NEW CAREER KEY (Caribbean edition) IS OUT

The new, updated Career Key (Caribbean edition) is available. It will be in use in workshops across the Caribbean area.  This psychometric test has been widely used throughout the Caribbean for over 15 years and has been found to be most reliable in helping people to know their personality and choosing a suitable career in which they will be happy and successful. EMAIL choices at - info@choicesonlinejm.com - for more information on our packages for students, parents, counsellors and teachers.
The Career Key Test is also available online - CLICK HERE

CHOICES HELPS BAJAN STUDENTS AT SMOOTH TRANSITIONS WORKSHOP

Twenty young Barbadians proved to be eager participants in the second Smooth Transitions Career Camp staged at The St. Michael’s School in the Barbados capital, Bridgetown, in August, 2018

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The participants, in the age group 13 – 19, were drawn from a cross-section of that island’s secondary schools and spent a week learning more about their personality, interests, skills and suitable careers, in addition to how to prepare themselves for the world of work. Poise and deportment were introduced by a special guest, Miss Alexandria Secondary School, Ebony Forde.

After using The Career Key Test and other materials provided by CHOICES Career & Education Advice, the group researched careers suited to their personality and which they had never thought about and were challenged with mock interviews and the elevator pitch speech.

In addition to having the opportunity of practical experiences such as creating their own vision board to guide their future success, they also engaged in sporting activities, ice-breaker and team-building exercises, a treasure hunt and talent show.

According to Angela deFreitas, General Manager of CHOICES, whose company partnered with Smooth Transitions in presenting the career camp, “The career camp was a unique idea, conceptualised by Smooth Transitions, was well-received by those who participated and should certainly help them in moving forward successfully”. A transition camp for students moving on from 6^th to 7^th grade was held simultaneously and was equally as successful. 

GET READY FOR CHOICES IN MONTEGO BAY, TUESDAY APRIL 15, 2014

Are you planning to be part of Jamaica’s world-class workforce of the 21st century? Well come to our CHOICES Zoom Seminar entitled “Preparing for The Future World of Work”. Further details are below: DATE: Tuesday April 15, 2014 TIME: 9 a.m. – 3p.m. (Registration from 8a.m. – 9a.m.). LOCATION: West Jamaica Conference Centre, Mount Salem, Montego Bay TARGET GROUP: Secondary-level students ENTRANCE COST: $300 per student. All students who attend will do The Career Key Test, critical to making the correct career choice and which they will get to keep for themselves. Career counselling will be available. For more information follow this link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p5ywoyxP48&feature=em-share_video_user Teachers accompanying students enter free of cost. This event will use the proven and successful CHOICES one-stop-shop formula with students participating in talks and presentations and exhibitors sharing in the activities in order to provide relevant information for them. There will be presentations & talks on The Future World of Work including Preparing for STEM Careers, Writing A Winning Cover Letter & Resume and more. During this event students will be introduced to job-ready requirements such as the soft skills, the 17 foundation skills which will help them to success - valuing cultural differences, diversity; reading; writing; listening; speaking; mathematics – and much more, creating their life success portfolio . There will be lots of prizes, give-aways and contests for teachers and students. ON SALE: CHOICES Magazines for all grade levels at $100 each and other CHOICES materials. CHOICES CAREER RESOURCE INFORMATION PACKAGES - $3500 each on that day only for counsellors, form teachers, grade supervisors, libraries and career resource areas. We look forward to your response and to your school’s participation. We must advise that the earlier you can confirm your attendance the better as there will be limited space available.

AN INSPIRING STORY

Have to share an inspiring story with you. Met a masseuse at an event yesterday who is great at her job. But she also has a "day" job in accounting as does her brother in IT. However, they have both known from they were young that they loved helping people by removing "all that negative energy and feelings" through massage and making people feel well again. So, after graduating from tertiary institutions, they set up a massage business together. And, they're out there big time, doing very well "moonlighting". They feel good about what they do and say it does not feel like work as they just love it so much. The lesson? Identify your talent, skill or special interest and go for it!!

By: Choices Career & Education Advice

"CHOICES Must be Lauded for .......Roadmaps........on How to Choose Careers" says Minister of Education

The following is a message from Jamaica's Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, for CHOICES Career and Education Expo 2011

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Choosing a career is a big decision.

It is a decision that has implications not just for the individual but the country.

Career choice is important for the individual as the majority of persons spend most of their waking hours on the job; work is a fundamental aspect of life.  In fact according to the Bible - Genesis chapter 3 verse 19 in the King James Version – work was ordained by God:  “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground.”

If a person has to work, the smart thing would be for that person to select an area he/she enjoys or will enjoy. This is where career planning and development comes in, enabling persons to make decisions that will inevitably impact on their lifestyle and happiness, and the enriching of their lives and careers. 

