Tag: Education

Plan International Nepal has been implementing the Kamlahari Practice Abolition project (KAP) since 2006 and has rescued more than 3,000 Kamlahari girls and supported them with different interventions focusing in reintegrating girls into their lives, communities and schools in two phases of project KAP I and KAP II. The initial project ended in March 2016. Now, a continuation project Kamlahari Higher Education Scholarship Support (KHES) continued supporting those rescued and benefitted girls in higher education levels (10+2 and Bachelor degree) of Dang, Kailali and Kanchanpur Districts.

Concurring to the KAP, Plan International selected Career Disha Nepal under VHS Bhaktapur for career-integration program where 125 former Kamlahari girls, through 5 different sessions were trained to integrate themselves into the labour market of Nepal.

I was in Kailali along with my team members. Where I was leading 3 different sessions. It was the first long- duration training for me. I was super excited to help the needy people to better their lives. After we reached Kailali I was happy and sad as well, happy to get the chance to help other people to bring positive changes in their lives and sad to be away from the home. But today, I realize that besides all, I learned a lot from them too. Here I like to share the things I learned from them to betterment my training skill to conduct exciting training.

1. Enthusiastic introduction

I felt this is first and foremost essential things to make exciting training.  Who does not like an enthusiastic environment. Making the funny type of introduction session get to know each other would create an enthusiastic environment which also helps to eradicate hesitation and shyness.  Sometimes it might take longer than expected but it is completely okay to be quite late to jump into first day content. That kind of session helps to smooth up entire training to be more interactive

2. Make them feel responsible

I learned that by giving participants some form of responsibilities would help to build their leadership skill. Letting them make a classroom rule, asking their opinion on content and let them decide how we should go further are some example. I felt that kind of session grant them chances to be out spoken in the session. 

3.      Get involved in the game

Trainer involvement in the game has really positive result in learning and sharing. If the trainer gets excited and involves in the game then the same energy flows to the participants. This helps to activate their mind and body. When we have to spend time with the toddler we act like same age child similar manner teaching youth by being a youth helps to unlock any kind of hesitation.   

4.     Create an informal event

Going outside to explore some places is one of the best ways to make trainee more confident and open with each other. Organizing some cultural evening, taking an hour tour nearby during the training session not only refreshed them it also has a positive effect in learning and sharing.

5.      Recognise what they need to know and forward content accordingly

Rather than focusing what trainer know it would be far better to know what trainee need to know. I felt knowing trainees’ needs are most essential for successful training. If one follows the content without considering their needs training might be boring and ineffective.   

6.      Make them feels special  

Sometimes trainee felt inferior to their trainer. To bridge the gap between two are making them special by spending quality time and listening to them actively. Having the conversation in meal time, listening to their opinion, and learns their language also help to create interactive environment.  If one listens to them they felt valuable and special. That is why making them feels special is another element to have fruitful training outcomes.

7.    Positive feedback

If the trainee is presenting something, it is time to encourage them to do better in the future.  I felt positive feedback is the most essential. Positive feedback encourages youth to be more active in coming days than before.  Positive feedback motivates them to engage in session proactively.

–Shrijana KC
(Co-Trainner CDN)

“My name is Sunita. I am a management student of I.J. Pioneer High School. I choose my education based on holistic career counseling approach. I did not know what to study even after SEE.  I got the opportunity to take the Psychometric Assessment through my friend. Assessment was the set of questionnaires that recommended me the list of jobs that I can pursue. I didn’t understand the Psychometric Assessment Result for the first time. Fortunately, to clear that confusion, Career Counselor took the group discussion session. That time I get to know that the recommended list of jobs appears based on my personality, professional orientation, interest and vocational tasks. The assessment doesn’t cover my physical strength and socio-economic backgrounds. However, the individual counselling after the result was more than I expected! After that session, I felt more comfortable to pick the education for a career that best fits me according to my interest, abilities, values and economic perspective. I am really glad that I have the logical reason to pursue an education track that I chose.  I knew so many of my seniors who continued their education without understanding themselves clearly and studying further based on the SEE (Secondary Examination Education) grade and change the subject later. Fortunately, I did holistic career counseling on time and made the entire plan sitting with the experts to reach my destination. Otherwise, I might have been an unsuccessful story for my juniors. “

According to British Association of counseling, they term counseling as the process by which a person having a problem or needs to make a decision is facilitated to identify, explore, and examine alternative courses of action and their possible consequences.

