How To Choose The Best Career Workshop for Students
Selecting the right career workshop for students is no easy feat given the myriad of choices available. However, it is important to choose the right one that students will engage in.
A 2021 survey showed that 49% of college students regret their majors. Moreover, 20-50% of students enter college unsure if the major they’ve chosen is right for them. These numbers are alarming given the fact that tertiary education is costly. Consequently, many students are left with student loan debt and irrelevant degrees.
Despite various initiatives like career counselling, career fairs and prescriptive tests, students still lack adequate understanding of the working world. As a result, students may not make the right career choices, causing them to waste time and money.
How can teachers pick the right career workshop for students? Here’s what to look for when choosing a career workshop.
Fun and Engaging
Like any other lesson in school, a career workshop should be engaging and interactive. Especially when a major decision is at stake. You want to make sure that students pay attention and internalize important concepts.
Some workshops offer a simulated environment where students can make life choices and see how their decisions play out. What’s more effective is a gamified experience with a reward system or leaderboard.
Students in this digital era are drawn to gamified and virtual experiences. Naturally, engaged students are more involved and invested, leading them to retain important information better.
Real-life Experiences
An effective career workshop offers students a taste of the future. More than mere information about a role, a good workshop allows students to experience making real-life choices and observing the outcomes.
As a real career journey is filled with ups and downs, a career workshop should mimic that experience. Things like retrenchment, life events, office politics, and personal circumstances can affect one’s career.
Therefore, a good career workshop covers these life elements, reminding students that career growth isn’t linear. Early awareness of how to navigate these bumps in the road can help students develop better understanding and resilience.
Career Tools
Aforementioned, career workshops should do more than present information. It should equip students with tools that help them discover themselves, their career options and high-demand skills.
Most workshops offer personality tests that prescribe potential job options to students. While these assessments are great to discover what students can venture into, they don’t provide enough depth and support.
Career workshops like WITGRITFIT presents students with a Career Canvas that they can access for a lifetime. Students can modify their career canvas as they proceed in their career journey and reflect on how far they’ve come.
A Career Canvas offers students a trusted framework that helps ensure that they are on the right track. Students can choose a career that is aligned to their core values, personalities and performance characteristics.
Peer Learning
Countless studies show that peer learning offers many benefits. It promotes teamwork, improves communication and listening skills, and increases knowledge retention.
Peer learning, also known as horizontal learning, allows students to see things from various perspectives and get feedback. This gives them the opportunity to widen their worldview and deepen their understanding.
Additionally, students also gain vital networking skills through peer learning.
Relevant, Real-Time Industry Knowledge
Most workshops surrounding career guidance are similar in terms of career concepts and preparation for college. However, what students also need is real-time industry exposure.
High-impact workshops cover top economies, in-demand skills, market volatility and career mobility. Exposure to current issues are vital to career decision-making as the job market changes rapidly.
Looking for the perfect career workshop that meets your school’s objectives? Talk to our career experts and customize a workshop your students will enjoy!
Permalink