The second point is that career choices have an impact on the country.  The career choices our young people make today will determine the future of Jamaica.  This is a truism, but it’s a truism that is particularly significant at this time in Jamaica’s history due a confluence of events.  Jamaica’s working age population will reach a maximum of 66.5 per cent of the total population by 2025, up from 63.4 per cent in 2007.   The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) in its Vision 2030 document refers to this population bump as the “demographic bonus” or “dividend.”

The PIOJ says this increase in the working-age population of almost 200,000 persons represents a unique opportunity to increase the size and productive potential of Jamaica’s human capital that will not be repeated in the foreseeable future.   If this ‘demographic dividend’ does not choose careers that will benefit Jamaica, the nation will be faced after the bump passes with the higher costs associated with an aging population and increased longevity without the requisite economic base.  Thus we must use the opportunity for economic growth presented by this demographic dividend to prepare for these long-term trends.

It is in light of these facts that the Ministry of Education has implemented measures to ensure career education is complementary to whatever knowledge students are gaining through interaction with subject syllabi in schools.

Publish Post

The primary curriculum has sought to address career education by infusing the information into the subject offerings.  Additionally, the guidance curriculum speaks specifically to career education as this is one of its central themes.  At the secondary level the ROSE programme provides a curriculum which teachers are taught to use through infusion into their specific subject areas.  Also the guidance curriculum has a main theme that addresses career education developmentally.

Also, the Ministry and the Career Development Services Division of the HEART/NTA, along with other stakeholders, is spearheading the development of a career education programme which is being piloted at the primary and grade nine level in selected schools.

I congratulate Choices on staging another Career and Education Exposition.  Many young people want to choose fulfilling careers, but do not know how to go about doing so. Choices must be lauded for providing roadmaps through its expositions and magazines on how to choose careers.

A young person choosing a career only sees what it will offer to him or her. But I want our young people to understand that a good career choice has the power to confront and help solve the problems besetting Jamaica.   Career choices ultimately decide the type of society in which we live. 

I urge you all to pursue careers that will help to push the nation toward growth and prosperity.

I thank you.

CHOICES SONG CONTEST

Well as you may know CHOICES recently had our CHOICES CAREER & EDUCATION EXPO IN KINGSTON @ UTECH. As a part of that expo, we had a special song contest for the schools, where participants were able to show of their talent through song.
The participants were told to create " A theme song reflecting the CHOICES Message"
CHOICES Says " GET ON TRACK FOR CAREER, EDUCATION AND LIFE"

The following are some of the Entries for the contest
A winner was announced at the Expo, but if you have a favourite PLEASE indicate your CHOICE in the comments:

1.First Entry from IMMACULATE CONCEPTION HIGH


2.Entry from LOUISE BENNETT COVERLY ALL AGE


3.Entry From CORNWALL COLLEGE



4. Entry from GRANVILLE VTC

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Message from the Minister

Message by Jamaica's Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, for Choices Career & Education Exposition 2009


"Choosing a career is a big decision.

For more than 10 years Choices Career and Education Exposition has been helping to make this decision easier by providing information on education, training and careers.

The Ministry of Education lauds the Choices Career and Education Exposition on its work.

The information provided by Choices is necessary, not only in helping young people prepare for life after school, but in helping to shape the Jamaica we want.

The careers chosen by young people will determine whether Jamaica has sufficient research scientists, actuaries, public relations specialists, computer engineers and other professionals needed for the country to achieve its targets for 2030. The information provided by Choices is critical in this regard, it can also help in the fight to reduce the number of youth at risk.

Jamaica has a serious problem with youth at risk, especially as it relates to young males, who are the main victims and perpetrators of crime.

The government is implementing a number of social intervention programmes aimed at changing the "at risk" status of many youth. Many of these young people do not know how to go about using the limited education they have to find jobs, or they are unaware of the avenues open to them for additional training.

Choices can help by providing information to young people, particularly the approximately 38,000 students every year, who, due to underperformance, will not be able to matriculate to higher education. Choices can provide information that that these underperforming young people can use to direct their lives.

Best wishes and all the best on your exposition.

God bless you."

June 2, 2009

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PETER'S IN JAPAN

By Peter Kelly

I was pretty bored with my life as it was so breaking my stalemate of one job a year made sense. "Life elsewhere has to be better," I thought.
"You might as well travel the world when you are young," encouraged the executive at my last job. "It will open your eyes to the big world and help you to think more expansively," she said.
It took me a while, and several failed attempts to move elsewhere, until I decided on a place to escape to.
Two years later, my decision to work in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher was realized with an offer from the country's leading company in the industry. I booked my tickets with abandon and expectancy.
"Is the grass really greener on the other side," asked one sinister friend. "Are you sure it is a good idea to leave Jamaica now and move to Japan in the middle of a recession?" was another attempt to make me reconsider. But I was determined to find my kernel of opportunity in impenetrable Japanese society.
But the moment I hit the tarmac on April 4 en route to Frankfurt then Pudong, I knew my life would change. I was the only black person on all three flights that amounted to 23 hours.
"Are you a tennis player from America," inquired one curious co-passenger as I positioned my pair of tennis rackets in the overhead compartment.
By the time I landed at Narita Airport I was a zombie. But customs was a breeze. As english teachers in Japan command incredible respect, I was not viewed with any suspicion. Senseis, as we are called, are 'third parents' and are expected to be exemplary citizens.

