With hundreds of career choices in front of them, Pictou County’s high school students need all the guidance and career counselling they can get.
Parents and guardians are invited to attend two ‘Parents as Career Coaches’ sessions on Feb. 11 and 18 at NRHS from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
The sessions are offered free of charge through the Department of Education.
The program aims to help parents engage in productive career discussions with their teenager, better understand today’s labour market and the skills today’s youth need to succeed and access career websites and other resources to explore education and work options.
Jeff Green, co-ordinator of student services and guidance counselor at NRHS, says it’s time for families to get involved in helping their kids make the right career choices.
“Often we see parents and guardians relying solely on the school to offer career counselling,” said Green. “This program will give them the tools they need to find resources and be a resource for their kids.”
The school used to have a class called ‘Career Life Management’ that was mandatory for all students in Grade 10. The class taught students how to plan for and find careers that were the right fit for them.
It’s been replaced with an elective course that only one in eight students in Grade 10 will have the opportunity to take.
“This has left a big void in our school and education system,” said Green. “That’s why the ‘Parents as Career Coaches’ program is so important.”
Green says offering guidance takes into account the interests of the student, the current job market and how much and what kind of post-secondary education is needed.
“We’d love to see 30 or 40 parents show up to be a part of this program,” he said, noting that only two people had registered so far. “Anybody with an interest in career counselling and guidance for teens is welcome to attend.”
Registration and more information is available on the program’s website, www.parentsascareercoaches.ca/, and by contacting Jeff Green at 396-2750 ext. 151 or e-mail greenjr@ccrsb.ca.
