The importance of career guidance and its impact on the economy…

In the South African education system there is inadequate provision for vocational guidance or assessment of individual learners. This weakness results in unnecessary costs for the country as well as social discontent and hardship.

The majority of young people leave school with only a vague knowledge of employment opportunities, and with little insight as to the most appropriate career choice for their abilities. A large number of school leavers receive no training at all beyond school and are virtually unemployable.

Yet, if pointed in the correct direction, they could become an asset to this country's economy. Those school leavers who believe their only chance of future employment (with current unemployment around 40 %), is gaining some form of tertiary education, irrespective of their suitability for their subjects chosen. Little wonder that the drop-out rate for first year tertiary students stands around 35%!

The solution - Career guidance and assessment at grade 11, as undertaken in most first world countries, would help alleviate this hardship. With the aid of modern technology, and through the use of psychometric assessments, choosing the wrong career at an early age should be a thing of the past. However, one needs to be aware of the shortfalls in using such instruments before basing one's careers choice on the results. It is imperative that a career guidance counsellor provide a student with feedback on the test findings and a solid methodology in planning a career be followed. It is only after this process that students should embark on a job shadowing program.

Laura Kartus