Leaving Cert and third-level students are not being given the information they need to make correct career choices, says a forthcoming report.
A draft of the report, commissioned by the Government's expert skills group, says there is a "huge lack of awareness" about career options.
It says most people are not even aware of the major Irish internet career sites. Some 39 per cent of the population had never heard of Career Directions, the main careers database run by Fás, the Government labour market agency, it finds.
The report is also scathing about the level of career guidance for students in third-level colleges, where there is often no more than one counsellor per college. It says college business students felt they were being "corralled" into careers with the "big 4" accountancy firms, when they wanted to explore the alternatives.
Engineering, IT and science students also complain about the lack of a proper careers service. Students said career offices in universities are often driven by the needs of major employers rather than the interests of students. It also says career guidance needs to start much earlier in schools, before students make key subject choices for their Leaving Cert exam.
The recommendations come amid increasing concern about the high dropout level from third-level courses.
More than 60,000 students will complete their CAO form before the end of this month but many lack the information they need to make the right career decision. Career experts say points this year are likely to be similar to last year in areas such as arts, business, law and computers.
The report says: "There seems to be an under-resourcing of guidance counsellors at third level. As a result, careers advice, according to students, is very general and non-specialised."
It recommends the urgent establishment of a new Irish careers website, acting as a "one-stop shop".
The report is based on interviews with representative groups from all sectors of society including second- and third-level students. It says students, broadly, are unimpressed with careers and job fairs. "They found it difficult to find information and . . . little or no chance of meeting employees directly or informally."
It says career guidance in schools is concentrated at Leaving Cert level but this is much too late for most students, whose options may be limited by the subjects they took at first year, when they were 12 or 13-years-old.
The report is also critical of the technical jargon used by State agencies in their labour market information to students on skills needs, work trends and pay levels. Such key information should be a great deal more user-friendly and tailored to the needs of students and others.
Set up in 1997, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs is appointed by the Government to advise on education and training to provide the skills required for the enterprise sector. It is chaired by Anne Heraty, chief executive of Computer Placement Resources plc. Other members include Senan Cooke of Waterford Crystal; Jack Golden of CRH and Una Halligan of Hewlett Packard.