Students clueless about careers

LOCAL secondary school students are finding it more difficult to choose a career than students overseas, a Chinese University of Hong Kong (香港中文大學) study has found.

Using the Career Decision Making Difficulties Questionnaire, data collected from 20,118 local students showed a score of 4.89 out of nine, with nine being the highest perceived difficulty in choosing a career. The score for Hong Kong students is higher than that of their peers in the United States (less than 3.5), South Korea (less than 4.5) and Italy (4.5). Also, 31.5 percent of local students lacked knowledge in career planning, with about five percent stated having “zero knowledge” on the matter.

The university said local students need more help in finding their career paths, and it will expand its existing career and life planning programme – ‘Clap for Youth’ – to 200 schools and about 30,000 youths in five years.

“Career and life planning is not about getting into university or a high-income job. It is about nurturing students’ strengths and passions,” said chief principal investigator Alvin Leung Seung-ming (梁湘明). This can be done by letting students explore their interests and introducing them to possible careers.

A local teacher involved in the programme said students are often affected by social norms while making important choices in life and choose a career they are not passionate for. He said the programme will help students better understand their true aspirations. It will provide school-based career counselling and internship opportunities.

(This article is published on Junior Standard on 17 May 2017)

Clap for Youth
http://goo.gl/I5arzU

Life Planning – Education Bureau
http://goo.gl/I3WdjT