A high-quality careers education and guidance system is the most imperative dimension of helping young people emerge from school, college, university or training well equipped, groomed and ready for the world of work. They need to know what they can expect in the employment market, and to have confidence that they will be able to take their place there. Good careers education and guidance also make a significant contribution to social mobility and social justice. One way we can help eradicate unfairness and disadvantage from our society is to ensure that individuals can identify and then overcome the barriers which might hinder them from progressing in education and employment.
Significance of career education is globally acknowledged and accepted. Official web site of the Ministry of Education, Singapore lays the emphasis on both education and career development. In the United Kingdom, there is stress upon career education in curriculum with a keen focus on its synchronization with students’ personal and social development. Similarly, scope of career education in New Zealand is pretty detailed and in depth information on increasing students’ potential leading to productivity for the whole nation. The most encouraging thing is the report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (CEB, 2004) unleashes names of the states such has Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, , Finland, Germany, Ireland, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Spain and United Kingdom having a variety of Career education approaches through curriculum. All these examples stand witness to the fact that increased scope of career education and importantly is indicative of the increased scope of research and investigation in the same area.
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Career counseling in Pakistan
The most Critical and life-changing choices in a student’s life is the selection of the correct profession. A haphazard, ill thought decision may lead to a lifetime of regret, anxiety, discomfort, and restlessness if it is not taken in the right direction. At this point, however, suitable counselling and guidance from a skilled instructional consultant brings a pupil to the path to achievement. They must Choose their academic and professional professions that best suits their personality. Learn to develop the fundamental abilities they need to grow as a student and professional.
The key to achievement in adulthood is to choose academic and professional professions based on one’s character, capabilities, concerns, and aptitude. The dilemma is that there is no proper counseling system in Pakistan to advise and guide & groom school-going kids. Students, hence, are forced to go for those fields that do not suit their mental and social abilities. Not amazingly, they get bored and feel as if they were lost.
Most of the Pakistani academic organizations colleges and universities lack on-campus competent career advisors or simply career counseling. It is a common belief that career counseling would only add to the institution’s operating cost. Career counseling is extremely critical for learners, however, as they need advice in selecting topics before entering any professional institute so that they can make decisions that would lead them to a better career and life.
The basic issues learners face is that they are not generally free to choose their field of choice. Parents usually enforce on them a field that may not suit the kid or that might be against his personality or he is not happy with studying. This is our society’s predominant issue. A pupil may want to be a journalist or a TV anchor, a sportsman, Lawyer or a photographer, but he may have been selected by his teachers and forced by his parents for engineering. So as a result he underperforms when he receives an entry to the engineering college. Consequently, he faces the mental issues.
Need for career Counselling Education in Pakistan
Pakistan has a sprawling youth population making 60 percent of its population. As a result, there is an outburst of students and pupils getting into universities and colleges. Lack of career counselling and guidance has actually led to un employment, saturation in certain professions which ultimately results into disparity, frustration and social disorder. So, without any doubt, Pakistan is in a dire need of Career counselling education to be properly inducted and implemented in the curriculum and genuinely speaking there are a myriad of reasons for that.
Economically, Pakistan is gradually shifting from an agrarian society to an industrial one, so as result more and more people are shifting to urban centers and pursuing various professions, as a result the youth is facing immense pressure when they come to choose professional studies. At the same time with the change in life style, new coping behaviors need to be attained. These changing dynamics point towards the need of induction of career counselling studies and professional in the academia of this country. The changes in social and economic structure all stress this need. This need is not only required in the decision making of careers but also to cope up with the changing behaviors and economic condition through proper skill development.
Framework for counsellor preparation in Pakistan
The need is to start from the basic level. The foremost role needed is from the government. A proper legislation is required from both Federal and provincial level. A proper law needs to be enacted so that career counselling education is inducted with proper seriousness. The academics, the universities, the schools and colleges all levels need to induct career counsellors in every aspect. The curriculum must be d designed that caters for all the economic and social needs of the country. These include
- Introduces them to their personal traits, interests, skills and aptitude.
- Helps them choose their careers according to their personality and lifestyle.
- Trains them to be successful in their educational and professional careers.
- Provides them with training in personality development.
- Enhances their interview and live communication skills.
- Makes them learn time management skills.
- Provides them with necessary help to make a realistic educational plan
The introduction of the above mentioned things in the curriculum will not only help the students in Career choice but also do wonders for the universities and institutions. The curriculum must be designed to address the following phases .
Counseling Clinics
In big cities such as Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Islamabad, Counseling Clinics could be established in collaboration with the psychology departments of universities. In these clinics, learning disabilities and psychological problems faced by an individual can be addressed. Counseling Clinics will play the role of research centers and provide guidance at national level.
The framework for the development of Career education must address all the components of counselling in a robust and comprehensive Curriculum. The course work must address the cognitive and affective aspects of counselor education. Counselling services in Pakistan in terms of education and skills includes the following areas .
- Counselling for personal development.
- Skill deficit areas remediation.
- Examination anxiety Reduction.
- Study skills development
In order to develop the skills and expertise of the counselors to counsel the students from Kindergarten to High school, the following areas of coursework can be proposed.