Skills, Talent and Diversity updates
Sign-up to get the latest updates and opportunities from our Skills, Talent and Diversity programme.
Expanding Opportunity in an AI-Shaped World
National Careers Week is a chance to reflect on how we prepare young people, not just for the roles that exist today, but for a future where pathways into work are becoming less linear and more uncertain.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already reshaping how people learn, apply for jobs, and build careers. This creates new ways to access guidance, develop skills, and connect with opportunities.
But whether it expands opportunity will depend on how it is designed and deployed.
At the EY Foundation, our work focuses on enabling young people from a low-income background to access the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to help them thrive in the workplace. Increasingly, we are exploring how technology, including AI, could help widen access to opportunity, so the future of work is fully inclusive.
Navigating Transitions
Through our joint research with the Institute for the Future of Work, we have been exploring what shapes how young people move from education into employment in a labour market undergoing rapid technological change.
A young person’s readiness is not simply about skills or qualifications. Their outlook, including their sense of agency and belief in what is possible for them, can strongly influence whether they engage with opportunities in the first place.
Findings on pupils' academic experiences last year show that pupils eligible for free school meals report the lowest motivation to learn, with over a third feeling less motivated. This can make emerging opportunities, including those linked to AI, feel inaccessible.
This matters because engagement with careers is often shaped by perceived relevance. When professional pathways feel abstract or out of reach, young people are less likely to take the steps needed to access them.
Encouragingly, motivation is malleable, and the latest reports reveal that young people who took part in the motivation-based intervention piloted as part of the research reported significantly greater self-reported motivation related to school or work, with a 20–35% improvement compared with the control group.
Targeted support and meaningful experiences can strengthen motivation and help young people feel better equipped to navigate a changing world of work. That’s why exposure matters.
Making Pathways Real
This is where EY Foundation’s programmes play a vital role.
Through paid work experience, employer-led activities, and targeted employability support, our programmes help young people move from observing the world of work to actively participating in it.
Rather than simply learning about careers, participants gain first-hand insight into professional environments, building confidence, and a clearer understanding of how their interests and strengths connect to real opportunities.
This kind of exposure makes future pathways feel tangible rather than theoretical. It allows young people to test assumptions about where they belong and see new possibilities for themselves.
As these pathways become more real, how young people access them is also changing.
Designing for Inclusion
As AI becomes embedded across education and employment systems, its role in shaping young people’s futures will grow.
The direction of travel set out in the Schools White Paper, alongside the introduction of a new Pupil Engagement Framework, reflects a growing recognition that belonging and engagement are critical foundations for future participation.
Schools will increasingly be expected to understand not just attainment, but how connected young people feel to learning and future pathways.
Technology could support this shift by helping to:
-
identify when engagement begins to decline
-
personalise support earlier
-
connect aspirations with realistic opportunities
But these benefits are not automatic.
Access to AI-enabled tools depends first on access to devices, connectivity and digital support. Without this foundation, new technologies risk reinforcing, rather than reducing existing inequalities.
If designed inclusively, AI could complement careers education and enrichment provision by extending access to guidance, insight, and opportunity.
National Careers Week reminds us that preparing young people for the future is not just about outlining career options. It is about ensuring they feel able and equipped to pursue them.
With responsible design and collaboration, AI could play an important role in extending access to opportunity, helping more young people see viable pathways and giving them new ways to move towards them.
About the campaign
In our pursuit to shape a more equitable future, our March TechTogether campaign will focus on supporting the next generation by joining the National Careers Week campaign, empowering women in tech, advancing equity by design, and evolving the landscape of online safety.
Career related industry insights:
Other opportunities to get involved:
Other related insights:
