Parents as Career Coaches Workshops Extended

More Nova Scotia parents will be prepared to offer practical career advice to their high school children after participating in career coaching workshops in the coming months.

The Department of Education will deliver at least 19 Parents as Career Coaches workshops across Nova Scotia in response to expressions of interest from parents and schools. Five workshops have taken place in the province since November.

Parents as Career Coaches workshops provide parents with tools to effectively guide their children as they move from high school to post-secondary education or training.

"People are usually surprised to learn that teenagers consistently name parents as their most influential source when it comes to career advice," said Education Minister Karen Casey. "We designed these workshops to help parents play that role more confidently and effectively."

Over three free evening sessions, parents learn about changing trends in today's job market, how to engage in productive career discussions with their teenagers, tools that will assess their interests and skills that might develop into a career choice.

"As children get older, their questions about education and career options get a lot harder," said Dawn Miller, a parent of two daughters in Grade 11 and a recent Parents as Career Coaches participant. "The best thing about these workshops is that they provide various tools and resources that are available for researching different careers. They also cover a range of useful career coaching skills.

"You learn how to find out what your child likes, where to direct them for information and how not to be in the driver's seat when it comes to your child's career choices."

During the 2006-2007 academic year, the Department of Education offered Parents as Career Coaches workshops only to parents of Options and Opportunities (O2) students. This is the first year the workshops are available to parents of all high school students in the province.

"Parents are really interested in helping their teens make career decisions and research education and training options," said Trevor Brumwell, school counsellor, Citadel High School. "We've seen a strong turnout for these sessions, and parents are enjoying the chance to talk to facilitators and each other about their child's interests and potential career directions.

"Parents as Career Coaches provides parents with practical tools and strategies to communicate with their daughters and sons and engage them in the process of developing their careers."

Parents who are interested in participating in a workshop should visit the Parents as Career Coaches website at www.parentsascareercoaches, or contact their child's high school.