The Reading / Listening - Career Apocalypse - Level 1

It is difficult for university graduates and Generation Z (or Gen Zers) to find a job. A Gen Zer is born between the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2010s. Journalist Aki Ito warned of a "career apocalypse". She said an uncertain world means graduates must "prepare for the worst". A British journalist said many people are studying for "worthless degrees". He said young people would "be much better off" if they became electricians.

There are over 4 million Gen Zers not in school or work in the USA. In the UK, there were almost a million. Many people cannot find jobs because of AI, which is replacing an increasing number of jobs. There are fears that teachers, accountants, writers, etc. could disappear. Some people say graduates do not want to do "entry-level" jobs. Instead, they want to join a company at a management level. They want to be well paid in their very first job.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Career Apocalypse - Level 0 Career Apocalypse - Level 2   or  Career Apocalypse - Level 3

Sources
  • https://fortune.com/2025/03/25/gen-z-neet-not-in-education-employment-training-higher-ed-worthless-degrees-college/
  • https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/peter-hitchens-hammers-worthless-gen-z-degrees-in-new-podcast/ar-AA1BkYkw
  • https://www.yahoo.com/news/corporate-america-failing-gen-z-110037849.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. find a
  2. the mid-to-
  3. warned
  4. graduates must prepare
  5. a British
  6. studying for worthless
  7. young people would
  8. if they became
  1. degrees
  2. journalist
  3. electricians
  4. late 1990s
  5. for the worst
  6. be much better off
  7. job
  8. of a career apocalypse

Paragraph 2

  1. 4 million Gen Zers not
  2. Many people cannot find
  3. replacing an increasing
  4. accountants, writers,
  5. graduates do not want to
  6. join a company at a
  7. They want to be well
  8. in their very
  1. etc. could disappear
  2. do entry-level jobs
  3. jobs
  4. paid
  5. number of jobs
  6. first job
  7. in school or work
  8. management level

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

It (1) ________________________________________________ university graduates and Generation Z (or Gen Zers) to (2) ________________________________________________. A Gen Zer is born between (3) ________________________________________________ 1990s and early 2010s. Journalist Aki Ito warned of a "career apocalypse". She said (4) ________________________________________________ means graduates must "prepare for the worst". A British journalist said many people are studying (5) ________________________________________________. He said young people would "be (6) ________________________________________________" if they became electricians.

(7) ________________________________________________ 4 million Gen Zers not in school or work in the USA. In the UK, there (8) ________________________________________________ million. Many people cannot find jobs because of AI, which is replacing (9) ________________________________________________ of jobs. There are fears that teachers, accountants, (10) ________________________________________________ disappear. Some people say graduates do not want to do "entry-level" jobs. Instead, they (11) ________________________________________________ a company at a management level. They want to (12) ________________________________________________ in their very first job.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ItisdifficultforuniversitygraduatesandGenerationZ(orGenZers)tofin
dajob.AGenZerisbornbetweenthemid-to-late1990sandearly2010s
.JournalistAkiItowarnedofa"careerapocalypse".Shesaidanuncertain
worldmeansgraduatesmust"preparefortheworst".ABritishjournalist
saidmanypeoplearestudyingfor"worthlessdegrees".Hesaidyoungpe
oplewould"bemuchbetteroff"iftheybecameelectricians.Thereareove
r4millionGenZersnotinschoolorworkintheUSA.IntheUK,therewereal
mostamillion.ManypeoplecannotfindjobsbecauseofAI,whichisreplac
inganincreasingnumberofjobs.Therearefearsthatteachers,accounta
nts,writers,etc.coulddisappear.Somepeoplesaygraduatesdonotwan
ttodo"entry-level"jobs.Instead,theywanttojoinacompanyatamana
gementlevel.Theywanttobewellpaidintheirveryfirstjob.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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