The one thing in schools Deb Knight says would be 'a welcome addition'

What do you want to be when you grow up?

It's the perennial question asked of children, and something teenagers need to consider more seriously as they approach the end of their High School years.

Astronauts or princesses might have been overtaken by social media stars or Influencers in the dream job stakes of the current generation, but how much of a role do career counsellors play in guiding students towards the best career for their individual skills?

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That's something the Business Council of Australia has been considering, as it comes up with ideas to help overcome the country's skills gap, boost productivity, and grow the economy overall.

Part of the reason we're not reaching our full potential is that education standards and performance in schools has been in freefall compared to the rest of the world.

Australia used to be near the top of the table for academic performance, but in key subjects we're no longer even in the top 10.

OECD data from the major developed countries shows that in 2022, Australia came in at 12th place for Reading compared to sixth in 2006.

In Science we've fallen to 10th position from sixth during the same period, and Maths is the worst of the lot - down to 16th place from eighth.

So what are we doing so wrong to see Australia's education performance and ranking fall so far, and continue to decline?

The Federal Government is moving to turn things around through a shift to more evidenced based teaching and a back to basics approach to key subjects, which is delivering better academic results in some schools.

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However the Business Council says more needs to be done, including an increase in early testing and intervention in Primary School for students falling behind, and setting new education targets to get Australia back in the global education game.

Without it, the BCA warns, our country and economy will continue to lag.

The business lobby is also calling for careers counsellors, working to a national standard, to be placed in all High Schools, to provide advice on the full range of career and job options, and to help identify which sectors might have jobs in demand.

Even identifying potential jobs of the future, which need to be considered with the rise of AI.

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Most schools already offer careers counselling in the senior Secondary years, but it's often a very cursory and broad overview of job and study options, rather than providing up to date advice on the employment options best suited to a student's individual skills.

We often bemoan the crowded school curriculum that prevents students and teachers from improving performance in core academic subjects, but a larger investment in careers counselling would be a welcome addition.

Improving academic performance and lifting education standards is one thing, but students must also be given better advice on the best ways to put those skills into action.

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