CC BY
17
SOME ISSUES OF OCCUPATIONAL GUIDANCE OF SCHOOLCHILDREN
I.V. Teslenko
The report is based on the research conducted in October-November 2012 among graduates of 9th and 11th grades of educational institutions in the Ekaterinburg and Sverdlovsk regions. The objects of the research were also teachers, administration of educational institutions, parents and experts. Methods of gathering information included: mass survey (questionnaires), in-depth interview with key informants (principals of schools and vice-principals for academic and educational work, teachers), semi formalized and in-depth interview with parents of graduates, focus-groups, expert interviews with representatives of district departments of education, and Resource Centers and Employment Centers. Prevailing in the sampling structure are 9th graders (58% and 42%); girls prevail depending on the gender (53%); the remote micro-districts of the Ekaterinburg and Sverdlovsk regions prevail depending on the place of residence. The sampling volume was 1,500 learners. The polling pursued several objectives. Within the framework of this report we will only dwell on the issue of the choice of profession of school graduates.
Over 55% of the interviewed 9th grade graduates plan to continue education at school, a little over half of them prefer studying in specialized classes, about 27% of the respondents plan to continue studies at institutions of secondary vocational education (SVE), less than 1% express the wish to start working and 11% have not made their choice. Analysis of the results depending on the type of educational institution allows concretization of this information. For example, students of lyceums and gymnasia, schools demonstrating high scores in Uniform State Exams, are oriented toward continuation of studies in a specialized class, while students of schools located in remote districts and remote territories plan to enter SVE institutions. Over 15% of school graduates of the regions associate their professional future with SVE. Practically no respondents consider non-resident and evening school education.
The choice of walk of life by eleventh grade graduates is generally similar to the choice of ninth graders. However, if we add all respondents ready to enter SVE institutions, provided they fail to enter higher educational institutions, to those willing to study at SVE, the result will be 47% against 39% of the graduates entering higher educational institutions. The absolute majority of graduates of Ekaterinburg schools choose SVE (these were mostly students of general education institutions of remote micro-districts of the city and remote territories of the region). And vice versa, the absolute majority of graduates of regional schools are SVE-oriented. This is most likely indicative of lack of equal opportunities for residents of different areas, both of Sverdlovsk region and Russia as a whole. Unfortunately, compared to 9th graders the number of the respondents that have not made their professional choice has almost doubled. The graduates’ answers to the question about the items significant for the choice of an educational institution evoke certain thoughts. For example, the prestige value of an educational
51
institution is stated by more than half of respondents - 55%, and availability of the selected specialty in the educational institution is significant for 2% of the respondents only.
The absolute majority of respondents state that the existing system of occupational guidance is imperfect and requires revision of its approaches to organization and conduct. 92% of respondents wish to change the existing system of occupational guidance. Learners revealed the highest interest in the suggestion for increasing information about the world of labour and professions, which is indicative of the obvious lack of available information among adolescents. The desire to visit enterprises and have professional practices shows the need to receive preprofessional training while yet at school. On the whole, graduates demonstrate poor orientation in the world of professions and lack of professional consulting and professional testing.
The picture of the present state of occupational guidance is completed by the analysis of answers to the question about the necessary help for making the decision about a choice of profession. Every second respondent (54%) says that he or she has made the choice himself or herself, 32% defer to parents’ opinion. And only 11% of the interviewed count on the help of teachers and occupational guidance workers. These figures once more confirm the need for revision of approaches to organization and conduct of occupational guidance work with school students and probably reveal the major area for occupational guidance activity: work with parents of schoolchildren. It is no secret that the absolute majority of parents expect their child to be a university student, no matter which. The questions concerning whether the child will be able to study, whether he or she has sufficient knowledge, skill and abilities to receive higher professional education, or whether the received specialty will be in demand on the labour market stay beyond the scope of their attention. Organization of informative work with parents convinces us of the necessity and importance of occupational guidance.
Answers to the question concerning which specialty school graduates are mostly interested in helped to rank specialties. The top position by a wide margin is held by “Banking”. School graduates are highly interested in tourism, economics and accounting, design, information technologies, commerce and hotel business. Analysis of professional plans of school graduates makes it possible to speak about an orientation to occupational work: this position is maintained by every second respondent, while every fifth school graduate thinks of organizing his or her own business. Unfortunately, for every tenth respondent the future is vague or there are no plans for the future at all. At first sight, the choice of the sphere of activity and a striving to continue working in the specialty after receiving professional education is a positive trend. On the other hand, considering the nonuniform development of the labour market and the acute shortage of regular labour and the engineering force currently observed in Russia, school graduates are to a certain extent “prisoners of the situation”. In the opinion of school graduates, gaining a foothold in the organization where they will have their practical training or work during studies is the optimal variant of entering the labour market. Every fourth answer demonstrates doubts, mistrust in one's own powers and the need to think about appointment that is an exception today rather than common practice.
52
However, this confirms the need for social cooperation between business and education.
The rapidly developing consumer society, market economy and dominance of private property could not but influence young people’s consciousness. In terms of significance, school graduates actually equated the possibility of getting big money with the creative and interesting character of work and with the correspondence of the profession to personal abilities and knowledge. Only every fifth answer points to socially significant values: benefiting people, working in a united team, or striving for professional growth.
Translated from Russian by Znanije Central Translations Bureau
53
