Guidance Counselors Play Big Role in Career Path of Students – CHED

Cagayan De Oro City (PIA) – The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) during the 3rd Northern Mindanao Career Advocacy Congress on 18 September in Cagayan de Oro City shares that guidance counselors in schools have big role to play in helping students to choose the right career for them.

A guidance counselor may make or break K to 12 since by Grade 10, a student must choose his or her track, said supervising education program specialist, CHED region 10, Natalie Igot.

She said that there will be no enrolees for 1st year college next year 2016 or in SY 2017.

In order to address job mismatch posed by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), guidance counselors must go beyond the student and extend to family as guidance counselors. In fact, in higher education, they can network with tutors and teachers, among others.

Factors to be considered in making sure students go to the right direction in their careers are the aptitude test and fitting of jobs. Guidance counselors must study carefully how to use National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) and assess whether students have the aptitude to take the rigors of the courses of jobs they wish to take for example in Agribusiness among others, Igot said.

Igot even said that counselling must start from Kindergarten. If at an early age they don’t understand for example Agriculture, there will still be problem with employment.

The challenge for guidance counselors is to produce brightest students to stay here in the country. Igot said “Education is a potent force to true development.”

In fact, she said that our number one export is human resource. However, CHED has developmental packages designed for K to 12 transition where teachers are sent to trainings or further studies meantime there will be no enrolees for 1st year college in the next two years.

Meawhile, the Department of Education (DepEd) already sets out career guidance campaign and early registration campaign for incoming Senior High School (SHS) students through DepEd Order No. 41, s. 2015 – August 28, 2015.

The policy mandates that in Career Guidance Program, they must assist SHS entrants in making informed decisions regarding their choice of SHS track particularly whether in Academic, Technical-Vocational Livelihood, Sports and Arts and Design.

They must also promote awareness in the importance of choosing a track that suits their skills and interests that matches the available resources and needs of the society; and ensure that all SHS entrants are registered in the SHS program in SY 2016-2017.

In terms of career advancement for guidance counselors, Republic Act (RA) 9258 is a law that is Professionalizing the Practice of Guidance and Counseling and Creating Professional Regulatory Board; there will also be Promotion of International and Local Trainings sponsored by organizations through DepEd Advisories. (JMOR/PIA10)