category 1), professional (ISCO 2) or associate professional (ISCO 3) occupational expectation. Data also suggest that the expectation of attending tertiary education is also associated with better adult employment outcomes.
Career alignment: The alignment of occupational expectations with educational plans. Poorer adult employment outcomes are commonly observed where teenage ambitions are misaligned, typically so categorised where students plan on working in high-skilled occupations (ISCO 1 and 2), but do not intend to pursue tertiary education which is typically required for entry into such occupations.
Instrumental motivation: The recognition that engagement in schooling will provide long-term extrinsic benefits in employment, typically tested through student responses to such statements as ‘Working hard at school will help me get a good job.’ or ‘School is a waste of time’.

Career uncertainty

Understanding how to develop career plans and align them with educational plans is one of the goals of career development and planning for Grade 6-8 students in Virginia. It involves: identifying the relationship of course content, educational achievement, and career choices, demonstrating understanding of the education and training needed to achieve career goals, using research skills to locate, evaluate, and interpret career and educational information, and demonstrating awareness of educational, vocational, and technical training opportunities available in high school (VDOE, 2004[9]). The OECD survey shows that many Virginian students are ambitious for their futures, but a sizable proportion demonstrate uncertainty and confusion about what they need to do to achieve their career plans.

Career uncertainty refers to the inability as a teenager to name an expected adult occupation. It is linked with greater difficulty in transitions and is significantly associated with poorer employment outcomes in a number of longitudinal studies reviewed by the OECD. For example, in the United States, analysis of the 2002 Educational Longitudinal Study shows that students who named an occupational expectation at 15 (being classified as career certain) were found to earn 11 percentage more than average at age 25 after statistical controls were used to take account of gender, socio-economic status, academic achievement and other factors that commonly influence employment outcomes. In Canada too, an earnings premium of 6% between certain and uncertain youth has been identified along with lower levels of youth unemployment (career certain youth are 6 percentage points less like to be Not in Education Employment or Training at age 25 associated with ability to name an occupational expectation. Teenage career certainty is also significantly associated with higher life satisfaction in the United Kingdom. However, in Korea career certainty is linked with lower wages at age 25 (Covacevich et al., 2021[8]). Wider studies however also point to teenage career certainty being a frequent predictor of better employment outcomes (Covacevich et al., 2021[7]).

In Virginia, using the 2023 OECD Career Readiness survey, 29% of students were not able to name an occupation in which they expect to work when they become 30 years old, measured in 2-digit ISCO. Although this is not directly comparable with PISA data, it is similar to Finland (31%), Czech Republic (30%), and Australia (28%) and higher than the figure for the United States (21%).

Figure 3.11. One in three students are uncertain about their future occupation at the age of 30

Among those who could name one, 81% of career expectation was concentrated in ten 2-digit ISCO groups and 93% was in 15 occupational groups in Virginia. Although this is not comparable with the OECD PISA results, measured in 4-digit ISCO, the Virginia result is fairly high compared to the PISA results: 59% of girls and 47% of boys in the United States plan on working in one of 10 most popular jobs (Mann et al., 2020[10]). However, the patterns of named jobs are similar. For example, the top occupational group in Virginia was health professional (23%) and the two occupations in the US were doctors (15%) and nursing and midwives (6%).

Students in schools described by their principals as offering no formal career guidance were the most likely subgroup of all in PISA 2018 to be uncertain of their career ambitions (Covacevich et al., 2021[8]). In Virginia, the survey data also show that participants of career experiencing activities tend to be less certain about their future job (27%) compared to non-participants (33%).

Figure 3.12. Participants of career experiencing activities tend to be less certain about their future job compared to non-participants

Figure 3.13. Health professional is the most popular occupational group in Virginia as in the US

Career ambition and misalignment

In thinking about futures in employment, ambition and clarity over what is needed to be done to achieve job goals commonly shape better outcomes. Analysis of longitudinal data shows that students expressing the intention of working in a high skilled job, typically classified as a professional or managerial job (major categories 1 and 2 in the International Standardisation Classification of Occupations) can expect to enjoy better employment outcomes, in terms of NEET rates, earnings and job satisfaction than comparable students. Moreover, longitudinal studies show that teenage students whose educational ambitions are aligned with the typical entry-level qualifications demanded of their occupational ambitions can also expect better outcomes (Covacevich et al., 2021[7]).

In PISA through the OECD Career Readiness, the alignment between education and career interest can be measured by student expectation of educational attainment and future employment. For example, in PISA 2018, the majority of American 15-year-olds expect to follow tertiary education (88%), one of the highest proportions across the OECD (average: 68%). Also, the majority of American students named a job within manager or professional categories (70%), one of the highest across OECD countries (62%). With so many young Americans expected to proceed to tertiary education, unsurprisingly only 5% are misaligned in linking education and career interest, the lowest among OECD countries (average: 20%).

