Page 24 - Compendium

AWARDS

Award for providing high school students with career education and
career counselling of high quality:

Gymnázium Ivana Kupca, Hlohovec
‘Start working with a delight!’ is a programme of occupational orientation designed
for high school students. When she started working at the high school, Michaela
Nagyová, a school psychologist, carried out a survey among students in diff erent
classes to create an overview of their needs. As the survey indicated, guidance on
choice for higher education programme ranked as the most important need among
senior-year students. As a part of the programme students had space to express
their expectations, refl ect on their career paths, identify their personal interests and

strengths, gain insights into the labour market needs, and formulate their salary
requirements.
Programme consisted of 5 meetings/modules: the fi rst 4 meetings were held in smaller
groups followed by an individual session with each student. In the fi rst module – ‘What
is the meaning of work?’ – students were encouraged to think about the role of work
in one’s life and about their own personal goals. The second module – ‘I am great, but
how to make use of it?’ - was meant to increase self-awareness – one’s own strengths,
interests, and personality traits aff ecting work behaviour and performance. ‘Searching
the web’ was the name of the 3rd module which aim was to encourage students to
look for job-specifi c information (i.e. required qualifi cations and skills) on the selected
websites (sustavapovolani.sk, istp.sk), and to browse through the relevant job portals
(profesia.sk, istp.sk, linkedin.com) to gain insight into demand and requirements
on the labour market. In the fourth module - ‘Working life of adults’ - students were
introduced into HR procedures (e.g. job interview preparation). Feedbacks and fi nal

refl ections were collected during individual sessions (‘Questions to ask yourself’)
with participants. Short guidance session was provided to the students if they were
still struggling with their career choice. Likewise, participants were off ered with
a possibility to continue in individual sessions in the next school year.
Compliance with all the ethical norms was assured throughout the programme by
creating a comfortable and confi dential environment during individual sessions and
by respecting students’ freedom of choice and opinion. Programme, provided on
a voluntary basis, was created to empower students, improve their career management
skills, sense of responsibility, and increase their motivation, essential for their future
personal and professional development.

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