YOUNG people in the South West are aware of fewer than one in five (17 per cent) potential jobs available to them, according to research by vocational education organisation City & Guilds.

The organisation is calling for the government to provide a national careers guidance service accessible to every child which incorporates access to employers, local jobs market information and destinations data for every young person leaving education.

Research found that teens in the South West are failing to consider a larger number of high-skilled and well-paid jobs as many are interested in becoming teachers, software developers and solicitors.

But with regards to secondary teaching, there are two and a half times the number of young people interested in entering the sector when compared to the number of openings predicted by 2022.

This suggests young people are making choices based upon their own narrow experiences rather than being given access to broader information about the jobs market.

Meanwhile, jobs in finance, marketing and IT are being overlooked, meaning young people in the South West are potentially missing out on highly paid careers in these sectors.

There is also a shortfall in the number of young people wanting a career in farming, with only 2,700 young people choosing it as a potential career despite 6,388 job openings predicted by 2022.

City & Guilds released the findings of a nationwide survey of more than 3,200 14 to 19 year olds. They worked on the research with national research agency YouGov and economic modellers EMSI.

Kirstie Donnelly MBE, managing director at City & Guilds said: “Our research demonstrates that young people in the South West are not aware of the majority of the career paths open to them and as a result are setting their sights low when it comes to their career aspirations, despite good jobs growth forecast in this region.

"They deserve to be made aware of the breadth of great career opportunities in their home town both for their own sakes and to ensure the future success of the city’s many thriving businesses.

“The Government has identified that a lack of careers advice was affecting the futures of millions of the UK’s young people and created the Careers and Enterprise Company in response.

"Whilst that has gone some way to addressing the problem, it’s clear from our findings that much more needs to be done to give every young person in the UK the same advantages – whether they are living in Bristol, Plymouth or anywhere else in the UK."

The research also indicates low confidence amongst the region’s young people.

Teens in the South West have the lowest salary expectations of any region in England, expecting to earn just over £35,000 in ten years’ time.

This is despite the fact that jobs will grow 4.5% in the region by 2020.

Only half (52 per cent) of young people in the South West are confident of being in their job of choice in ten years’ time.

To better equip young people for employment, City & Guilds is rolling out a new curriculum for 14 to 19 year olds, the City & Guilds TechBac.