Broadening horizons: How can we help young people make better decisions about their future learning and careers?

At Unifrog, we’re dedicated to helping students—particularly those in disadvantaged areas—make better decisions about their future learning and careers. In the post-pandemic world, it’s more important than ever for students to be well informed about their careers and next steps.

The cost-of-living crisis and the challenging global economy following the pandemic will directly affect young people’s choices about their future careers and next steps, so it’s more important than ever for students to be well informed. We’re already seeing how this is affecting students’ university research where they’re comparing fees and graduate salaries over historically more popular characteristics, like social life ranking.

Our most recent study compared the shortlisting activity of Key Stage 5 students in the least and most disadvantaged areas of the UK. We found that there is a 9.2% gap between the shortlisting rates of advantaged students (living in Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 4-10) and disadvantaged students (living in IMD 1-3).

Some of the most used parts of the platform are our shortlisting tools. These tools allow students to compare apprenticeship vacancies, courses at FE colleges, and courses at universities in the UK or overseas. The end result is a shortlist they’ve created with information on entry requirements, finances, disability support, and more. And they can revisit all their shortlists to support them in making their applications.