Although the national and OECD results from PISA are not directly comparable with the Virginia results due to the time difference between the two surveys, similar patterns are observed when comparing Virginia results with PISA. In Virginia, 78% of students expect to undertake tertiary education and 57% anticipate working in a managerial or professional occupations (ISCO major categories 1 and 2). Both figures are lower than the US average recorded in PISA 2018. The concentration of interests in professional occupations is still very high however – with more than one in two young Virginians expecting to work as a lawyer, teacher, engineer, scientist or other profession.

Figure 3.14. While many Virginian students express high levels of career ambition, their education and occupational expectations are often misaligned

Figure 3.15. The majority of Virginian students expect to complete tertiary education, as many as Ireland, France and Costa Rica

Similar to career uncertainty, the survey data also show that participants of at least one career experiencing activity tend to be less misaligned compared to non-participants.

Figure 3.16. Fewer participants of career experiencing activities tend to be misaligned compared to non-participants

Instrumental motivation: the perception of school preparing students well for the working world

The belief that engagement in schooling will help to secure a successful working life is a form of instrumental motivation. Instrumental motivation describes a situation where a teenage student is able to draw a positive connection between the education they are engaged in and a potential future in work and is also associated with better employment outcomes among young adults (Covacevich et al., 2021[7]). It is tested for by seeing how students respond to survey questions like “Trying hard at school will help we get a good job” and “School is a waste of time”. Evidence from Australia, Canada, Denmark, United Kingdom and the United States illustrates the relationship between better outcomes in employment and such teenage attitudes towards the value of schooling. The 2018 PISA survey shows that most, but by no means all students exhibit such instrumental motivation across OECD countries (OECD, 2021[6]).

The majority of Virginian students in the OECD Career Readiness Survey of Teenage Students agreed that trying hard at school will help them get into a good next step in their careers, but at the same time, they also felt that school had done little to prepare them for adult life.

On average, across participating OECD countries in 2018, 86% of students aged 15-16 agree with the statement that ‘trying hard at school will help me get a good job.’ In the United States, this figure is 90% (OECD, 2021[11]). In Virginia, 87% of teenage respondents agreed with the same statement and more (95%) agreed that it will help them get into a good college or university. 51% agreed that school has helped give them the confidence to make decisions, and more (70%) agreed that school has taught them things which could be useful in a job. Regarding negative statements, almost 60% agreed that school has done little to prepare them for adult life after leaving school. 29% agreed that school has been a waste of time.

The perception of school tends to be positive among those who expect to complete higher level of education compared to those who expect lower level of education. The perception also tends to be positive among those who have higher school grades compared to those who have lower grades, raising concerns over lower achieving students who can be expected to be leave education and go into the labour market earlier than their peers. These results were similar between grade 10 and 11. Similar to career uncertainty, ambition and misalignment, the survey data also show that participants of career experiencing activities tend to have higher instrumental motivation.

Figure 3.17. The majority of students in Virginia agreed that trying hard at school will help them get into a good next step in their careers, but also that school has done little to prepare them for adult life

Figure 3.18. The majority of students in Virginia agreed that trying hard at school will help them get into a good job

Figure 3.19. Perception of school is associated with students’ expectation of educational attainment in Virginia

Students’ perception of how well high school is helping them prepare for their future careers was generally positive. This result was in line with that of the young adult survey for the same question, but the positive answer was slightly lower in the student survey than in the young adult survey. In particular, fewer than half of teenage students agreed that school helped them to meet people doing jobs that are relevant to their career ambition (48%).

OECD Career Readiness Survey of Young Adults (19–26-year-olds)

Background information of the Career Readiness Survey of Young Adults

Based on PISA and other relevant questionnaires, the OECD review team in collaboration with Virginia authorities selected and developed 31 survey questions. The survey also drew on questions that had been used in comparable UK studies (Mann and Percy, 2013[3]) (Mann and Percy, 2014[12]) (Mann and Kashefpakdel, 2014[13]) (Jones, Mann and Morris, 2015[14]) (Mann et al., 2017[4]) (Mann, Huddleston and Kashefpakdel, 2019[15]) which have been drawn upon by the UK (England) government in policy development (Department for Education, 2017[16]).

1 123 young adults aged 19–26-year-old in Virginia were asked about their social characteristics, current activities in relation to education and work, perceptions of job security, experience of higher education and/or feelings about college and university (tertiary education), career progress and career focus, and how well they felt their high school had prepared them for their post-high-school experiences. In particular, respondents were asked when they were in high school whether they explored career activities such as school-based career reflection activities, including career questionnaires and career classes, career conversations, engaging with people in work through career talks or job fairs, workplace visits or job shadowing, application and interview skills development activities, or occupationally focused short programmes. They were also asked to reflect on their time in high school and whether they had experienced activities which enabled first-hand experience of the working world whether through volunteering, internship or part-time jobs (e.g., working outside school hours such as summer job, working in a family business, or working on an informal job like baby-sitting or landscaping).

