How do high school students today view science, technology, and engineering careers? To better understand their expectations, motivations, and barriers, JUNIA, in partnership with OpinionWay, conducted its first survey focused on French high school students.
Identify what motivates … and what holds you back
At JUNIA, we train engineers who are capable of responding to major ecological, industrial, digital, and societal transitions. With this survey, we sought to better understand how high school students view science, engineering studies, and their future.
Strong confidence… but based on a thoughtful understanding of science
The high school students surveyed expressed a generally positive view of science and technology. 88% believe that science and technology can address today’s major societal challenges. This confidence does not preclude certain reservations: for some of them, science and technology also raise questions and even concerns. The study thus reveals a generation that is at once confident, clear-eyed, and attentive to the concrete impacts of innovation.
Innovation is meaningful only if it addresses societal challenges
The perceived lack of meaning in scientific careers is one of the most frequently cited obstacles. Younger generations are looking for work that is meaningful and allows for innovation. They expect engineering schools to offer a path that is both useful and open to the world. Among high school students who can envision pursuing a scientific education, their motivations reveal a generation that seeks meaning and impact: being useful to society (22% as their top reason) and innovating and creating new solutions (17%) are among the top criteria, alongside compensation.
« Ces résultats nous confirment que le problème n’est pas un désintérêt de la science, mais une perte de sens et de projection sur les études. Les lycéens veulent des études utiles et accessibles. C’est exactement ce que nous tendons à construire. Notre rôle est de leur montrer que les études d’ingénieurs sont une voie indispensable pour agir pour la société et nos territoires. »
JUNIA’s Reading
For JUNIA, this survey confirms a strong conviction: young people are not turning away from science. Above all, they are seeking to understand how a scientific education can be useful. This is precisely JUNIA’s mission: to offer engineering programs rooted in real-world realities, connected to regional challenges and the needs of businesses, in order to train engineers capable of transforming scientific knowledge into concrete solutions.