Career counseling is the process, generally focusing on issues like career and education confusion, career goal, and career plan where career counselor and counselee sit together and discus about the career and education track and explore the individual career potentials, make career and education plan, and solve other career related problems through question answer approach and psychometric tools and techniques. Career Counseling session can be done either in a group and as an individual.  

In every country, youth face the challenge of deciding on a career path and starting their professional lives (Athanansou, 2008).  In Nepal, there is also an urgent need of career counseling for youth to choose best fitting career according to the individual interest, abilities, values, and socio-economic prospective and job demands. In our society most of the youth tend to choose the career and education according to their friends and relatives suggestion and also use to follow the trend. Most of the research shows that pursuing a career based on individual interest and abilities leads personal satisfaction and professional success.

Choosing a certain career is one of the important decisions of one’s life which is often tedious. Knowingly and unknowingly a wrong career decision leads to live the 40-50 years of life with the profession you don’t like.  

One of the career counseling beneficiaries, Pratima Tamang’ told us that “One-hour session with career counselor played the revolutionary role to add more excitements in my life. I was unknown about my career potential then. Now that I am under proper guidance, I decided my career and education make a career plan, know the responsibilities of the chosen career with the help of career counselor.”

That’s why career counseling for youth and adolescents is the beneficial to decide the best fitting career, explore the potential, design the career life and to have a successful and happy life.

“The Online Assessment I took from CDN considerably has helped me figure out what I really want out of my life. It has helped me to look into the possible career paths that will be supposedly compatible with my fancy and my essential nature. Not only this, the career counselling I took from CDN has helped me look into areas where I can excel and foster professionally. I am, now absolved of the confusions I beheaded before I took the Assessment. I wouldn’t have known myself better and figure out what kind of job best suits me. As far as the Assessment is concerned, I wouldn’t have believed anything more fervently than that. It was very authentic, and by the end, I was like “Awesome! This is the kind of job I always wanted to do.” Palishtha Ranjitkar, Khopo College, Bhaktapur

When I was at the secondary level, my teachers and relatives used to ask the significant question of entire life ‘what do you want to be in future’. I felt like that was the toughest question I have ever faced. Most of the answers from my friends and cousins were ‘I want to be a thulo manchhe’, meaning famous person. In my case, I didn’t know the definition of the Thulo Manchhe. However, I felt that was the best answer I can give at that moment. Most of the times, I got a pat on my shoulder that left be proud as it would be a heavy “Very good”. In some exceptional cases, I would be asked 2nd biggest question ‘what job you will do for a living “or similar question. My instant answer was “A Nurse”. As I used to visit hospitals with my mom in my childhood for a regular medical check-up, I would fantasize myself wearing the white apron, and the cap like the nurses did there.  I was impressed by the dresses they wore and the way they handled the patients. That was the nicest job I ever knew. I had no clue about how to become one and what works they did except wearing the clean and white beautiful dresses and in some cases Saree as well. I did not know if I would love the job’s responsibilities of a nurse. After SLC (SEE at present), I gave entrance for Staff Nurse in Government Hospital with full excitement after getting the information from my Chimeki dd (neighbour). Unfortunately, I did not get through the entrance examination. And that was the end.  I was devastated as I felt like there were no other options that I opt for. I felt like I didn’t have any direction to go forward on that day. However, I had to continue studying and following with the trend; I joined my +2 (high school) without picturing what would I become after studying this.  I was just focused on my studies without having any particular destination.

One day, I got sick and was hospitalized for a week. That moment became the game changer of my life. I realized that the job that impressed me during my childhood was not the one I would enjoy. My values, my interest, and abilities were different from that a successful nurse should have. That day I realized, if I were a Nurse, it would be so difficult to do my duty during the night shift.  It would be monotonous to follow the same routine every day.  I could not imagine successful and happy me if I were a Nurse. I silently thanked God for having not passed the entrance examination. 

Even more doubtful than ever, I questioned myself, “What job best fits me then?”. Instead of browsing regular social media that day, I googled how a person finds the best-fitted career. Upon research, I found the Psychometric Assessments. I looked if there are any such assessments designed for Nepal, and Bingo, Career Disha Nepal has it. Yes, youths, you can discover what is the best for you by knowing who you are, what your interests are, what career is best for you based on the personalities you have, what educational track or training you need to become that ideal yourself through this Psychometric Assessment Test that too with just Rs. 200. There are abundant opportunities in Nepal that need to be explored.