I was like a kid in a candy store in Tokyo. Vending machines at every corner, large neon signs written in Kanji were incomprehensible, larger than life and the models all looked Western and stick-thin. It took me five minutes, bumps into people and numerous repetitions of sumimasen [excuse me] to understand that you always walk on the left and I ate rice, miso soup and fish for about four days, as I did not understand the menus.

Training for my new job was interestingly simple but I freaked out in my first demo lesson and it was torn to shreds by the trainer. A flicker of hopelessness crossed my mind but turning back at that stage would be the real failure. It takes a strong mind to settle down in a new culture. No one is going to spoon feed you, so you must learn fast and advance.

People are incredibly purposeful and competitive here. Everyone wears a suit to work and must arrive 10 minutes to the hour to be considered early. Arrive on the hour and an apology is in order.

Fashion is amazing in Tokyo but bargains are sparse except you go to Harajuku. Here, you can take the risks you would not dare to at home. I even saw a guy, walking with who is apparently his female companion, carrying a hot pink purse-looking bag, obviously his, and wearing jeans so tight he could injure himself. But noone stares, snickers or cares about what anyone else does, so your stress level from the "who is noticing me" factor is nil.

Japanese are suckers for order. Walk on a red light and you could be ticketed or whistled. Lose your train ticket and be stuck in the station except you repay your fare. Lose your money or valuables and you are sure to have it returned to you within 24 hours.

People are very helpful. One guy walked 10 minutes with me to help me find a train. If you forget to remove your outdoor shoes when you enter some establishments, you are sure to offend someone. If you don't have your Alien Registration Card on your person, prepare to be detained. Good luck trying to explain to bored policemen who speak only Japanese.

By the time I moved into my small apartment in Chiba, I had made friends with a few other new teachers. Most are from the USA but there are Kiwis, Aussies and Brits in the mix.
The bed in the apartment is no lower than 4 feet tall, the doorbell has a surveillance video camera and the toilet seat is heated, electronic - and speaks.

I am a spectacle. A black man in a small community is awful, especially for small kids. They stare alot. Some are friendly. One little girl ran and shrieked as I jogged towards her one evening. Friendly as some are, you can tell when Japanese people don't like visitors. They stare pass you as though you don't exist. More welcoming ones are eager to do 5-minute English drills with you. Surprisingly, some don't know of Jamaica until you mention Bob Marley.
The grass is actually greener if you condiser that crime is virtually non-existent. More people die from natrual causes and suicide here than from murder. Walking around late, carefree, is not uncommon and I was told that gangs only hang out, they don't rob or mug. It is so safe that some people are paid their sizeable salaries in cash. Many companies hire solely on merit and if you work hard, you will go far.

The How and Why of "Biz Ad" for One Post-Grad Student

By Kerry-Ann Smith

After laying a solid educational foundation at the secondary level, the real journey began at the tertiary level. “What to do?” “What to major in?” were thoughts that plagued me as a teen. An answer soon came, not out of the blue, but through serious self analysis. Suffice it to say I completed a Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communication with a minor in Psychology, at the Northern Caribbean University, with an outstanding Grade Point Average. What does that say to you? No I wasn’t anything super special; I just have a knack for the arts. So how did I get involved in Business Administration? Again I’m running ahead of myself.
About a month after getting my degree I started working at a reputable media house. There I found out what it meant to multi-task. Work was never a drag yet I felt incomplete, something was missing. I wanted something new, something challenging, something inexpensive, the latter being a very important element.
Eventually I was told about the Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Administration being offered at the Mona School of Business at the University of the West Indies. Of course being an arts student, and after running from anything involving calculation from primary school, I gave the programme no thought. You have to understand, I did math at the CXC level in 4th form just so I could be rid of it, I wanted nothing to do with computation!
But generally life does come full circle and I enrolled in the part-time programme. At times I wondered what I got myself into especially when I encountered accounting. I had sleepless nights and days where I had to catch quick naps during my lunch time, and sometimes during working hours. Once I felt I was on the brink of insanity.
I do not regret the move though. The programme, which was quite affordable, took only 8 months. The lecturers made learning straightforward, and the best part was that we were often placed in groups so that the weaker ones, like myself, would be able to learn from the more experienced persons. I must pause right here to thank Cohort 8 for their help – THANKS GUYS!
The coordinators of the programme were very accessible and very accommodating, so much so that our group felt like we were more special than all the all the groups before us. Class schedules were very flexible, and who can forget those well-needed coffee or tea breaks.
Assignments were graded on time, promptly returned and discussed in class, so that we could all learn from mistakes made. And those tutorial sessions, really helped me to tighten my grasp on the whole concept of macro and micro economics.
Through dedication to the task, an aim to succeed and Christ at the helm I have proven the dictum to be true: “Education + Christ = Success”.
Note well, I have not yet fully attained, as success like education is a continuous process. I am not yet at the zenith of my mountainous experience, the journey continues. When next we meet I’m sure I’ll have another interesting story to share. Until then go out and be a success, you too can start or continue the journey - think it, believe it, THEN ACT!

