Editor:
Re: Don't let experience determine career advice for our children, Community
Comment, May 2
When it comes to counselling and advising about education and training for career pathways, youth will more often than not look to parents for guidance on what they should do after high school. As columnist Brad Sherwin pointed out, it is a wake-up call to realize that time moves fast and even though it seems like yesterday your child was entering high school, all of a sudden they're preparing for life beyond Grade 12.
By the time students reach Grade 11, they have already been faced with decisions that can have an impact on post-secondary options (i.e. which mathematics, science or English they should take). Parental guidance, along with advice from teachers and counsellors, help students make those selections in preparation for career and education success.
For those parents who find their household overtaken by the stress of course selection or those who have grads on the launch pad who do not know where they are heading, here are a few pointers or resources that could help.
Many school districts (including Delta) have purchased a licence for a career exploration and planning tool called Career Cruising. If your child has completed Planning 10, ask them to show you this website. By developing an online portfolio and completing assessments, students understand how their interests, skills and values relate to the world of work.
Each of the jobs/occupations that your child is matched to includes details such as job description, skills required, career pathways, salary potential, education and training (including a full listing of colleges, technical schools and university programs detailing entrance requirements and tuition costs) and much more.
To help understand how our employment needs have been impacted by changes in the economy, there are many publications, data sources and predictions that explain the labour market needs for our province as well as for our country. For a simple and clear picture of the outlook and potential for jobs in this province, check out the website Work Futures BC.
Lastly, each high school in Delta has a career centre. This a resource room filled with information to help students navigate a pathway to career success. These centres are staffed by a career practitioner who works alongside school counsellors to provide curriculum support to career programs, which include courses such as Health & Careers, Planning, Trades & Apprenticeship Programs and Graduation Transitions. Parents are invited to visit the career centre website, which is linked to each high school website as each one has a parents' information page.
Times have changed and career advice is not the same. However, as a career practitioner, I believe there is an abiding theme that transcends the generations and that is our hope for our children to realize their gifts and abilities and translate them into career happiness and success.
Resources are out there to help you help your child navigate that pathway.
Yvette Livingston Certified Career Development Practitioner Delta Secondary
