My last Post ...

Well, I can hardly believe that we have now come to the end of the course - but as one door closes, another opens as they say. For me, hopefully this will be the beginning of a worthwhile and fulfilling career - something I have been seeking for some time. It is now within touching distance - and I am looking forward to it. I've learned so much in a short space of time, about people, about theories,doing group work and interviewing and so much more. At first, I was really nervous about it all but, I'm SO glad that I've been given the opportunity to do so many things, and to gain experience in the career guidance world on placement.The course has enabled me to discover so many new ideas and concepts, meet a variety of people and gain a deeper understanding of working in the guidance field. It's been great!

A Career Service for the Future ...

Our last class of PP2 really helped to 'tie up' the loose ends and to review earlier sessions in a comprehensive way. It finally all started to make sense! I enjoyed the group work and sharing our ideas with each other - the makings of reflective practitioners. And it was good to see that we were on the same wavelength. My vision for a career service would one that definitely takes a holistic approach. One where there was time to discuss, and time to reflect - no targets to be met. Career education would start in primary schools, with the career adviser linked to the primary school and the secondary school in a given area. As pupils moved through the school, the focus would move from general ideas and information about jobs to focussing more on things like interview techniques, application forms etc. But the whole process would be gradual, and part of the school curriculum so that pupils were knowledgeable and self-aware about their decisions. Group work would concentrate on life-skills - confidence, self-esteem, motivation. I really liked the idea of a mobile bus - imagine the possibilities. These wouldn't be rickety old buses, but state of the art buses with high tech facilities. They would visit remote schools, small towns and villages and be the adviser would be approachable, friendly - and knowledgeable about the area. (In schools I've seen so many unfriendly librarians!) What about podcasts where plumbers, joiners, doctors - you name it, we would have it - would talk about their jobs and how to get into that area of work. They would also visit schools to give talks - bringing the world of work closer to our young people, and making it real and relevant. There would be regular meetings of advisers to share their experiences and to discuss developments in techniques. We would be open-minded individuals, who were not afraid to try something new. The construction of a community high schools is taking place right now where I live, and it would be great to see an area devoted to careers right at the heart of the school - no wee room somewhere at the back of beyond with no internet access! Pupils and local residents could use the facilities - and know that they could come back again, and again if it was needed. There would be strong links with local companies, and advisers would have a sound knowledge of the community they were working with. This is my idea of an 'ideal' career service - I'm sure there is so much more to add, but it's a start...maybe one day soon some of it might happen.

Time and time again ....

When I was on placement one thing that made me feel really uncomfortable was the issue of time. Before you even started talking with a client you had to state how much time you were going to have - this immediatly, to me, suggests that the adviser is more or less saying, you're one of so many, and I have to get through so many in a day, or that the adviser's time is so precious that right at the start a time limit has to be stated. Does a time scale really have to be established right at the beginning?, can't the adviser keep a discreet eye on their watch if time is of so much importance? For clients with complicated issues I would imagine the last thing they would want to hear is that they were 'allowed' a specified amount of time. As advisers we need to be able to listen to clients and discuss issues with them without laying out the 'time' card right at the start of any discussion.

Parent Power

During placements I've realised just how much influence parents, friends and relatives, and even neighbours can have on young people and their careers. Sometimes it's an apprenticeship offered by a next door neighbour, or a friend of the neighbour, or going into the family business or choosing a course because a friend of a friend says it's good. Some of the students that I've seen in schools say they've got things sorted for when they leave school, but it is very often evident that they have not taken much part in deciding for themselves what it is they really would like to do. For example, one young lad was going to do a heating installation apprenticeship in his dad's firm. When asked why, he said that it was because his dad didn't have anyone in the company who did that. I met somebody's grandmother the other day, who proudly said that her grandson was going to uni. Oh, which one I asked, and she replied, Edinburgh, just like his dad. It made me wonder, had he chosen that destination by himself or was he following expectations. On another occasion a girl told us that her mum and dad didn't rate college that much, but for her it was going to be the best pathway for her to get to uni later on. No discussion took place about her remark, and I think it was a missed opportunity for her to talk about her feelings and to explore ways that she could relate her thinking and goals to her parents. Finally, when I was sitting waiting in an opticians (where I was doing a company visit) I overheard a remark which I think sums up the influence of parents. I think I'm going to remember it for quite a while. Two women were deep in conversation about the subject choice of one of the women's daughter - the mum said, 'I told her - she could only do art if she took two sciences'. Did the girl want to do sciences I wondered? Why did her mother place such importance on science subjects? The question then is, how do we get parents more involved and more informed about all of the options available to their children? In some cases, I think it would be beneficial for parents to be in on interviews, obviously only if the student wanted it. Or maybe if careers education started much earlier and was more integrated into schools throughout a pupil's education it would become more of a natural process, rather than sometimes finding yourself in 5th or 6th year, and making a mad dash decision when you don't have a clue what you really want to do. I know this is only a snapshot of what goes on, but it made me really think about all of the negotiating students might have to face when they are making decisions about their future.