‘A career is a journey, not a destination’ – Peter McBeth

‘A career is a journey, not a destination’ – Peter McBeth

20-August-2014
Now that emphasis has been put on the importance of making good career choices, the Ministry of Education in partnership with the Agency for National Human Resource Development (ANHRD) organised a workshop as part of activities for Careers Week.

The objective of the workshop, held at the SITE auditorium (ex-NIE), was to provide capacity building to all leaders in schools who have a direct role in providing support to the implementation of the careers programmes in secondary and post secondary institutions.

Peter McBeth, the regional manager for careers of New Zealand’s South Island conducted the workshop whereby the participants learned more on the foundation to whole-school approach to career development.

Headteachers of the different secondary schools, their deputy heads, careers heads of department, personal and social education (PSE) and careers teachers, the vocational education and training (TVET) liaison persons, directors of post secondary institutions along with their student support officer, officials of the Ministry of Education and of the Ministry of Labour and Human Resource Development got the chance to learn of the different practices which lead to good career choices.

Mr McBeth explained that “a whole-school approach is a comprehensive curriculum approach when the school develops a conscious focus on the preparation for living and working in the community”.

“There is clear evidence that students who understand the relevance of school to their future lives and careers feel more motivated about school,” he told the participants.

He also pointed out that “with a whole-school approach everyone sees a career education as a shared responsibility”.

Careers guidance should be done at the earliest stage possible so that the students develop their interest in a future career and knowing the different jobs on demand.

All concerned partners need to give their students the skills so that they will be able to manage their own future.

A simple way which was presented is career management whereby the students need to firstly develop self awareness, then explore the different opportunities on horizon and finally take a decision and act on it.

The whole-school approach has different steps to follow and over the years have proven its benefits in countries like New Zealand where it is being implemented.

According to a thesis done in 2008 by the director for the student support services section at the Ministry of Education, Marina Jacques, “researchers view career guidance as a key element of lifelong learning policies, active employment policies, of social equity policies, and of strategies to attain goals… Career guidance can improve labour market efficiency”. (…) Guidance has a strategic role to play, particularly if it provides wider access to information which is more transparently and coherently organised”.

The teachers who took part in the workshop were grouped on many occasions so as to help them reflect on how they were influenced to choose a career and also to express their views on the different elements of the whole-school approach which were being presented.

When presenting their brief findings, the teachers made clear that the influences have changed and the preferences for certain jobs have also changed.

Reference was also made to the recommendations of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The recommendations are connecting the world of education and work which will lead to the development of socio-emotional skills as well as technical professional skills and later ensure that career guidance is being provided.

Mr McBeth concluded the workshop by explaining the importance of having career conversation with students.

“Career conversation is showing and conveying an interest and curiosity about people and their futures,” he said.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=242718