Career Guidance Seminar
By Anthony M. Wanjohi
This is a report which
gives an overview of a career guidance seminar that was organized for secondary
school students in Kajiado North District
of Kenya. The report is organized according to the following sub-headings:
preparation of the seminar, venue, seminar proceedings and outcome.
The facilitator
established contact with the principal of St. Augustine Ombmor High School located
at Ongata Rongai in Kajiado North
District. This was to explain the aim of the seminar on career guidance. This
was after establishing that a good number of students have no idea of what
career they what to pursue in life. The number of the participants was also
noted.
In order to cover for
traveling, communication, resource preparation and service costs the school was
asked to give five thousand. The head teacher agreed to organize for the venue and
other logistics. The date was set as well.
The facilitator prepared
the seminar notes based on the objectives of the seminar theme. Necessary
teaching and learning resources were also gathered.
A career guidance
seminar was held at of St. Augustine Ombmor High
School on Friday, February 4th 2011.
1.3 Seminar proceedings:
Career guidance
The seminar started with
a word of prayer from form 4 class representative. Upon completing the prayers,
the principal introduced the theme of the day and the facilitator of the day,
Mr. Alex.
The facilitator opened
with a light note by asking the students to introduce one another. Some
students found it hard to introduce their following students (which attracted
laughter from other students). The presenter explained that lack of proper
career guidance could lead to confusion of careers just as some are confused
about the identity of their fellow students.
The speaker introduced
the specific objectives of the seminar:
a) To
facilitate student’s potentials to equip them with functional knowledge, values
and attitudes, desirable habits and skills needed by them to cope up with the
changes in their environment.
b) To
help students in coming up with personal career goals
c) To
enlighten students on various career opportunities
d) To
assist students in discovering their strengths
1.3.3 Activities
The speaker introduced
the activities students are to engage in order to achieve the set objectives.
These activities were presented using group discussion method.
1.3.3.1
Group discussion
Each group was made up
of ten (n=10) members. In total there were 8 groups. Each of the group
was presented with some tasks. The facilitator asked them to discuss the items
and present their findings. Each task was allocated time depending on
activities involved.
Table 1: Tasks assigned to students
|
No. |
Task |
Time |
|
a) |
Discuss about various career
opportunities available in Kenya and note them down |
15 |
|
b) |
Note personal career goals and
discuss them with the rest of the group members |
30 |
|
c) |
Stick papers on one another’s
back and note each ones strengths |
30 |
1.3.3.2
Group Presentation
After discussions, the
facilitator asked each group, through their representative to present the
findings. The presentation was made based on each of the assigned tasks. The
key emerging points were noted.
1.3.4 Facilitator’s
Presentation
Following the group
presentations, the facilitator made his presentation on each of the discussed
area as the students noted. Regarding making career list, the students were
instructed to:
a) Look
over the lists of occupations generated through the use of the self
assessment tools.
b) Come
up with a much shorter list, consisting of between 5 – 10 occupations.
c) Circle
occupations that you qualify mostly depending on your strengths (for instance
based on your Form Four Performance in various subjects
).
d) Write
these occupations down on a separate list titled "Careers to Explore.
e) For
each occupation on your list, look at the job description, educational and
other requirements, advancement opportunities, and earnings.
f) Gather
more information about these occupation from
career counselors o
g) Identify
and conduct informational interviews with people who are well conversant with
your career of your choice.
The students who
participated in the study were able to:
a) Set
career goals
b) Narrow
down the list of the careers based on their strengths
c) Set
career plan: about what they want to pursue to in higher education.
The school management
agreed with the facilitator to make a follow up of students’ career development
as they prepare themselves for tertiary and university level education.
1.5 Final Remarks
The facilitator made the
following final remarks regarding career development:
Career development is a gradual process. It
takes time, effort, perseverance and planning. But the concept of career
development begins with self development. If you can’t develop yourself,
there is no question of your career developing at a desired pace. Thus, as
counselors, parents, teachers, friends continue to expose you to different
career paths, the final choice is YOURS.
Reference
Wanjohi,A.M.(2011).Career
Guidance Seminar. KENPRO Publications.
Available online at http://www.kenpro.org/papers/career-guidance-seminar.htm
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