The first drop in A-level grades as results are released today coincides with the first year of higher tuition fees and a 7% fall in offers made by universities. This is in addition to the news that only 4% of graduate applicants actually make it onto an official graduate scheme.

This final piece of information is the projection from a survey of 3,140 newly-graduated and final year students by specialist recruitment consultancy IntaPeople.

As a result, director Stephen Riley advises that “graduates need to be smart about how they use their time and consider a broad range of job opportunities”, although the reality is that young people nowadays must be more aware than ever before of career options from school age onwards.

Spencer Mehlman, founder of careers site Notgoingtouni.co.uk, says that over the past few years “we have seen a shift in the landscape” of what is considered a successful or viable entry into working life for young people. He points to increasing acceptance among parents and young people as well as top employers of taking people on through school leaver programmes, as well as the ever-rising number of apprenticeships available in a broader range of subjects.

Mehlman adds that with tuition fees rising there is “a moral issue with saying to young people that that level of debt is acceptable”.

Liz Field, chief executive of sector skills council the Financial Skills Partnership, agrees, saying: “Students need to widen their options but for them to do so, they need to be guided by advisers who appreciate the fact that the lay of the land has changed in terms of modern jobs and careers.”

But the situation is not as simple as just telling young people they must be more open-minded. A survey from recruiter Adecco Group UK & Ireland finds that 65% of the UK workforce thinks that A-levels do not prepare young people for the workforce, with 55% of respondents saying that preparing people for the workplace should be the first purpose of education.