1. Vocational & Career Guidance
One out of every two young people suffer from high vocational anxiety directions and
one of the major sources of conflict between adolescents and their parents is vocational
choice.
In fact, every person needs help in choosing a vocation according to his/her aptitudes,
interest, personality and aspirations, for which he seeks assistance of a vocational
counselor.
The goal of vocational guidance is to assist people to get the right
vocation as per their abilities, personality etc.
Guidance and Counseling Vocational guidance is described as fitting round pegs in
round holes and square pegs in square holes. But in
is an interactive actual life it does not exactly happen. There is no such
relationship that takes thing as there is no occupation for a given individual. In
fact he/she may be suitable for various occupations.
place between the
Counselor and that A vocation is a career or calling and the word is derived
from the Latin “vocare”, which means "to call."
client. Vocational guidance means helping someone find his or
her calling or at least a suitable career choice. Vocations
or careers can be loosely categorized into areas such as
service, technical, mechanical, creative, health and business.
Concept of guidance and counseling
Guidance is a process of helping an individual to help himself to develop his potentials to
the fullest by utilizing the maximum opportunities provided in the environment. Every
individual needs guidance whether he is an infant or an adult, genius or a dullard, well
adjusted or a disturbed. For in his course of his growing and developing he is faced with
a number of alternative ways of behaving and depending upon his choice he can make
or mar his life.
Parsons (1908) is regarded as the founder of the vocational guidance movement. He
developed the `talent matching‟ approach which was subsequently developed into the
trait and factor theory of occupational choice within the evolving discipline of
differential psychology.
Parsons‟ core concept was that of `matching‟. He suggested that occupational choice
occurs when people have achieved:
First, an accurate understanding of their individual traits (e.g. personal abilities, aptitudes,
interests, etc.)
Second, knowledge of jobs and the labor market
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2. Vocational & Career Guidance
Third, made a rational and objective judgment about the relationship between these two
groups of facts.
A key assumption is that it is possible to measure both individual talents and the
attributes required in particular jobs, which can then be matched to achieve a `good fit‟.
It is when individuals are in jobs best suited to their abilities, they perform best and
productivity is highest.
Two theorists within this broad academic tradition, Rodgers and Holland, have been
particularly influential so far as guidance practice in the UK is concerned. Like Parsons,
both Rodgers and Holland assumed that matching is at the centre of the process.
Vocational choice is viewed essentially as rational
and largely devoid of emotions. These choices Educational and Career
were also regarded to be `one-off‟ events. Counselling aims to provide
help to students at their
several levels of growth in
order to realize their
Definitions interests, to develop their
capabilities and to support
According to an educator: vocational guidance
their participation in society.
may be defined as a process help cope with
problems related to occupational choice; plans
and adjustments with due regard to their individual characteristics and needs in relation
to occupational opportunities. In other words vocational guidance is to assist individuals
to choose an occupation, prepare in it, and enter in it and progress in it.
Careers Educations say that it‟s the development of the individual in a holistic way,
building awareness of self and of the attributes required for effective career development.
Career education comprises the following elements: self-development, career exploration
and career management.
Careers Guidance or Advice means more specific interventions designed to help young
people use their skills to further their interest in particular careers.
Super (1949) Guidance is a dual process of helping an individual to understand and
accept him to understand and adjust to society.
Ginsberg speaks of vocational guidance as a process of conservation of human resources.
Vocational counselling is a process of helping individual to ascertain, accept, understand
and apply relevant facts about himself to the pertinent facts about the occupational
world which are ascertained through incidental and planned exploratory activities.
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3. Vocational & Career Guidance
Present workers define vocational guidance as a process of helping an individual to help
himself discover his needs, assess his potentialities, develop life purposes, formulate plans
of action and proceed to recognize them under the most favorable conditions provided
by home and school. It is described as the process of self-discovery leading to self-
actualization.
Methods
One-to-one interviews
Interview is the most frequently used technique for career guidance provision. Guidance
interviews are semi-directive. They aim to contribute to personal development and to
help students and young job seekers making career decision. Most often, interviews are
conducted in three stages, i.e. problem setting, analysis, and designing objectives for
problem solving.
Assessment techniques
Such techniques as skills assessment, psychological tests and questionnaires are also used
to assess vocational interests and competencies. Increasing use is made of self-help tools,
and especially of web-based tools.
Career education within the curriculum
This means that individuals have to decide their own way, and are responsible for their
choice. As a consequence, it is necessary that they have some broad knowledge and
understanding of curricula and career matters, as well as self-awareness of their own
personality. Therefore, the role of career education consists of providing students with
labour market information and of developing their information gathering skills, self
assessment abilities, self-knowledge and self-esteem.
Career education courses are comprised of three types of activities:
1. Self-awareness exercises such as describing one‟s interests, values or personality
traits
2. Labour market related activities, for example resume writing or gathering
information on trades and professions
3. Contacts with professionals through on-the-job training, company visits, or
inviting professionals to give talks to schools.
Individual counselling. A session that is provided for only one individual; it takes 45 min.
It can be a discussion or time for a test, to find out more about his/her objectives in life,
main ideas on choosing a vocation.
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4. Vocational & Career Guidance
Group counselling. A session that is provided for 8-12 pupil, it takes 45 min. It can be
discussion on actual topic, a game, or a test for number of people with the same/similar
ideas.
Seminars are provided for 15 to 30 pupils. It takes from 45 min. to 2 hours. Usually
topics for seminars are connected with very important and new information (for
example: „New Rules for Entering University‟). If it is need seminars can be completed
from two parts: theoretical and practical.
Group vocational information session with the IT background. It takes 45 min. Is
provided for 15 to 30 pupils. It is necessary to have good IT class and Internet
connection at high speed. Using IT system it is fastest way to use links connected with
national Educational system, to provide online test, try to fulfil first CV online.
Teachers and parents are used to take part in seminars
Counselling through Internet (World Wide Web)
Telephone Distance Counselling (TDC)
Techniques
Self-Development
Activities here focus on identifying and developing personal skills, key skills and personal
qualities. One example is the SNIP analysis, where S = Strengths, N = Needs, I =
Interests and P = Preferences (the last including such aspects as whether the child would
prefer working indoors or outdoors).
Career Exploration
Activities here concentrate on raising awareness about the possibilities offered by
different job types. This can include challenging children‟s acceptance of stereotypes, such
as that certain careers are limited to men or women.
Career Management
This area of work looks at what may be called life skills in relation to work e.g. managing
one‟s money, filling in application forms and doing oneself justice in interviews. There is
a strong connection between this aspect and self-development e.g. in cultivating decision
making skills.
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