The expectations of adolescents and young adults of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, about vocational education and work

Abstract

The reported study explored the expectations of Nizhny Novgorod adolescents and young adults about vocational education and work. A questionnaire was developed for the study. It was posted on the official website of the Ministry of Youth Policy of the Nizhny Novgorod Region and organizations subordinate to the Ministry. The study involved 13,243 young people aged 14 to 35 years old living in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. The survey of underage adolescents (under 18 years of age) was conducted with the consent of their parents or guardians. The results of the study were processed with Microsoft Office Excel 2010 and IBM SPSS STATISTICS 26 using the methods of descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, and difference analysis. The study results reveal that the majority of respondents (64.1%) show independence in choosing a place for post-school education. Half of the respondents (50.0%) are applying to universities, about a fifth (21.2%) to vocational schools, while 22.9% of respondents have not made a decision yet. The predominant number of study participants (81.1%) are satisfied with the quality of education offered in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. As regards prospective employment, the respondents are going to land jobs in business and public administration. At the same time, they feel that applying for a job is associated with challenges. Top five of them include: lack of work experience; failure to meet the employer expectations about relevant knowledge and skills; non-availability of suitable jobs; unsatisfactory working conditions; and employer unwillingness to train young professionals. Significant differences in the expectations about vocational education and work were found in adolescents and young adults living in different municipal districts of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.