Career and Vocational Guidance

From the earliest years of our lives, we are asked to consider what we
want to be when we grow up. Parents and guardians carefully plan and
manage their children's educational experiences in the hope of preparing
them for successful careers.

As a caregiver, you are faced with the challenge of helping children and
youth identify and achieve their career goals. Young people tend to have
limited information about the types of jobs that are available to them.
Lack of information leads many to make unrealistic decisions about
careers. Many youth are not sure of what they want to do. Some of
them are not even aware of their own talents. You can help them get the
information they need to make realistic and satisfying career choices.
Another of your roles as a caregiver is to help children and youth develop
the qualities they need to be successful in the job market. Certain
qualities can contribute to success, such as: the willingness to work
hard and do more than the bare minimum; good spoken and written
communication skills; dependability; and the ability to work well with
others.

Career guidance becomes more and more challenging as the realities of
the workplace change. At one time the types of work available and the
skills required changed very little from one generation to another. Now,
times are changing so quickly that it's hard to predict what the next 20,
10, or even 5 years will bring. In these rapidly changing times, qualities
such as flexibility, creativity, and the desire to be a lifelong learner have
become important.

This unit will help you to explore ways that you as a caregiver can help
children and youth to decide on a career plan and gain the skills and
knowledge they need to be successful in the job market, now and in the
future.