Successful career
Developing skills for success
The project creates a policy and a comprehensive program for career guidance and development of skills for success both online and in the classroom, taking into account the situation of pandemic and distance learning.
Strategic goal
The strategic goal of the project will lead to the establishment of the Municipality of Plovdiv as a pioneer and a good example at the national level for business-oriented career development.
The program develops the transferable skills for success needed for career realization in any industry.
- Career guidance for students in 7th grade in order to create a personal profile, knowledge of strengths and knowledge of specific professions
- Introducing students in 7th grade with the opportunities for career realization in Plovdiv in order for them to stay in the city
- Career guidance for students in 12th grade in order to choose education
- Introducing 12th grade students to career opportunities in Plovdiv in order for them to stay in the city
- Developing skills for success in 7th and 12th grade students
Training with 6th and 7th grade students
Includes 4 meetings of 60 minutes with intensity 2 times a month. During each meeting, students are introduced to an industry relevant to the region. Students work on a practical task related to this industry and develop skills for success – goal setting, teamwork, problem solving, critical and project thinking. There are two guest speakers for each class to make an introductory presentation on the industries. The training also includes the projection of a total of 10 videos with questions in class.
Students have access to posters for each industry, ready-to-use worksheets to use during and between meetings.
Creating an interactive corner for career guidance in schools “Hristo G. Danov”, “Elin Pelin”, “Vasil Levski” and “Raina Knyaginya”. Creating an online course of 5 sessions with materials, videos and gameplay for 12th grade and providing the Municipality of Plovdiv with 300 profiles for 12th and 11th grade students + access to the financial literacy platform of Career rEvolution for children.
Results
325 students have been trained. Career guidance courses have been conducted in the following schools:
After successfully passing all stages of training, students acquire the following knowledge and skills:
- Better understanding of the basic concepts in career guidance and the role of strengths in career and life.
- Developing skills for self-reflection.
- Creating a career profile and an idea of the professions that match the results of the combination of interests and profile.
- Development of a fully completed career profile and a clear idea of students’ opportunities for their future development.
- Students about the opportunities for their future development.
6th grade program, resume
Step 1
Students get acquainted with the professions of the future, what is talent and interest. The step continues with several exciting stories about real people and characters and a definition of superpowers - strengths of character and their indispensable role in their careers. The result of step №1 is an understanding of the basic concepts in career guidance and the role of strengths in career and life.
Step 2
In the second step, students have three types of practical tasks in which the team explores their interests and talents. Uncertainty or uncertainty is observed when the question "What are you good at?" Is asked for the first time, as well as in the similar ones "What do you do and learn fast?" And "What role would you choose in this task?" . The result of step №2 is a primary career profile and development of self-reflection skills.
Step 3
With the help of the cards from the game "My career path", the interests and talents of students are connected with specific professions. Homework is set for students to make a dossier of the acquired professions. The result of step №3 is a career profile and an idea of the professions that coincide with the results of the combination of interests and profile.
Step 4
The fourth step aims to combine the results of the previous three meetings and the three missions set for students' homework. It pays individual attention to each and offers suitable schools for development after 7th grade. The result of step №4 is a fully completed career profile and a clear idea of the students' opportunities for their future development.
7th grade program, summary
Professions of the future
An overview of the program from the previous year and a negotiation. The purpose of step 1 is for students to get acquainted with the professions of the future, using the online platform created by the project. The result of step №1 is knowledge of at least 3 professions of the future.
My future career
The aim of step 2 is for students to connect some of the professions of the future with their interests and talents. During this meeting, the test from the platform created by the project is used in order to make the connection between the interests and talents of students and potential professions. The result of step №2 is a personal profile related to a career path (group of professions, based on the multiple intelligences of Howard Gardner)
Choosing a high school and the advantages of vocational education
The purpose of step 3 is to give guidelines for choosing a high school, in several steps: - Which high school is for me - defining interests, talents and related career paths, and - How to find out if a high school is for me - steps and questions when choosing a high school. - The advantages of vocational high schools - presentation The result of step №3 is a plan for choosing a high school and preparing for the entrance exams.
Training with teachers "Career guidance in the classroom"
During the training, the teachers shared the need for career guidance in class and gave a positive assessment of the initiative to conduct such training.
After the training, the immediate feedback from the teachers was very positive, with many expressing a positive assessment of the materials that are relevant, interesting and easy to use. All of them expressed their intention to apply what they had learned, both within the set individual task and outside it.
45 teachers have been trained.
Methods of project work
- “Understading by design” – we use the established science of curriculum design so that our Career Guidance program in the target schools becomes more engaging for students and achieves its goals;
- Design thinking – we develop each activity of the project taking into account the needs of the participants, the environment and the most workable solutions;
- Experiential learning – we train teachers, students and future consultants by working on real projects and tasks, creating products and role-playing games. We use specially developed board games for career guidance – “My talents” and “Tree of professions”;
- Igrovization – we use an in-depth approach to igrovization, in all its seven elements (meaning, empowerment, social influence, unpredictability, scarcity, responsibility, achievement);
- Active involvement of industry representatives in the form of open lessons, field visits and work, mentoring and career days organized in a school with active industry representation.
- Working with Multiple Intelligence – In his book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. (1983), the American psychologist Howard Gardner refutes the traditional psychometric view of intelligence. According to him, there is no single intelligence that can be measured by standard IQ tests. On the contrary, there are many intelligences that are independent of each other. According to the author, all human beings have all types of intelligence, but to varying degrees. Gardner initially identified 7 types of intelligence, and later added two more. The program is based on 8 types of intelligence
