Careers Services -Career Information Sessions

Introduction

Career information is essential for learners, students, job seekers, and anyone looking to make a career change. It helps individuals identify their strengths, interests and skills and match them to potential career paths. It also provides insights into the job market, including which industries are growing and which jobs are in high demand. Access to accurate and up-to-date career information is crucial for making informed decisions about education and career paths. With the right career information, individuals can identify the most promising career opportunities and take the necessary steps to achieve their career goals. There are many ways that career information sessions can be provided - these can be in person or online.

Case study

Yolandi, a university student, was experiencing problems with her subject choices. A faculty member told her via email that her subject combination would not allow her to complete her degree that year. Yolandi was disheartened and frustrated. When she started her degree, Yolandi had been advised by a junior career practitioner on subject choices, which now turned out to be incorrect. Yolandi realised she needed to speak to a senior coach to understand why her choices were wrong. She called the university's career development centre and was advised to book an appointment. Yolandi eventually spoke to a career practitioner, who set up a Zoom meeting with her for the following day. This meeting served as an effective, personal alternative to an in-person session. After the meeting, Yolandi was happy, as she had been able to discuss her questions and concerns and was guided by the practitioner on subject choices. At the end of the session, Yolandi was able to correct her subject choices and avoid wasting her academic year. She was also impressed by the career practitioner's level of professionalism, despite the session taking place online.

First, let us look at why delivering career development services is important

In general, career development services are aimed at all people, regardless of race, gender, age or background. Starting career development early in schools allows learners to make guided, informed choices about their future study options and career paths. Career development has also been shown to reduce the risk of dropping out of school or tertiary studies. Career development is about motivating learners and is crucial, as it enables learners to connect their learning and understanding to the jobs and futures they envision.

Accurate career information from a trained career development practitioner enables learners to determine their own career path instead of being told what to do. Learners are taught how to research different occupations and decide which would be the best choice for them - a skill that will prove invaluable in later stages of life. Friends and family of learners may sometimes offer biased opinions regarding career paths a learner may wish to pursue. However, career development practitioners can provide learners with unbiased support, advice and validation for those who want to pursue a different career path.

Another major advantage of speaking with a career development practitioner is that the practitioner can offer valuable insights into career options currently in high demand, and can break down the different types of roles and opportunities within each of these professions. Career development practitioners can also help learners and new graduates research possible job opportunities. This is done by teaching learners effective interviewing techniques, as well as other skills such as tips for creating interesting cover letters and CVs that compellingly showcase the learner's strengths.

Aspects to consider when delivering career information sessions

When designing career information sessions, career practitioners need to take many considerations into account, including the following.

Who is your target audience, and what are their needs?

Is your session targeted towards high school learners? First-year university students? Perhaps final-year students? Or career transitioners? Each group has different needs — for example, school learners would require information regarding subject choices and the points needed for university admission, while a final-year student would require information regarding CV-writing skills, interview skills and cover letters.

How can a practitioner gain access to these individuals?

There are several ways of making individuals aware of career development services. Sending out notices to university students via their university email, using school and university notice boards, posters, newspapers, and social media are a few ways of raising awareness of career development services.

What is the best method for delivering information?

There are several avenues of delivery, such as face-to-face presentations, workshops, Instagram or YouTube videos, and podcasts, as well as using other online platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams to host information sessions, workshops, and conduct one-on-one sessions.

Do I deliver one-on-one sessions or in groups?

Group sessions are effective for reaching a large number of clients or students with appropriate information on various career topics; however, if students have specific concerns or questions, they should approach the practitioner for a one-on-one session if possible. Both group sessions and individual consultations can be conducted through online platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.

Conclusion

As we have seen from the information above, career development practitioners nowadays have a whole range of tools and resources available to them that enable them to share career-related advice and information with students. Students equally have a wealth of information at their fingertips if they research properly. With the advances in technology, career practitioners are now able to reach many more students at once, which means it has become easier to access quality career information.