The role of career guidance in young people's futures

Abstract

In January, the HSRC's Zimingonaphakade Sigenu interviewed past students of public secondary schools in Engcobo, a small rural town in the Eastern Cape. The fieldwork, which was part of The Imprint of Education study, highlighted concerns about the poor quality of career counselling in rural schools. Sigenu argues that learners with insufficient exposure to relevant career guidance are at risk of making ill-informed educational and career choices. Without an adequate awareness of their intellectual abilities, current opportunities, and the structural challenges to employment or livelihoods, the challenges of transitioning to post-school education and the world of work become insurmountable.