Career resources for students in Malta

AuthorL: Claire Custo’, Euroguidance Malta Centre 

 Euroguidance Malta printed various career resources to serve as information tools for students in State schools. The resources included career posters for primary and secondary state schools, career school subjects card game called ‘Match and Sort’/’Agħżel u Qabbel’ for year 8 students and the ‘My Journal’ for year 9 students. These resources help students explore and understand different career paths, connect school subjects to future opportunities, and make informed choices about their education and goals. 

Career Posters 

Euroguidance Malta developed six different career-related posters. Each primary and secondary state school in Malta and Gozo, received three posters. Each of these posters had various career-related messages to students. The aim of the posters is to get students to think critically about the decisions they need to make and help them to make informed career choices. The posters were hung up and displayed in the schools where students could see them regularly. Career advisors informed students about these posters during assembly and other sessions.   Another set of posters is planned to be printed in this grant agreement for middle schools (year 7 and year 8 students). 

Career School Subjects Card Game ‘Match and Sort’/’Agħżel u Qabbel’ 

The ‘Match and Sort’/’Agħżel u Qabbel’ career school subjects card game is being distributed to middle schools and forms part of the Option Choice exercise for year 8 students. Each middle state school received three sets of these card games. Each game box contains a total of 137 cards which are distributed in five different packs of cards. Each pack contains seven or eight subjects, an answer sheet for each pack and an instruction sheet. Three to four students will work on each pack and then rotate. 

The objective of the game is for students to identify the main concepts of the 33 option subjects across the five packs. This is achieved by matching and sorting four pictures on each subject. For example:  

Card 1 features the subject option name ‘Biology’. Card 2 has the picture of the subject. Card 3 shows the learning environment related to the subject. Card 4 shows the working environment associated with the subject. For language subject options, Card 4 indicates the country or countries where the language is spoken. 

After completing the matching and sorting of each pack, students are then asked to compare their answers with the answer sheet provided to check if they completed their pack correctly. With the teacher’s guidance, students will then be asked questions to encourage reflection. Students are asked to reflect on the game itself, the subjects presented, and the subjects they intend to choose for the next three years that are relevant for their future. The aim of the game is for students to make informed choices regarding the subject options they will be selecting.

‘My Career Journal’ 

‘My Career Journal’ is a career resource developed by career guidance practitioners specifically for year 9 students. There are plans in the next grant agreement from 2024-2026, to print more copies of the career journal so that more students can benefit from this resource.  

The journal serves as a career guidance guide and the aim is to raise awareness among students and young people about the various careers available across the different sectors. The journal provides information related to each sector which includes career descriptions and examples of careers within the sector, the required skills and also the work environment. Following each career sector, there are lined pages for students to reflect on and write down any notes regarding their interests or any issues they wish to explore further. Career guidance practitioners are available to help students and young people to further explore their interests and discuss any related matters. 

These tools are valuable tools for students because they encourage curiosity, self-awareness and informed decision-making about future career paths. Therefore, they are important because they make career learning engaging and relevant, helping students make confident choices about their future.