Parents Learning to be Career Coaches
Parents are back in class and doing homework as part of a new Department of Education program. The Parents as Career Coaches workshop is designed to help parents become better career counsellors to their children.
"We are really changing the way we educate our youth and this program is a good example of that," said Education Minister Karen Casey. "We are working more closely with employers and parents to better prepare students for a very sophisticated labour market.
"Parents are a key part of career decision-making and this program gives them resources and support to help their children make solid career decisions. This is one of many things we are doing to ensure our students graduate with a plan for the future."
Parents as Career Coaches is designed to help parents better understand the Nova Scotia labour market and their role in guiding and counselling their children as they move from high school to post-secondary education or training and on to the workplace.
The workshop is delivered in three evening sessions. It encourages parents to share experiences and concerns with each another; teaches them to recognize and encourage their child's interests and talents and consider how those may lead to a career; provides good sources of career information; and helps parents understand and use that information to guide and support their children.
In the 2006-07 school year, Parents as Career Coaches will be offered to parents of students enrolled in the Options and Opportunities program. Twenty-seven schools around the province offer the Options and Opportunities program, which focuses on career development and matches students with qualified employers to gain workplace experience.
Wanda Rose's daughter, Samantha, is a Grade 10 student who is enrolled in the Options and Opportunities program at Sackville High School. Wanda Rose said the program has helped her daughter improve her marks and confidence and that she approached the Parents as Career Coaches workshop the same way her daughter approached the Options and Opportunities program -- with an open mind.
"I'm really enjoying interacting with other parents and knowing we're all experiencing similar situations," said Ms. Rose, who is involved in the first workshop being held at Sackville High School. "I'm learning a lot of things I didn't know, like the many options available to my daughter.
"I'm sure I'll be able to use what I'm learning to help my daughter make important decisions about her future."
The Parents as Career Coaches program is a partnership between the Department of Education and the Nova Scotia Community College. The career and transition services department at Nova Scotia Community College will deliver the workshops to parents. Cathy Campbell, career development specialist, is delivering the workshop at Lockview High School in Fall River.
"Many parents are shocked to find out that most high school students will look to them first for assistance with career planning," said Ms. Campbell. "Parents often say they don't know how to help their teens, and that's why it's important to give parents information and support through initiatives like Parents as Career Coaches."
Parents with children enrolled in the Options and Opportunities program and want to attend can call their school. People with feedback about the workshop can call 902-424-4264 or e-mail <[email protected].>
The province plans to expand the Parents as Career Coaches program to more high schools in the 2007-08 school year.
FOR BROADCAST:
A new Department of Education program has parents back in
class and doing homework.
The Parents as Career Coaches workshop helps parents be
better career counsellors to their children. Education Minister
Karen Casey says this is a good example of the changes the
department is making to the way it educates students. She says
helping parents will help students make informed career
decisions.
The workshop is being offered to twenty-seven high schools
across the province this year. The province plans to expand the
program next year.