Caribbean students match personality with careers

EMU) – St. Kitts, January 22, 2013: Students of the Basseterre High, Verchilds, Saddlers Secondary and Cayon High Schools recently participated in a Choices Career Awareness Workshops designed to help them identify aspects of their personalities which would suit them for specific career types. Local coordinator of the three-day event Education Officer Mrs. Lisa-Romayne Pistana told the Education Media Unit she found the programme which travelled throughout the Caribbean, to be very effective in terms of its practical approach to helping students by administering the Career Key Personality Test.

 
Facilitator, Ms. Angela Defreitas who is General Manager of “Choices” which is a career and education advice company based in Jamaica, said the programme seeks to assist students in getting ready for high school success; as well as to choose the right subjects and career based on their specific abilities and personalities. Among activities students were involved in were the Choices Career Game and interactive quizzes.
The objective of the activities was to bring students a clearer understanding who they are as individuals and what they should be focusing on at school as well as to determine how the right choices are pivotal to future success.
The students were motivated to identify their personal strengths, skills and talents.
Ms. Defreitas revealed that the Career Key Test is recognized internationally as the foremost and most accurate method of helping persons if they fit in the category of Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising or Conventional.

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HOW READY ARE OUR STUDENTS?

On February 9, 2011, Jamaica’s Minister of Education made a landmark announcement launching career awareness programmes at all levels of the education system islandwide. 

We at CHOICES Career & Education Advice at that time said, “Hip Hip Hooray!”  We were fully on board and in fact had been for nearly 15 years prior to this announcement.  At the time we expressed hope that it would become viral, quickly spreading to all schools in the island and that a Caribbean breeze would blow the concept throughout the region also.  We continue to support this initiative 100% and those other institutions and organisations such as HEART/NTA which continue to lead the charge.

We know that this is the way to go and what CHOICES Career Advice has recommended in the near 15 years or three cohorts of secondary students since beginning to provide career and education advice and information in the Caribbean.

But is this new thrust in this area having any effect on the 50,000 or so students who are moving out of the system each year?

Do they know any better who they are, what they should be doing, where they should be heading and how they’re going to get there?

Our answer is a resounding no.

How many of these students have had the chance of doing a psychometric test to help them in understanding their values, aptititudes, interests, personality, skills, strengths and talents? How many of them have had the opportunity of sitting down for a one-on-one with a counsellor (read career counsellor) to guide them through to their next phase – an absolute must which we have constantly recommended.

How many of them even have the makings of a career portfolio containing a resume, a cover letter and other information to help them in their future?

These are some of things for which we have been advocating for over 15 years since beginning our work in this area.

We still believe and reiterate that:

·         Career education must be naturally incorporated into the curriculum at all levels of the system

·         Every must student must do a self-assessment or psychometric test such as The career Key at some time during their secondary schooling, preferably before choosing the subjects which they will sit at CSEC level

·         That every single student must receive one-on-one career counselling before leaving secondary level.

·         That career counsellors must be an integral part of the educational landscape.

·         That secondary schooling should end with every student owning a career portfolio.

·         That secondary schooling should end with a student having stated their intention, somewhere, to someone, as to what they intend to do next.

·         That secondary schooling should end with every student writing an application letter to a potential employer; filling out a university, college or training programme application.

For our part we continue in our efforts to assist as many people as possible in choosing the right career.

Angela deFreitas

info@choicesonlinejm.com

Sex, School, Relationships - Do They Fit?

Get a read off this issue of CHOICES Career & Education Magazine and find out more on this hot topic amongst teens - what sex, is; what it is not; what is date rape, sexual assault and more.

You can also learn more about abstinence, STI's, STD's, AIDS.  It's a must-read for all teens.
Order copies from CHOICES for special discounts on large school quanties - 876-924-7473  - or it's also at Sangster's.

BACK ON TRACK

Hey,

It's been quite some time but we've had lots on the agenda.
Now, we're ready again.
We have had three new magazines out - themed Guide to High School Success; Sex, School, Relationships - Do They Fit? and Motivated By Sports. Hope you've seen them by now.