Career councelling skills are a critical factor in career orientation for youth. Obviously this is a task that needs to be taken seriously by the education sector, but it is clear that mass organization and parents can also play an important and influential role in career orientation.
Earlier ToT and multiplications were organised for DoET, BoET and schools on individual career counseling skills in Nghe An and Quang Nam province. This 2-day-workshop on 4-5 May 2013, therefore, addressed Individual career councelling skills for parents. Participants were a core group of the 35 key trainers of Women's Union in 5 provinces, but also 6 members of the DoET core group for TVET programme to strenghthen the collaboration between DoET and WU. Ms.Vi Phuong, the Vice-head of Family-Society Affair department from the National WU also joined the workshop to later review and adapt the ongoing materials by VVOB on career counseling skills for parents to national level.
The workshop provided not only basic knowledge and skills on career counseling skills by parents and career orientation but also went deeper into 6 individual counseling skills. Moreover, there were sessions for in-depth application of the theories which were warmly welcomed by the participants.
The trainers combined a background in career counseling in the USA and experience working with parents and students in Vietnam, and could therefore provide current and relevant career orientation. They also shared real case studies as well as very practical career counseling tips.
Raising awareness and providing knowledge and skills on career guidance and career counseling skills for WUs and parents are practical intervention, helping them to understand the basic concepts and to apply to daily life and work.
We believe that these key trainers will be dynamic, responsible and enthusiastic facilitators for the multiplication trainings that will follow in the coming months so the counseling skills will reach parents in 5 provinces. We laid the groundwork for a possible collaboration between WU and DoET core group with regards to counseling skills. Effective career orientation is only possible if all involved actors including the education sector, mass organizations, especially the WU, and parents work together toward the same goal.
