K12 Launches First-Ever Index Tracking Parent & Student Confidence in Career Prospects

K12 Inc. today introduced the Destinations Career Confidence Index, a holistic measure of parents’ and students’ confidence in young adults’ ability to find workforce success.

As of September 2019, parents and students see almost eye-to-eye: the Destinations Career Confidence Index currently sits at 124.95, with parents (127.20) expressing only slightly more confidence than students (122.70).

“Finally, parents’ and students’ voices – some of the voices most greatly impacted by our country’s education system and economy – have a chance to be heard,” said Shaun McAlmont, Ed.D., K12’s President of Career Readiness Education. “Our Destinations Career Confidence Index gives new insight into the hopes and fears of parents and students, the result of which should inform policymaking and inspire educators.”

The Destinations Career Confidence Index is modeled after The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index, taking a present-versus-future approach by asking parents and students three key questions in side-by-side polls respectively conducted by Morning Consult and Tallo, one of the nation’s largest online platforms for connecting talented students with employers and universities.

• Q1: How strong do you believe the job market is for young adults today?
• Q2: One year from now, do you expect the job market for young adults to be better or worse than it is today?
• Q3: How confident are you that [you/your children] will be able to find a job that pays [enough money for you to support yourself after you graduate from school/a living wage after they graduate]?

Responses revealed that although parents and students are, overall, relatively confident in young adults’ ability to get a lifestyle-supporting job after graduation, amongst themselves, parents and students are divided on whether the current job market is strong, and whether the job market one year from now will be better or worse. This divide could be because of respondents’ lack of insight into factors affecting the job market, such as international trade relations or industry demands.

“We can’t talk about young adults’ future success without also talking about America’s job market and the needs of its employers,” said Casey Welch, CEO and Co-founder of Tallo. “Traditionally, the lines of communication between parents, students, educators and industry were limited, but today, we have technology needed to initiate conversations and work together to develop mutually beneficial solutions.”

This is the first installment of the Destinations Career Confidence Index, with future installments planned to show how parents’ and students’ opinions change over time.

For more information on the Destinations Career Confidence Index, visit: http://newsroom.k12.com/dcci

About K12

K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) is driving innovation and advancing the quality of education by delivering state-of-the-art, digital learning platforms and technology to students and school districts across the globe. K12’s curriculum serves over 2,000 schools and school districts and has delivered millions of courses over the past decade. K12 provides online and blended education solutions to charter schools, public school districts, private schools, and directly to families. The K12 program is offered through more than 70 partner public schools, and through school districts and public and private schools serving students in all 50 states and more than 100 countries. K12 is a proud sponsor of the Foundation for Blended and Online Learning, a nonprofit organization working to close the gap between the pace of technology in daily life and the pace of change in education. More information can be found at K12.com.

About Tallo

Tallo (formerly STEM Premier) is the first online app that assists students in designing a career pathway, educators in recruiting top talent to their schools, and employers in developing a stable, continuous talent pipeline. Through a mobile digital portfolio, students (age 13+) and professionals showcase their skills and abilities, receive personalized career guidance, match with over $20 billion in scholarships, and get directly connected with post-secondary institutions and companies looking for the next generation of talent. For more information, visit www.tallo.com.

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