The data sample used in this report is restricted to young adults who attended a high school in Virginia (unweighted 1100; weighted 977). It also includes young adults who live in Virginia at the time of survey and undertook distance learning or home-schooling during high school time (2% of the sample).

Overview of the survey results

Characteristics of young adults who attended a high school in Virginia

The young adult survey provides rich snapshots about the perception of young adults who attended high school in Virginia on the usefulness of the career readiness system that they experienced while in high school as well as its relation to their early career outcomes (see Early career outcomes linked with high school career development activities). Gender, race/ethnicity, socio-economic status (SES), urbanicity and school region show the key demographic characteristics of young adults, which are further analysed in Chapter 6 of this report.

Among a representative sample of 977 young adults who had attended a high school in Virginia (including a small proportion who were educated through distance learning/home-schooling), about 46% gave their gender as male and 43% as female. The rest of respondents answered ‘other’ or ‘prefer not to say’.

In terms of race/ethnicity, 54% were White, 22% Black, 13% Hispanic and 5% are Asian. While 50% of the sample were White respondents who had attended a public school, White respondents were overrepresented in non-public high schools: 63% of private school graduates were White (3% of the sample) as were 58% of distance learners (0.4% of the sample) and 85% of home-schoolers (1.1% of the sample). About 7% of the sample were foreign-born.

Socio-economic status (SES) is defined by the occupation and educational attainment of respondents’ parents. Respondents were categorised as high SES; if at least one of their parents had attained tertiary education, and at least one parent had a high skilled job (manager, professional or associate professional). The rest of respondents were categorised as low SES. With this indicator (951 representative sample), a third of young adults (33%) were from high SES. Private school graduates tended to have parents with a high-skilled occupation more than public school graduates.

Surveyed young adults were living different areas in terms of urbanity at the time of the survey and attended high school from different regions before the time of the survey. A third (32%) of surveyed young adults were living in an urban area, 22% in a rural area and the remainder (46%) in a suburban area. Private high school graduates were overrepresented in urban areas (43%) and suburban areas (48%) while home‑schoolers were mostly in suburban areas (49%) and rural areas (40%). Among the representative sample of 906 young adults who provided information on a high school district, 29% attended high school in Northern Virginia region.

Figure 3.20. Gender, race/ethnicity, socio-economic status and location of the survey respondents

Among those who had attended a high school in Virginia, about 83% were in work or study at the time of the survey. Of these, 61% were in work and 39% were working full-time. Those who were not in education nor in employment and training (NEET) were about 17%, among which 11% are looking for a job and 6% not.

In terms of their highest education attainment, 41% reported a high school diploma, 5% a formal apprenticeship or a CTE programme, 20% had completed some college work but had not yet completed a degree, and 24% reported a 2 or 4-year degree. 9% had not yet completed high school.

Figure 3.21. Current work-study status, highest education attainment and high school grades of the survey respondents

Among those in work (624 young adults), 89% reported that their job was secure: 60% completely secure and 29% mostly secure. Among those who reported their gross pay, half earn less than USD 32 500 and 21% earn greater than USD 57 500.

Figure 3.22. Job security and earning of the survey respondents who are in work

Perception of career progress and satisfaction

The majority of the surveyed young adults who attended high school in Virginia felt satisfied with how career was going and agreed that it had been easy for them to make progress in their education or work since leaving high school. 74% reported ‘satisfied’ with the way career is going (25% reported very satisfied) and 26% were dissatisfied. In term of making progress in education or work since leaving high school, 67% agreed that it had been easy or very easy while 33% said difficult or very difficult (Figure 3.23).

Figure 3.23. The majority of the surveyed young adults in Virginia feel satisfied with their career progression and easy to make progress since they left high school

Perception of how helpful high school was for career readiness

Young adults’ perception of how well high schools in Virginia had helped them prepare for career transition was generally positive. Two-thirds (65%) agreed that high school had helped them decide on the right qualifications to follow the career they were interested in. About 60% agreed that high school had helped them verify whether their career ambition was realistic, and had helped them visualise and plan how to reach their career ambition (Figure 3.24). In line with this result, 60% said that high school had prepared them for working life somewhat well (42%) or very well (17%). However, across all categories, large minorities of young adults stated that they had felt poorly prepared by their schools.

Figure 3.24. More than half of young adults in Virginia agreed that high school was helpful in preparing their careers

Compared to those who did not have a high school diploma, those who attained a bachelor’s degree and above were more likely to report a positive perception of high school helping in deciding on the right qualification and verifying whether their career ambition was realistic. However, compared to those who did not have a high school diploma, those who attained a high school diploma or an associate degree or who attended a college without degree are less likely to report a positive perception of high school helping in getting work experience and in meeting people in work. Female students, students with lower achievement in school and high SES students all reported being less likely to feel a positive perception than their comparable peers. Compared to White respondents, Black respondents are more likely to report a positive perception. Compared to 19-year-olds, older respondents were less likely to report a positive perception, especially 26-year-olds at the time of the survey (see Chapter 6, for further details by gender, race/ethnicity, SES, region and urbanicity).

Participation in career development activities while in high school

The survey asked young adults if they recalled taking part in a range of career development activities while in high school. Based on the OECD Career Readiness Indicators, these activities are categorised by:

Career exploration activities: Career info, Higher education programme info, Questionnaire, Guest speakers, Speaking to teachers, Speaking to school advisor, Touring, How to apply, Job fair, Vocational program, Job shadowing, Worksite visits, Speaking to outside-school advisor (see Figure 3.26, Panel B) as well as learning how to search for job, how to write resume, how to find info, how to prepare for interview, how to find aid info (see Figure 3.26, Panel A).
Career experiencing activities: volunteering, internship and paid part-time job including work outside school hours, family business and occasional informal jobs.

The majority of the surveyed young adults who attended high school in Virginia participated in at least one type of career development activities while in high school, listed above. Almost all (99%) participated in at least one career exploration activity such as learning how to search for job or write a resume. 91% participated in at least one career experiencing activity while in high school. 90% had access to career coaches or counsellors (Figure 3.25, Panel A). This is comparable to the US and OECD average: the vast majority of students in OECD countries (94%) and in the US (97%) attend schools that offer career guidance (OECD, 2020[17]),

Relatively fewer said that they participated in a career exploration activity which allowed them to engage with employment. Such activities include work placements, mentoring, junior achievement, career advice, resume or interview workshops, workplace visits, academic and career planning. More than a third (36%) answered that their high school never arranged for them to take part in any career guidance activities which involved them meeting with employers or local business people. 29% said their high schools did this once, 21% twice; 14% say this took place three (8%) or more (6%) times (Figure 3.25, Panel B).

Moreover, having access to career coaches or counsellors does not tell a full story. While 62% say their school counsellors or career coaches were helpful in helping them make decisions about their post‑high‑school plans (22% very helpful, 40% somewhat helpful), 29% say they were not helpful (19% not very helpful, 8% not helpful at all). Another 10% say they did not have career coaches or counsellors (Figure 3.25, Panel A).

Figure 3.25. More than a third did not have access to career exploration activities involving employers and more than a tenth to career counsellor or coach

Young adults’ recollection of teenage career development activities (closely related to “effectiveness”)

Participation in career exploration activities while in high school

Almost all young adults who attended in high school in Virginia (99%) participated in a career exploration activity while in high school in one form or other, gaining the opportunity to learn skills relevant to career preparation and exploration. The most common activity was learning how to search for job (85%) and how to write a resueé (85%) and how to find information on jobs of interest (84%).

More than half learned outside of high school how to find information on jobs (54%) as well as how to search for a job (58%). Almost half (47%) learned how to prepare for a job interview outside of high school. In contrast, almost half learned in high school how to write a resueé (48%) and how to find student financial aid information (45%) (Figure 3.26, Panel A).

Also common was researching career information, hearing from guest speakers and speaking to a school teacher or career advisor, touring a college or university, learning how to apply for a job, and visiting a job fair. Overall, three quarters (73%) of young adults who attended in high school in Virginia reported that they participated in at least one such activity on a regular basis and 26% occasionally (Figure 3.26, Panel B). However, more than half never spoke to an advisor outside of their school (52%) and never participated in worksite visits (51%). Almost half never participated in a job shadowing activity (49%). The share of respondents who never took part in a vocationally-focused programme was also high (43%); although 33% occasionally did and 25% regularly (Figure 3.26, Panel B).

As noted, older respondents with more experience of the labour market were more likely to report more negative views in relation to school-mediated career preparation. 26-year-olds (9.5% of the sample) reported relatively lower access and more negative views on the utility of school interventions than younger respondents.

Figure 3.26. Participation in career exploration activities while in high school

Most young adults in the survey had access to counsellors/coaches while in high school (90%), but not all of them took advantage of high school counsellors/coaches – e.g., 29% never spoke to a career advisor in their school; 27% never spoke with teachers about jobs of interest. One reason might be that they did not find it useful: 27% felt that career coaches or school counsellors in high school were not helpful in making their career decision or achieving their goal, although 62% felt such conversations to be very (22%) or somewhat (40%) useful.

Participation in career experiencing activities while in high school

Career experiencing activities involve first-hand experiences of workplaces such as part-time work, internships, and volunteering. The majority of young adults who attended high school in Virginia engaged in volunteering (71%) or worked part-time (69%) while in high school. Those who participated in an internship or short work placement while high school are less common (54%) than volunteering or part‑time work. Those who worked in a family business (9%) and occasional informal jobs (12%) are rare.

Combining all these activities, the majority of young adults (91%) reported that they participated in at least one career experiencing activity while in high school. 74% participated in at least one regular activity, 17% did at least one occasional activity and 9% had no career experiencing activity.

Figure 3.27. Volunteering, internship and paid part-time experience of surveyed young adults

Early career outcomes linked with high school career development activities

Impact of high school career development activities on early careers

Participating in career development activities (CDA) while in high school has a significantly positive impact on young adults’ early careers in Virginia, even when controlling for age, highest education attainment, high school grades, gender, socio-economic status based on parent education and occupation, place of birth, race, school region and residency.

Participating regularly in a career exploration activity is associated with positive transition outcomes. Respondents were asked whether they participated in the following activities while in high school on a regular basis: researching career information or higher education programme information, conducting a questionnaire related to their career interest, attending guest speakers’ career talks or job fairs, speaking to teachers, school advisor or outside-school advisor, touring a college or university, learning how to apply for a job, and participating in a vocational programme, job shadowing or worksite visit (see Figure 3.26, Panel B).

Compared to those who did not or only occasionally participate in a career exploration activity, those who regularly did are 3.3 times more likely to think that high school was helpful in preparing them for their careers, 2.5 times more likely to be satisfied the way their career is going and 2.5 times more likely to think it had been easy to make career progress. They are also 2.3 times more likely to think that their current was situation useful for the future and 1.8 times more likely to be in employment, education and training than their peers. However, there was no significant difference in earning (Table 3.1).

Regularly participating in a career experiencing activities while in high school is also strongly associated with significantly positive transition outcomes. For example, compared to those who did not or only occasionally participated in volunteering, internship or paid part-time work while in high school, those who participated regularly are more likely to think that high school was helpful for preparing them for their careers (4.3 times), think that their current situation useful for the future (3.1 times), think it had been easy to make career progress (2.8 times) and be satisfied the way their career is going (2.6 times) (Table 3.1).

In terms of work and study status of young adults, participating in a career experiencing activity while in high school shows significantly positive impact. Compared to those who did not regularly participate in volunteering, internship or paid part-time work, those who did were 3.5 times more likely to be in employment, education or training and 2.2 times more likely to work; If in work, young adults with teenage experience of work are 1.7 times more likely to earn over USD 40 000, and 2 times more likely to have a job that is completely or mostly secure (Table 3.1). In terms of part-time employment, more formal teenage employment is more strongly associated with better outcomes in young adulthood.

Internship appears to be a powerful career development activity. With controls applied, regularly participating in internship results in 4.5 times more likely to be satisfied with their career progression, 4 times more likely to think high school had been useful to them, and 3.5 times more likely to think that it had been easy to progress in their careers. It was also associated with significantly higher odds of having positive perception on their current situation, being in employment, education or training (Table 3.1).

Respondents were also asked whether they had participated in an employer-involving exploration activities such as work placements, mentoring, junior achievement, career advice, resume or interview workshops, workplace visits, academic and career planning (see Figure 3.25, Panel B). Reporting the participation in an employer-involving exploration activity appears to give smaller and narrower impacts compared to the two indicators above but is still associated with positive perception and outcome (Table 3.1).

	Regularly exploring	Regularly experiencing	At least one time employer-involving exploration activity	Work outside school hours	Family business	Occasional jobs	Regularly volunteering	Regularly internship
More likely to be in employment, education or training (non NEET)	1.826***	3.471***	1.869***	2.887***	3.638**	1.700	1.507*	2.256**
More likely to work	1.095	2.163**	1.314*	1.757***	1.261	1.772**	0.904	0.955
More likely to in education	1.565**	1.595	1.209	1.559**	1.489	0.788	1.559**	1.718***
More likely to earn over USD 40 000	0.803	1.747*	1.109	1.781***	1.198	0.987	0.487***	1.053
More likely to have job security	1.242	2.107**	1.375	1.960***	1.235	1.595	1.128	1.061
More likely to think easy to make progress in education or work since leaving high school	2.465***	2.762***	1.742***	1.377*	1.033	0.953	1.793**	3.464***
More likely to be satisfied with the way their career is going	2.523***	2.611***	2.005***	1.388*	1.457	1.237	2.361***	4.474***
More likely to think the current situation useful to prepare for the future job	2.340***	3.123***	1.725**	1.204	1.086	1.641	2.950***	2.490*
More likely to think that high school was helpful for preparing careers	3.252***	4.252***	2.304***	1.189	1.800**	0.742	2.430***	4.038***

Note: CDA refers to career development activities. Statistical significance was marked as *** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1. This analysis controls for age, highest education attainment, high school grades, gender, socio-economic status based on parent education and occupation, place of birth, race/ethnicity, urbanicity and school region. Career exploration activities include those who regularly participated, while in high school, in career info, higher education programme info, questionnaire, guest speakers, speaking to teachers, speaking to school advisor, touring, how to apply, job fair, vocational program, job shadowing, worksite visits, speaking to outside-school advisor (see Figure 3.26, Panel B). Career experiencing activities include those who regularly participated, while in high school, in volunteering, internship, paid part-time job outside school hours, work in a family business and occasional work.