Psychometric Assessment is quite a new term in Nepal. However, in Europe and America, it is mandatory for the last many decades. Career Disha Nepal teams are working to help Nepali youth to find individual inbred potentials through online and offline Psychometric Assessment all over Nepal. I would say Psychometric Assessment is the blueprint of who you are, your personality, interest and how far you can go. Psychometric Assessment is the single psychological tool in Nepal that helps individual to reflect themselves precisely who they are.

We can use this Assessment in various settings, and youths use it to test their personalities, professional interests, and vocational interests through the Assessment. There are altogether four segments one has to give responses to according to their interest and how they react to a different situation(s). The system then analyses the filled information and shows the individuals’ personality profile and the matching jobs for the same. It gives out the individual profile along with the matching jobs and required educational information or training for each recommended professions.

Before you go for the board examination test, PLEASE take your life test and explore the best of you, the best options for you and hence the best educational track to reach there. In brief, Psychometric Assessment designed by CDN helps you to:

1.    Find out the individual personality

2.    Understand self-better

3.    Find out potential career paths

4.    Pick the right education and career

5.     Enhance the potential

6.    Find out the list of interest

Career orientation is the workshop to provide necessary information about the labour market for youths to prepare them to select the right education and career path on right time. Such a workshop is very essential for all youth to reach a particular destination they are made for. It is especially urgent for Secondary Education Examination (SEE) appeared students as this group the most vulnerable age group, the turning point of student’s life and the phase where people usually make a mistake regarding career choices in Nepal. This is the age where most of them have a less clue or not at all about what to do next. While most of us make the decision of joining any random courses based on our SEE grades with the stereotypical mindset we have. 

April to June is the gap months for SEE appeared students. And if you are one of them, how do you spend time? What is your planning for the rest of the remaining time before you have regular classes? You probably will be:  Waiting for the results? Doing a Bridge Course? Learning a new language? Or Just being a couch potato? Well, if you give a thought about yourself, this seems to be the perfect time for you to make a career plan, to find out about yourselves, to know better about yourselves, discover your interests, know about your values and most importantly find a suitable educational track for the career that fits you right based on your interest and other factors. It is the best time to identify your potential and groom it.

Sometimes, most of us get lost in the process of career selection. In this regard, career orientation can be of great help. Career orientation is not only useful for those who have no clue about what and where to study but also for those who already know where to get into as it tells you about the labor market of future. See the below pointers to find out why career orientation is essential for SEE appeared youths.

1. To know the labor market information

According to CDN’s research, more than 50% of youths have limited information about the labor market. There are higher chances to miss the career they are actually made for. It is really crucial to know the ranges of available jobs in the market to pick the best fitting one. That’s why in the career orientation session, career counsellors provide information and tools to know about the labor market in detail.

2. To avoid misconception about career selection

Most of us choose a career based on trend, family and friend’s choices. Not only that, but we also categorize the job’s level and then select the career accordingly. But the process of choosing a career should not be associated with those issues. One should choose the profession based on individual potential, interest, abilities and values.

3. To know why it is important to know the potential career in detail

If you already know what you are going to be, then, you should know further detail about the possible job, its unique and challenging aspects. That helps you to answer the significant question of whether you are ready to face it or not.

4. To find out the individual personality

YOU should know you first. You are the one who knows yourself better than anyone else in the world. Sometimes, we just ignore or fail to recognize what we are, what do we like and dislike. Knowing yourself better is not only essential for your career but also crucial for your daily life. One session of the career orientation can be an eye-opening for you to know about the ways to figure that out.

5. To avoid the mistakes

In Nepal, most of the youths choose the trendy education and career, based on their parent’s or friends’ choice without considering individual interest, abilities and job demand in the market. Career orientation helps you to be yourself and avoid the mistake which might make you out of nowhere in the future.

6. To bridge the gap between education and career

It is vital to know why you choose a specific track of learning. For that, you should know the Nepali Education System as it opens the ranges of options for you to be independent soon

7. To save time and money

If you are aware of your career potential on time, definitely you can escape from the dark future and also save money and time of your life. Some of the youth try out different subjects without knowing their potential and thus tend to lose their interest in the subject matter wasting a considerable amount of money as well as the precious time of their life too.

8. To have a successful career

Career orientation helps you to choose the highest potential career according to your innate abilities, learning and developing potential, values and interest. If you study the field of education that you enjoy the most, meaning working for it is the universal way to be successful in no time. That’s why career orientation for SEE appeared youth is most essential. You are in the runway of your life where career orientation will help you to have a safe landing in a certain destination.