20 schools of the DECIDE Project's partner communities underwent a three-day career support training as part of the «DECIDE: VET» Programme
The Swiss-Ukrainian project DECIDE brought together teachers, researchers and academic staff of postgraduate teacher education institutions in the partner regions, as well as representatives of partner communities for a three-day training in Lviv.
The topic of the training was «Piloting and implementing a system of career guidance for pupils».
On the first day of the training, the participants exchanged experiences and expectations from the implementation of career guidance lessons, worked in groups, and discussed. DECIDE's career guidance experts offered exercises to get their impressions of using JOBs materials in working with schoolchildren.
Importantly, the Project's partner communities received sets of JOBs-materials for career guidance for primary school pupils, which were prepared by Ukrainian experts in cooperation with the specialists of the Zurich University of Teacher Education (Switzerland). Each set contained 8 exercises and additional training materials. The training participants were able to use these materials in practice with their own pupils.
Among the positive changes noted by teachers:
students became more interested in learning and noticeably better understood themselves, their strengths and weaknesses. Teenagers are thinking more about how they can develop their talents in different areas of life and how they can be useful to the community in which they live;
establishing cooperation with vocational schools. Excursions and masterclasses help pupils not only get to know the professions, but also give them an understanding of what is required to obtain a particular profession;
parental involvement. Some schools actively involve parents in the career guidance process. Teachers invite parents to open lessons where they talk about their professional activities. Students have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about real professions from those who work in different fields
But there is also room for potential improvement of the materials. The comments made by participants will form the basis for proposals to create a system of career guidance for children and teenagers in communities.
During the second day of the training, the participants tried to work with the new JOBs materials.
The third day of the training was dedicated to discussing how to create a career guidance system at different levels: from the level of the educational institution to the national level. In a «world café» format, participants discussed important steps and initiatives that will help create an effective career guidance system, the risks that may arise in this process, etc.
To ensure that the piloting of cooperation models between government, education sector and business in creating a system of career guidance for schoolchildren has a long-term effect, DECIDE will provide partner communities with expert support in training 50 career advisers. The training of such specialists has already begun.
At the end of the training, all participants in the «Piloting and implementing a system of career guidance for pupils» received certificates of advanced training.