/ 3 September 2010

Pointing out the career paths

Pointing Out The Career Paths

‘I told her she would never make a journalist because she is shy and journalists need to be outgoing,” said the teacher.

But what if the advice this teacher gave the learner is wrong? All of us, wanting to help, can make mistakes like this. Under the pressure to “advise” and “guide” those younger than ourselves, we often veer into areas we know little about.

A writing career can take many forms, journalism being only one of them; and some very successful journalists are in fact shy. But is it reasonable to expect every teacher advising learners to know that?

Teachers also know better than anyone the heartbreak behind the statistics of failure and poverty. But they are critical to providing timely support and information to help learners navigate work and learning paths.

Among a wide range of important elements of a career develop-ment programme are four fundamentals:

  • A helping relationship;
  • Timely information;
  • Key concepts; and
  • Employability skills.

A helping relationship
The traditional career guidance model assumed that people had broad choices, that career choice was a once-off event and that psychometric tests were the optimal way to choose a career.
This approach no longer holds because of a number of factors:

  • We live in a volatile and global world requiring ongoing readjustment and learning;
  • New careers and qualifications are emerging;
  • Research has shown the effectiveness of lay-counselling;
  • People make decisions regarding work and study at many points throughout their lives; and
  • Commitment to equity demands a broader approach.

The South African Qualifications Authority (Saqa) has established the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) & Career Advice Helpline to work with partners throughout the country to help learners who need to make career choices.

The helpline provides advice to learners so that they are equipped to make informed decisions and can assume greater responsibility for their career paths. It provides support and information to everyone, using multiple channels for accessing information.

These include a website, a helpline: 086 011 1673, an email, as well as FaceBook and Twitter pages. Learners can also visit Saqa’s offices at 1067 Arcadia Street, Hatfield, Pretoria to speak to one of the helpline advisers.

Timely information
Timely, accurate and tailored information is the backbone of any career advice service. There are key moments in the lives of high school learners when timing and relevant information are everything.

Teachers of grade nine need to be aware that this is one such time. It is September and, with next year looming, learners need to make subject choices.

Deadlines for applications for post-school study, learnerships, training and financial support are also approaching.
The NQF & Career Advice Helpline assists learners with such information and the website has information on learnerships, career options, bursaries, loans and scholarships.

For teachers with internet access, googling “grade nine subject choice” provides simple explanations of subject choice rules, prepared by various schools for their learners that can be used and adapted.

Teachers can give learners (or help them to find) timely information on deadlines for further study, training and bursaries. Other sources of information on these matters include the website, which provides links to universities, further education and training (FET) colleges, learnership opportunities and application deadlines.

Learners should also have practise in completing an application form for further study or bursaries well before the application is due.

The Central Applications Office at the University of KwaZulu-Natal reports that huge proportions of university applications are eliminated because applicants do not fill in the forms correctly.

Information about bursaries can be found under “Financing My Studies” on www.careerhelp.org.za.

Key concepts
Teachers can help learners grasp key concepts that will empower them in navigating work and study options. These relate to the various inter-related sub-systems of education, training and the world of work.
It is important that a learner who plans to go to university understands the links between:

  • Grades;
  • Subjects;
  • Results;
  • FET colleges;
  • Universities of technology;
  • Universities;
  • Learnerships;
  • Internships;
  • Work placements;
  • Expanded Public Works Programmes (EPWP);
  • Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL); and
  • Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas).
  • A grade 10 learner who is about to drop out of school needs to understand these key related concepts in order to build on each achievement in an optimal way.

    High school learners should be familiar with these fundamental concepts because they give meaning to the ideas of lifelong learning and career development.

    Teachers need to provide all learners with a working knowledge of the system of school subjects, qualifications, entry points and inter-linkages with other qualifications, as well as how these relate to employment fields.

    Without such a working knowledge, learners’ further study and employment prospects are limited. This is especially true of the FET level because so many career resources pertain to university study and many career counsellors know more about university systems.
    The FET field in South Africa has been in flux and there is much innovation requiring career advisers to learn about these opportunities and teachers are perfectly placed to lead the way.

    Employability skills
    Building skills that will enhance the employability of learners is one way in which teachers can prepare their classes for the world of work. Career self-management skills, goal setting and action planning mirror project-planning skills, which are highly prized in the workplace.

    Job interview, information gathering and résumé (curriculum vitae — CV) writing can also be classroom activities. Information to assist in building these skills is on the NQF & Career Advice Helpline website.

    A useful section on this site has information on how to read a payslip, on the employee’s rights in the workplace and on comparative salaries — see “My Wages” under “World of Work”.

    Teachers should discuss employability skills with their learners. These skills include:

  • Time/space (that is, attendance, punctuality, meeting deadlines);
  • Physical characteristics (such as appropriateness of clothes in the workplace);
  • Social competence (respect for others); and
  • Work performance (taking the initiative, providing quality work, work speed).
  • These characteristics count especially when there is high unemployment. Teachers, being at work themselves, are modelling professional behaviour for learners. The classroom standards they set and the team norms they build can help to develop many of the employability criteria.

    These four elements — a helping relationship, timely information, key concepts and employability — can have a pivotal impact. If teachers cover these basics, while evolving a full career development programme for the long term, they will have done much.

    Patricia Flederman is a consultant to the South African Qualifications Authority