A new report from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) reveals how the experience of being a carer influences the courses young adults want to study. The report is based on insight from UCAS’ application and survey data, and a new set of widening participation questions.
The data reveals that Young Adult Carers (YACs) are 59 per cent more likely to apply to health and social care courses, and 57 per cent more likely to apply to nursing and midwifery courses than applicants without caring responsibilities. Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy, medicine and dentistry, and medical sciences are also top subjects for this group compared to their peers.
Last year, 18,915 YACs applied to university or college, accounting for 3.9 per cent of all UCAS applicants. The majority of applicants who declared they had caring responsibilities were 18 years old.
Other main findings from the report include:
- Young adult carers have high hopes of going to university or college, with the majority looking forward to studying a subject they love (78 per cent), becoming more independent (69 per cent) and meeting new people (68 per cent).
- They often struggle with finding the right information about progressing to higher education – with 72 per cent saying that they never or rarely spoke to teaching staff about their caring responsibilities while 71 per cent also never or rarely communicated with support staff.
- Tailored support at university or college for young adult carers is hard to get – just under two thirds (69 per cent) were unaware of the support available to them and of those that were aware, 21 per cent found the information difficult or extremely difficult to find.
- The educational challenges they face may cause additional barriers in accessing higher tariff universities – only 24 per cent are placed at higher tariff institutions compared to 31 per cent of students without caring responsibilities, while 42 per cent of young adult carers are placed at lower tariff institutions compared to 35 per cent of those without caring responsibilities.
- Their decisions about which university or college to go to are influenced by financial considerations and flexibility – 63 per cent said that they took being able to balance their studies with part-time work into account when researching their options.
- Young adult carers are less mobile due to their caring responsibilities – they are 29 per cent more likely than their peers to go to a university or college within a 30 minutes’ drive from home, and 33 per cent more likely to choose to live at home while they study.
UCAS has emphasised the significant role of advisers, academic and support staff in creating a “culture of positive disclosure”, which allows YACs to make themselves known and receive the support they need to successfully transition to university or college.
UCAS has made several recommendations to help schools to identify YACs and increase awareness of targeted support and resources at university or college. These include providing tailored information, advice and guidance for YACs on the transition to HE, incorporating YACs and their families into specific university and college outreach activities, and assigning a young carers lead to ensure this cohort are well-equipped in their next steps.
Dr Jo Saxton, Chief Executive at UCAS, said: “I know from my time working in schools just how significant the impact of having caring responsibilities can be for a young person and now, for the first time, this research reveals how these responsibilities also shape the choices young carers make about their future careers. It is crucial that we identify and support these young people to ensure they think broadly and have equal opportunities to succeed in education and beyond.”
Kirsty McHugh, Chief Executive at Carers Trust, said: “This vital report shows how being a carer can impact every aspect of a young person’s education, from whether they apply for university in the first place to the support they get to balance caring and learning. A lack of identification and understanding of their caring role in schools and colleges is having huge implications for the type of help young carers get in applying for the next stage of their education. There is also clearly work to do in the higher education sector to ensure carers have the best possible experience once they arrive.”
Nicole McCartney, Director of Education at Creative Education Trust, who cared for her parents as a child, said: “Whether in primary schools, secondary schools, Further Education or Higher Education, we as educators too often overlook what I believe is a hugely untapped store of skill and ambition when we don’t cater for our young carers. These are generally young people who, through often very difficult circumstances, come to us with advanced leadership, organisational and interpersonal skills. Identifying and nurturing these young people is critical to their success and to the quality of the caring professions, like teaching, they so often choose.”
* Read: Next Steps: What is the experience of young adult carers in education? here.
* Source: The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service