Source: OECD Career Readiness Survey of Young Adults in Virginia 2023

Figure 3.28. Participating regularly in career experiencing activities while in high school, in particular internship, has positive impacts on young adults’ transition outcomes

The intensity and combination of CDA also shows difference in the transition outcomes. Compared to those who did not participate in any CDA or only occasionally exploring or experiencing activities, those who regularly participated in either exploring or experiencing activities are more likely to have positive outcomes such as working or studying rather than being NEET (2.7 times), thinking it had been easy to make career progress (3.1 times), being satisfied with their careers (2.2 times), think their current situation useful for their future (2.1 times) and think that high school had been helpful for preparing for the world of work (5.3 times). When comparing those who regularly participated in both exploration and experiencing activities with their peers, they are 2.4 times more likely to be in work or study, and if in work, 1.5 times more likely to have job security. Perceptions of career progress and the usefulness of high school were also more likely to be positive. It should be noted however that given the small proportion (6%) of young adults who recalled none or only occasional engagement in exploring or experiencing activities, this analysis should be treated with caution.

Those who regularly participated in…	Either exploring or experiencing activities (94%) versus none or only occasionally exploring and experiencing (6%)	Both exploring and experiencing activities (69%) versus none or either one not regularly (31%)
More likely to: be in employment, education or training (non NEET)	2.735***	2.351***
Work	1.504*	1.339*
be in education	1.69	1.598***
earn over USD 40 000	1.379	0.916
have job security	1.574	1.466*
think easy to make progress in education or work since leaving high school	3.109***	2.634***
be satisfied with the way their career is going	2.218**	2.925***
think the current situation useful to prepare for the future job	2.130***	3.082***
to think that high school was helpful for preparing careers	5.253***	3.568***

Note: CDA refers to career development activities. Statistical significance was marked as *** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1. This analysis controls for age, highest education attainment, high school grades, gender, socio-economic status based on parent education and occupation, place of birth, race/ethnicity and school region. Career exploration activities include those who regularly participated, while in high school, in career info, higher education programme info, questionnaire, guest speakers, speaking to teachers, speaking to school advisor, touring, how to apply, job fair, vocational program, job shadowing, worksite visits, speaking to outside-school advisor (see Figure 3.26, Panel B). Career experiencing activities include those who regularly participated, while in high school, in volunteering, internship, paid part-time job outside school hours, work in a family business and occasional work.

Source: OECD Career Readiness Survey of Young Adults in Virginia 2023

Transition to tertiary education

Among those surveyed young adults who attended high school in Virginia, 35% started and were still in a post-secondary tertiary programme or had completed it, 25% had started a college or university programme but dropped out, and 40% had never started such provision. Of those who started a 2 or 4‑year college or university programme (i.e., the first two categories), 42% dropped out.

For those who were enrolled in a tertiary education institution, the most important reason for attending a college or university was related to careers (Figure 3.29): 69% wanted to be able to get a better job, 65% were interested in making more money and 49% wanted to get specific training for a specific career. Among other reasons, 38% wanted to learn more about topics that interested them and 24% that they were doing something that was expected of them – more common among Latinos than other groups.

Among those who entered a tertiary education but dropped out, the most important reason given was that they got a job (41%), followed by ‘could not afford to continue’ (26%). Some dropped out because they were unsure about future (23%) or their studies (19%). There are also other reasons such as health or other personal issues (17%) or too stressful (13%) (Figure 3.30).

Figure 3.29. The most important reason to go to tertiary is to get a better job

Figure 3.30. The most important reason to dropout of tertiary education is getting a job

A large majority of young adults who never started a college or university programme agree that speaking with financial advisor, counsellor or job counsellor would help them to enrol in higher education: 32% say it would be helpful to speak with a financial or college advisor to help find opportunities for financial aid, scholarships, childcare, and help with questions about money and life management. 28% say speaking with a counsellor to help them figure out what to study, select their classes, and make sure they meet the requirements of their major would be helpful. 21% would find value in speaking with a job counsellor who will help them make connections in their chosen field, prepare for interviews, and help find the job they are looking for (Figure 3.31). Also, more flexibility in programmes to fit their lives (27%) and having opportunities to get real-world, hands-on experience while in school (25%) and accessing free technology, such as a laptop and internet access, when enrolling (23%) could attract these people to tertiary education programmes (Figure 3.31).

Those who are still in a college or university programme or completed the programmes agree that speaking with financial advisor (37%), counsellor (46%) or job counsellor (35%) would be or would have been helpful to complete a degree – the perception of such needs appears to be stronger than among those who never started post-secondary education (Figure 3.31). 45% say having opportunities to get real‑world, hands-on experience while in school (45%) would be or would have been helpful to complete their tertiary programme. More flexibility in programmes to fit their lives (38%) and accessing free technology, such as a laptop and internet access, when enrolling (28%) would be or would have been helpful to complete their tertiary education programmes (Figure 3.31).

Figure 3.31. Speaking with financial advisor or counsellor could help more young people start tertiary education while speaking with counsellor and more hands-on experience while in school would be or would have been helpful for young people to complete tertiary education

Impact of high school career development activities on tertiary education completion

Using the young adult survey in Virginia, the most impactful factors related to tertiary education dropout appear to be SES, race, and full-time employment. This result is in line with other findings such as reasons to go to tertiary education and reasons to dropout, which is mainly related to getting a job (see Figure 3.29, Figure 3.30). Tertiary incompletion rates vary by student characteristics. Incompletion rates for Hispanic and Black young adults were 2-3 times greater than White young adults. Incompletion rates for young adults from low SES were 1.6-2 times greater than those from high SES. Although the precise magnitude of these impacts differs depending on the specification of statistical models, the results were always significant.

However, compared to those who did not have career coaches or school counsellors in high school, those who reported that coaches and counsellors were not very helpful in making decisions and achieving career goal were 3.4 times more likely to dropout a college or university. This highlights the importance of the quality of career guidance provision.

While the effect of participating in a high school CDA to drop out is found unclear, its effect to tertiary education completion was significantly positive. Participating in volunteering, internship or paid part-time was related to 2.5 times higher likelihood of having a tertiary education degree, even after controlling for age and other characteristics. Volunteering alone was 2.1 times higher likelihood, so does speaking to a school advisor. Worksite visits, vocational programme, touring a college or university, internship, speaking to teachers or coaches, job fair, questionnaire, higher education programme information were also related to a positive effect on tertiary education completion (Figure 3.32, Panel B). This analysis controls for a wide range of student characteristics, including geographic variation theme which is explored in more detail in Theme 3, Chapter 6 of this report.

Figure 3.32. Likelihood of higher education completion by participation in high school CDA, by type

References

[8] Covacevich, C. et al. (2021), “Thinking about the future: Career readiness insights from national longitudinal surveys and from practice”, OECD Education Working Papers, No. 248, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/02a419de-en.

[7] Covacevich, C. et al. (2021), “Indicators of teenage career readiness: An analysis of longitudinal data from eight countries”, OECD Education Working Papers, No. 258, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/cec854f8-en.

[16] Department for Education (2017), Careers strategy: making the most of everyone’s skills and talents, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/664319/Careers_strategy.pdf.

[5] Hughes, D. et al. (2016), Careers education: International literature review, https://www.educationandemployers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Careers-review.pdf.

[14] Jones, S., A. Mann and K. Morris (2015), “The ‘Employer Engagement Cycle’ in Secondary Education: analysing the testimonies of young British adults”, Journal of Education and Work, Vol. 29/7, pp. 834-856, https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2015.1074665.

[10] Mann, A. et al. (2020), Dream Jobs? Teenagers’ Career Aspirations and the Future of Work.

[15] Mann, A., P. Huddleston and E. Kashefpakdel (2019), Essays on Employer Engagement in Education, Routledge, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429452216.

[13] Mann, A. and E. Kashefpakdel (2014), The views of young Britons (aged 19-24) on their teenage experiences of school-mediated employer engagement, in Mann A. et al., eds, Understanding employer engagement in education, Routledge.

[4] Mann, A. et al. (2017), Contemporary transitions: Young Britons reflect on life after secondary school and college, https://www.educationandemployers.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Contemporary-Transitions-30-01-2017.pdf.

[12] Mann, A. and C. Percy (2014), School-mediated employer engagement and labour market outcomes for young adults: wage premia, NEET outcomes and career confidence, in Mann, A. et al., eds, Understanding Employer Engagement in Education, Routledge, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315779966.

[3] Mann, A. and C. Percy (2013), “Employer engagement in British secondary education: wage earning outcomes experienced by young adults”, Journal of Education and Work, Vol. 27/5, pp. 496-523, https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2013.769671.

[11] OECD (2021), Indicators of career readiness: guidance for policy makers, https://doi.org/10.1787/6a80e0cc-en.

[6] OECD (2021), “Indicators of teenage career readiness: Guidance for policy makers”, OECD Education Policy Perspectives, No. 43, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/6a80e0cc-en.

[17] OECD (2020), PISA 2018 Results (Volume V): Effective Policies, Successful Schools, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/ca768d40-en.

