The Unlimited Potential of Young Australians - NFP Report

There is a mismatch between the skills young people in Australia have when they finish their education and what prospective employers are looking for, according to a new report by the Foundation for Young Australians.

As well, the report says young people today need to be better prepared to manage a lifelong career path with multiple roles.

FYA describes its report called 'Unlimited Potential', as a commitment to young Australians which provides recommendations and proposals for how key institutions, communities and governments can equip young people for 21st century careers, back their ideas for change and prepare them to engage with our neighbours in Asia and the Pacific.

The report was presented it to Federal Government at an event at Parliament House, in Canberra, today.

“To enable young people to be future focused learners and truly competitive in the jobs market, careers development needs to start earlier, be embedded in the curriculum, and be actively connected with business and industry,” FYA CEO Jan Owen said.

“We must prepare our young people for constant and rapid economic, social, cultural and environmental change in Australia and across the region.

“We need young Australians to be confident, connected, enterprising, innovative, optimistic, generous and happy. It begins with an equitable, world class and outward looking education system and the opportunity for young people to engage and become immersed in the real world.

“This involves them contributing their skills and ideas to help build the communities they live in. It means
governments and decision-makers backing their ideas for improvement and change."

The report says young Australians today have much of the attitude, beliefs and tools needed to thrive and excel in life and work. However, they still require strong support from our key institutions and communities, and they require a vote of confidence from our governments.

The report says Australia needs generations of:

• Future focused learners with the skills to navigate the world of work and learning, and to follow career pathways.
• Enterprising Changemakers with the ideas, confidence and capabilities to create change in their communities and beyond.
• Confident Global Citizens with the ability to see and find themselves in the world, especially in relation to our
neighbours in the Asia and Pacific regions.

“Our collective role is to be relentlessly optimistic about the young people of this country and about their capacity and capability to envision and create the nation and world in which they want to live and work,” Owen said.

“To deliver on this commitment will require a significant, intergenerational transfer of leadership, trust and resources to enable our young people to meet the challenges and take up the opportunities that lie ahead."