Monday February 20, 2012

Steer students in right direction, career counsellors told

JOHOR BARU: Career counsellors in schools should keep themselves abreast with the employment market in the country to offer relevant advice to students, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said here.

He said many students were unaware of the jobs which were high paying and often ended up pursuing courses which had low employment prospects.

“Career counsellors need to play an active part in advising students on which fields to pursue,” he said, adding that making the right choice was important.

As an example, he said many nursing students from private colleges were finding it hard to get jobs as many private healthcare institutions had their own courses.

“We do not want this sort of problem and the only way to avoid it is to ensure that students are informed and guided at an early stage,” he said after launching the My Career Carnival in Skudai here yesterday.

Dr Subramaniam said the country needed more high skilled workers, especially technicians, engineers and machinists.

“Career counsellors need to update themselves on the 12 growth areas identified under the Economic Transformation Plan and guide the students so that they can easily be absorbed into the job market,” he said.

He said it was also advisable for students to brush up on their soft skills, which included proficiency in the English language.

More News