Drawing the Future
Children and young people often have sophisticated ideas about the future but they also have limited knowledge about the labor market and the wide range of career opportunities available. Research also shows that socioeconomic background plays a significant role in shaping their educational and career choices.
Start
2023-05-03
Planned completion
2025-12-31
Main financing
Collaboration partners
Research area
Research group
Project manager at MDU
About the project
As early as age six, children begin to associate certain professions with gender-specific traits, reinforcing stereotypes that can negatively influence their future aspirations.
Despite the importance of these issues, research on young children's career dreams and the factors shaping them remains limited, particularly regarding initiatives that challenge gender disparities in high-status fields like STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
To address this challenge, Skåne is participating in the global project Drawing the Future, a large-scale survey exploring children's dreams and motivations regarding their future education and careers. To date, the study has involved over 20,000 children from 20 countries, and Skåne is the first region in Sweden to implement the project.
In Drawing the Future Skåne, 1,832 children aged 5 to 13 from 28 schools in the region participated. The project aims to map which professions children between the ages of 5 and 11 dream about and aspire to, as well as to identify the factors that influence or limit their ambitions. Additionally, it examines how children’s dreams align with societal trends such as digitalization, climate transition, and evolving labor market demands. A key focus is also placed on the role of teachers in inspiring and broadening children's perspectives.
This project is an innovative collaboration between Region Skåne, Education and Employers, Mälardalen University, Åstorp Municipality, and several other municipalities in Skåne. Through this initiative, we aim to contribute to a more equitable and inclusive future for children’s educational and career opportunities.
The goal is for more schools across Sweden to implement Drawing the Future. The study was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (Dnr 2023-02198-01).
Project aim
The project aims to map which professions children between the ages of 5 and 11 dream about and aspire to, as well as to identify the factors that influence or limit their ambitions. Additionally, it examines how children’s dreams align with societal trends such as digitalization, climate transition, and evolving labor market demands. A key focus is also placed on the role of teachers in inspiring and broadening children's perspectives.
Project goal
To provide a comprehensive understanding of children’s future aspirations, offering valuable insights to shape policies and practices that align with labor market demands and societal challenges. Ultimately, the aim is to bridge labor market gaps, reduce unemployment, and promote greater equality.
Additionally, the initiative seeks to inspire more schools to adopt and implement the Drawing the Future project, fostering broader engagement and impact.
External project members
- Charlotta Levin, Manager and project owner
- Nick Chambers, CEO, Education and Employers, England
Acticities
- Data collection and analyses
- Publications
- Expansion to more schools
