Vocational Attitudes Survey 2026: Finances prove a strong motivator

In the third wave of our Vocational Attitudes Survey, we collected answers from 1,000 parents and young people across the UK. They gave their thoughts on vocational education, whether it’s seen as a viable alternative to academic study, and what their potential plans are for the future.

When asked why young people, with the support of parents, would consider taking the vocational route into their desired career, financial reasons were a key motivator. But it’s interesting to note how responses and views have changed over the previous 24 months.

4. What, if anything, would be reasons why you would support your children in taking a more vocational route into their chosen career?

Answer	% agree, 2024	% agree, 2025	% agree, 2026
Potential opportunities to 'earn while they learn'	14.26%	14.38%	15.08%
Developing skills that mean they are better prepared for the workplace	14.72%	14.86%	14.01%
Developing skills specific to the career they want to go into	14.12%	14.76%	13.88%
Avoiding the cost of university and potential debt as a result	11.78%	10.63%	12.74%
Developing practical problem-solving skills	10.91%	12.34%	11.75%
Suiting your child who is more interested in practical learning	12.30%	11.25%	11.15%
Getting to know local employers who might want to offer them a job	9.86%	9.35%	10.04%

9. For what reasons, if any, would you consider taking a more vocational route into your chosen career?

Answer	% agree, 2024	% agree, 2025	% agree, 2026
Potential opportunities to 'earn while you learn'	15.34%	16.22%	16.48%
Developing skills specific to the career you want to go into	14.43%	14.59%	13.53%
Avoiding the cost of university and potential debt as a result	13.03%	10.91%	13.41%
Developing skills that mean you are better prepared for the workplace	13.25%	13.09%	12.50%
Suiting you better because you're more interested in practical learning	11.69%	10.97%	11.62%
Getting to know local employers who might want to offer you a job	9.70%	9.78%	10.43%
Developing practical problem-solving skills	9.27%	11.50%	9.46%

None of the reasons have changed dramatically over time in strength of response, but it is still interesting to note the changing direction in trend of some answers.

Responses for ‘getting to know local employers’ trended up through the years for young people, while for parents, its importance lessened in 2025, only to bounce back and gain more support in 2026 than it did originally in 2024.

An interest in practical learning garnered less support from parents over time, while young people were more responsive to it in 2026 and 2024 than in 2025.

The potential for ‘opportunities to earn while you learn’ rose consistently across three waves of responses for both young people and parents. But it increased sharply as a response for young people earlier than it did for parents, with a 0.88pp increase for young people from 2024 to 2025, followed by a 0.7pp rise from adults between 2025 and 2026.

It means the recognition of apprenticeships as a way to pay the bills and get into a new career gained support on the young people’s side sooner than it did adults, whose intentions are no less honourable but undoubtedly see things differently.

A different response got a surge in support from both sets of respondents between 2025 and 2026.

The hidden cost of a university degree

The share of responses choosing ‘avoiding the cost of university and potential debt as a result’ fell for both adults and young people between 2024 and 2025.

But between 2025 and 2026, both shares came surging back, with an increase of 2.11pp among adults and 2.50pp among young people. For young people, it rose to ranking third highest of all seven possible reasons given for considering a vocational route into a career.

In a previous in-depth look at this year’s survey, we noted several factors which may have driven parents’ and young people’s enthusiasm for an alternative to university – rising tuition fees, more students living at home, and two-thirds in paid work during term time among them.

In addition, the government has recently pledged to change the information presented to potential university students on student loans, to be clearer on things like the terms of the loan, and the time it might take to repay them.

A Treasury Committee report says that the way the Department for Education (DfE) and the Student Loans Company (SLC) currently represent student loans “amounted to mis-selling”. The government has pledged to ensure prospective students are “properly informed” before taking out a student loan.

In addition, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the CPI annual rate for Q2 2026 was 2.8%, and that it hadn’t been that low since Q1 2025 (also 2.8%). This suggests some added pressure on the cost of living during 2025, which has been an issue on more people’s minds since the annual rate of inflation peaked at 11.1% in October 2022.

These higher levels of inflation during 2025 and into 2026 might have influenced the back and forth of rising and falling support for university enrolment.

It might also explain why both young people and their parents see ‘earn while you learn’ as the top reason to try vocational study.

Find more headline insights from the 2026 edition of the Vocational Attitudes Survey and look out for more updates.

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