[2] Percy, C. and A. Mann (2014), School-mediated employer engagement and labour market outcomes for young adults: wage premia, NEET outcomes and career confidence, Routledge.

[1] Thouin, É., V. Dupéré and A. Denault (2023), “Paid employment in adolescence and rapid integration into a career-related job in early adulthood among vulnerable youth: The identity connection”, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 142, p. 103864, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2023.103864.

[9] VDOE (2004), Standards for School Counseling Programs in Virginia Public Schools, https://www.doe.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/806/637944672694570000.

Note

In addition, analyses of longitudinal data point towards better employment outcomes being associated with more original teenage occupational expectations at 15. However, data are less conclusive (Covacevich et al., 2021[7]).

Annex 2.A. Technical notes about the two surveys

Survey of students in grade 10-11

In collaboration with the OECD and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), VEDP/VOEE conducted a survey of grade 10 and 11 students in Virginia in March-May 2023. Each question in the survey was designed to be mandatory. If students were not in grade 10 or 11, the survey was not completed nor added into the database. The survey platform used was Qualtrics.

Virginia public school divisions and schools are divided into eight regions (Virginia Public School Listing by Region). The target high schools for the survey were selected from each of these regions, i.e., two largest and two smallest high schools in each region in addition to three or four mid-sized high schools from each region. For example, eight high schools were selected from Central Virginia (Region 1); seven high schools were selected from each of the other seven regions. The target sample was 57 high schools, most of which serve grades 8/9 to 12.

Over 13 000 students accessed the survey, and out of those 11 115 students completed it. Three schools (mid and large size) were excluded: these schools had fewer than 12 respondents and fewer than 2% of the estimated number of grade 10-11 students. After exclusions, there were 11 088 respondents from 46 schools: each school had a minimum of 22 respondents or 14% student participation. A simple weight was then applied to match the distribution of the respondents by region to that of the sampled population by region, i.e., post-stratification (see Annex Table A.1. below). For the analysis, in order to optimise the comparison with the PISA data, the OECD used a subsample of students in grade 10 (6 152 students) and grade 11 (3181 students) who were born in 2006-08 for a final total of 9 333 (9 353 with weight).

School region	Number of respondents	% of respondents	Number of surveyed schools	Estimated number of students in sampled schools	Estimated % of students in sampled schools	Number of sampled schools	Weight
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(5)/(2)
1	1 437	13.0	7	4 942	15.4	8	1.186051
2	2 473	22.3	6	4 904	15.3	7	0.683922
3	2 370	21.4	7	4 416	13.7	7	0.642659
4	1 259	11.4	5	6 827	21.2	7	1.870853
5	946	8.5	5	3 455	10.7	7	1.259809
6	1 393	12.6	6	3 512	10.9	7	0.869702
7	708	6.4	6	1 876	5.8	7	0.912897
8	502	4.5	4	2 221	6.9	7	1.524608
Total	11 088	100	46	32 151	100	57

Note: The estimated number of sampled students is the number of students in grade 9-12 divided by two, assuming that each grade has the equal number of students in each school.

Source: OECD Career Readiness Survey of Teenage Students in Virginia; Estimated number of students in sampled schools, provided by VDOE and VOEE.

Survey of 19–26-year-olds

On behalf of the OECD, SurveyUSA conducted a survey of 1 100 young adults aged 19-26 in Virginia in January 2023. Topics included respondents' current activities, job security, college experience and/or feelings about college, career progress, parental education and career focus, and how well their high school prepared them for their post-high-school experiences. SurveyUSA interviewed respondents online, among a representative cross-section of Virginia 19–26-year-olds using sample provided by Lucid Holdings LLC of New Orleans. Online respondents are drawn from a large poll of pre-recruited, cross‑section of adults and interviewed via visual questionnaires displayed on respondents’ smart phones or other electronic devices. Results were weighted to US Census-derived targets for gender, age, and race/ethnicity in Virginia.

OECD review team further restricted the weighted sample to 977 young adults, based on the high school information, to exclude young adults who attended a high school outside of Virginia. This did not affect the representativeness in terms of gender, age and race/ethnicity.

The survey results include percentage, percentage point difference and odds ratio of those who participated in career development activities (employer-involving, exploration and experiencing activities) while in high school in reference to those who did not. Odds ratios were calculated through logistic regressions to see the relative likelihood of young adults who participated in career development activities in reference to non-participants in terms of transition outcomes. In the regression, the number of unweighted observations was 918 (weighted 882). Statistical significance levels are marked as *** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1. Career exploring activities include those who regularly participated, while in high school, in career info, higher education programme info, questionnaire, guest speakers, speaking to teachers, speaking to school advisor, touring, how to apply, job fair, vocational program, job shadowing, worksite visits, speaking to outside-school advisor. Career experiencing activities include those who regularly participated, while in high school, in volunteering, internship, paid part-time job outside school hours, work in a family business and occasional work.

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