How do careers professionals actually think about the future of work? That is the question Lewis Clark, a Sheffield Hallam University researcher, is trying to answer. According to adventuresincareerdevelopment.wordpress.com, Clark ran a survey in spring 2022 that drew more than 200 responses from careers professionals working in secondary schools across England. He is now expanding that work into one-on-one discussions and is inviting more participants.
This matters because the people guiding students toward careers are themselves shaping the future — and how they understand that forecast affects the next generation directly.
Quick take
- Lewis Clark, based at Sheffield Hallam University, is researching the future of work.
- A spring 2022 survey drew more than 200 responses from UK secondary school careers professionals.
- Clark is now running one-hour follow-up discussions via Teams or Zoom.
- The research aims to support the careers guidance sector in preparing young people for change.
- Participation is open to careers professionals working in secondary schools in England.
Why this matters
Career advice for young people is only as good as the people delivering it. If careers professionals are anxious, uninformed, or under-resourced about the future of work, the students they advise absorb that uncertainty. If they are equipped with frameworks, data, and a clear sense of which fields are growing or shrinking, students make better choices.
This kind of research matters even to readers outside the UK. The labor market shifts being studied — automation, the green transition, AI, hybrid work — are global. What UK professionals are seeing in their schools is a leading indicator of what is coming everywhere else.
What the spring 2022 survey found
According to adventuresincareerdevelopment.wordpress.com, the survey explored three themes: how aware careers professionals are of future developments in the labor market, where they get their information about those developments, and how they integrate that knowledge into their schools' careers provision.
The findings were interesting enough to justify deeper qualitative work. That is what the new round of discussions is for.
Who should care about this
- Careers professionals in UK secondary schools: your perspective directly shapes what Clark publishes — and what the sector learns from it.
- Heads of sixth form and careers leads: this is a chance to influence how the field thinks about future readiness.
- Policy makers and funders: research like this informs funding decisions for careers education.
- Parents and students: better-prepared careers professionals mean better conversations about your future.
Say you are a careers lead at a secondary school
You have been running one-off career talks for years and you are not sure how to talk to Year 11 about AI in the labor market. You see Clark's call for participants. You email him, set up an hour-long Teams call, and spend the time walking through how you currently source information about the future of work, how confident you feel about it, and what you actually tell students when they ask. Your perspective joins the research base. Six months later, you receive a summary of findings that gives you three new frameworks you can immediately use in your next workshop. You also feel heard — which, for an under-resourced profession, matters more than most people realize.
What to watch next
Watch for Clark's follow-up publication and any frameworks that come out of it. If you are outside the research scope, treat the findings as a useful mirror: the questions Clark is asking careers professionals are the same questions you can ask yourself about your own career readiness.
Key takeaways
- Research like this shapes how the next generation is advised on careers.
- The future of work is uncertain — preparation is the only durable response.
- Your perspective as a practitioner matters more than you think.
Frequently asked questions
Who is running this research?
Lewis Clark, a researcher at Sheffield Hallam University, is leading the study.
Who can participate?
According to the source, careers professionals working in secondary schools in England.
What does the research cover?
It explores how careers professionals perceive future labor market shifts and integrate that knowledge into their school's careers provision.
How long is the follow-up discussion?
About one hour, conducted online via Teams or Zoom, with flexible scheduling.