FutureLearn survey reveals UK’s top five aspirational careers
The majority of Brits voted STEM jobs as the most aspirational ‘dream careers’*, in a recent survey commissioned by leading social learning platform, FutureLearn.com.
Respondents voted for their dream career sector, with Zoology (22%) receiving the most votes, closely followed by Architecture (21%) and Engineering (20%), with non-STEM focused careers, Professional Food Testing (17%) and Teaching (15%) coming fourth and fifth. Engineering was voted the top aspirational job by men (27%) and Zoology was voted the top aspirational job by women (27%). The survey also found that Journalism was the top dream career for 18-24 year-olds (28%), and 25-44 year olds voted Professional Food Testing as their top dream career (25%).*
The research coincides with the launch of FutureLearn’s ‘Ace The Interview’ course collection, designed to help the nation prepare for interviews for their dream roles. This comes as the UK faces redundancies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with unemployment rates on track to hit 4 million UK adults by Christmas.
The ‘Ace the Interview’ collection compiles the top 30 courses to help candidates learn new skills to ace their next interview, with only a couple of hours of learning a week. Along with courses such as, An Introduction to Coding and Design and How to Succeed at: Interviews the ‘Ace the Interview’ selection will provide tips on CV writing and how to ask smart questions in an interview. All the courses are free to access, with some having the option to upgrade from just £32, and aim to help interviewees secure the job of their dreams.
Susannah Belcher, Chief Data and Revenue Officer at FutureLearn said: “STEM careers have really grown in popularity over the past few years, as has demand for highly skilled talent to fill these roles. Prior to the pandemic, STEM jobs were expected to increase by 5.94% between 2019 and 2027 according to research. The importance of many STEM professionals throughout the pandemic means that this trend will likely continue. At FutureLearn, we hope our Ace the Interview collection of courses will help people prepare for these high-value roles and indeed any other dream career path they choose to pursue.”
*Top ten dream careers as voted for by Brits when asked to choose from a list of 15 career sectors:
Zoologist – 22%
Architect – 21%
Engineer – 20%
Professional Food Taster – 17%
Teacher- 15%
Journalist – 14%
Dog Walker – 11%
Event Planner – 9%
Video Gamer – 8%
YouTuber – 7%
Demographic splits
Gen Z: 18-24 years old
Millennials: 25 – 30 years old
Gen X: 31 – 55 years old
Baby Boomers: 56-76 years old
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,080 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 6th – 7th July 2020. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).