Twenty-three year-old Kerry Ann Smith is an employee of the Jamaica Information Service, where she is a Writer/Producer/Presenter and ENG AVID Editor. She has a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration as well as a degree in Mass Communication. Through her community and church Kerry Ann is an English Tutor, Motivational Speaker, Youth Counsellor, Public Relations Consultant and Audio/Visual Director.
Kerry Ann also holds a certificate from the Edna Manley College in Voice and placed first in many singing competitions. She was also crowned most talented in the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition, the Spanish Town leg of the competition and is currently a member of a well-known trio in St. Catherine - “Appointed”.

MAKE A GOOD DECISION THE ACIP WAY

Whether you are graduating from fifth form, sixth form or from college or university, “leaving” brings with it a mixed bag of emotions. On the one hand you are pleased and proud of your achievements, but at the same time there is invariably a feeling of uncertainty, maybe even a tinge of fear. “What will happen next?” “What is the best path for me to take?” “Should I continue studying? How will I find a job?”
The many decisions and choices you face can be quite overwhelming as you try to balance your desires with financial and familial issues, peer influences and the urgent need to ensure that you are on the best and correct career path for your life.

Making good decisions about your life, educational and career path involves several factors including:

· knowing yourself and being clear about what you really want to achieve
· knowing your options and how to put these in place
· accessing the necessary information and having the formula, knowledge and ability to make sound decisions

Intensive research conducted by various outstanding scientists has identified the important factors in making good, quality decisions. Dr. Lawrence Jones has condensed and simplified the process into four steps.

These four steps form the acronym ACIP. Following these steps will ensure that you make the best decisions possible. Beware of the temptation to skip any of the steps, as the more steps you leave out, the greater the likelihood of your regretting the decision you make later on.

STEP 1 - Alternatives
When making an important decision, always consider all your options. Whether this relates to choosing an occupation, an educational path or any other general decision, freely and thoroughly explore all possibilities. Get advice from others. Ask them for suggestions, and don’t just ask your friends; Speak with your mentor - if you have one - your teacher or a guidance counsellor. Brainstorm. Be imaginative.



STEP 2 - Consequences

Once you narrow down your alternatives to those that seem best to you, then weigh the pros and cons of each alternative. Research shows that you need to consider four types of consequences. So, for each alternative that you are considering create a "Decision Balance Sheet" and write down:
The gains and losses to yourself.
The gains and losses to significant others in your life such as parents, other family members, close friends, teachers or community, social, political or religious groups you value or are associated with.
Whether you would approve or disapprove of yourself, if you chose this alternative.
Whether the important people in your life would approve or disapprove of your choice.

STEP 3 - Information

In this step you research and accumulate more information about the alternatives you are considering, which you can add to your decision balance sheet as well as new facts that either support or change the pros and cons you wrote down.
Use all the resources available to you - the internet, the library, career counsellors, persons who are working in the career field that you are interested in, teachers, mentors ….. etc. Get your information from all relevant sources, always ensuring of course that the sources are knowledgeable and trustworthy.
Never, ever neglect this step in decision making. You cannot have too much information on the career you’re interested in.

STEP 4 - Plans

Once you have made your choice, it's time to start planning. Your first step is to ensure that you
1. make detailed plans for putting your choice into action
2. make contingency plans for handling any negative consequences that might arise from your choice
Planning and timing are the keys to success in any aspect of your life. A plan represents your intention, your focus and your desire. It is a reference that can keep you steady in those times when you may become a little derailed, and therefore should be clearly written down and reviewed regularly­ not only because you may and probably will make changes to it, but more importantly because reviewing it will keep you focused and centred on your goals and what you want to achieve.
Excerpted from The Graduates’ Guide to Making The Best Decisions For Your Career, Education & Life, a publication of CHOICES Career Advice. E-mail <info@choicesonlinejm.com> for information or go to www.choicesonlinejm.com.