Senior Classes: Vocational guidance in the School

Beginning with the ninth grade, high school students have to solve a number of issues related to professional self-determination. A single state exam puts the senior classes of the school before choosing a profession long before obtaining a certificate of secondary education. In addition to the mandatory USE in mathematics and the Russian language, you must choose two or three more exams. The options depend on the profile of the higher education institution in which the graduate will be trained. However, it is necessary to determine the choice in advance in order to effectively prepare for the USE or to choose a profile training program in the senior classes.

These objective circumstances force the high school students to think about the future profession.

Despite the flow of diverse information provided to modern boys and girls, the world of professions is very far from them. Many students who come to the upper grades do not know the essence of a number of professions. Sometimes the only criterion by which the merit of a profession is assessed is its financial prestige. In addition, high school students often can not really assess their potential for the desired professional activity.

Thus, vocational guidance in the school is relevant and requires a serious systematic approach from class leaders and specialists of the educational institution.

In the basis of the construction of vocational guidance work there can be three directions.

1) "What can I do?" The goal of vocational guidance is to help high school students learn their abilities, motives, preferences. A great role in the organization of work at this stage is played by the cooperation of class leaders and psychologists. Means of vocational guidance are the methods of professional self-determination. These include the "Differential Diagnostic Questionnaire" EA Klimova, "Map of Interests", "Professional Intentions", "Anchor Care" and others.

Organization of business games, participation in social projects help schoolchildren in the senior classes to learn their priorities in the field of profession selection.

2) "What I want". This direction should give an idea of the diversity of the world of professions. The most effective methods are excursions, acquaintance with new modern directions of secondary and higher professional education, invitation to senior classes of university teachers, meetings with representatives of different professions. Reliable information stimulates the desire of students to become involved in this or that professional sphere.

3) "What I need" - a direction that to some extent brings young people closer to the harsh reality. To such realities is, for example, the financial situation of the family. In addition, not all professions that a senior pupil likes can correspond to his physiological characteristics or state of health.

An important point in vocational guidance work is the construction of several routes of professional education, taking into account the combination of the three sides of the choice of the profession "I can, I want, I must."

The program of profile education, which is chosen by the senior classes of many schools, has become an essential aid in the professional self-determination of schoolchildren. Popular profiles are: mathematical, humanitarian (including foreign languages), socio-economic, information technology, chemical-biological.

The organization of vocational guidance among students in schools should include work with parents. Actual topics for discussion at parents' meetings in the senior classes can be: "Youthful age and professional self-determination", "Mechanisms for the formation of professional motivation", "Ways of conflict-free communication."