It’s Not Career Advice that 10 Year-Olds Need

Whilst Simon Hughes’ call for Primary schools to offer career advice has some basic merit, it deviates from the most important needs of a primary student.

Youngsters will be urged to start thinking about their careers from the age of ten under plans unveiled today by the Coalition’s education access czar.

Simon Hughes, the Liberal Democrats’ deputy leader, wants primary schools to start giving career counselling to pupils.

Mr Hughes said: ‘It is never too early for people to start thinking about future careers and educational opportunities.

‘Children in their last year of primary school can be inspired, and can form their first clear impressions of the world of work and further study.’

Primary schools will have to host career advice sessions with industry experts and parents to discuss what qualifications are needed.

He hopes the move will make youngsters start thinking about university before they even start secondary school. Mr Hughes said: ‘The message I have heard from young people around the country is clear.

‘We need better careers advice, starting early, and with parents as well as students given better information about going to university.

If you give students the encouragement and support to help them see where their qualities lie, what they are good at and how they can use those skills to contribute to a classroom, school and society you never need to worry about career advice. The reason why so many students seem aimless and unsure of their future is because not enough time and energy has been put into their strengths and too much time tends to be focussed on their weaknesses.

By Grade 6 students seem to be aware of where they are academically, what they struggle to do well and how they are regarded by teachers and fellow students. What they might not be aware of is that there is so much more than academics in the makeup of a person. There is their personality, creativity, street smarts and leadership skills. Teachers must understand the strengths of all their students and praise them accordingly.

A student who is aware of what they love to do, where their talents lie and how they can use those skills and traits to contribute to society never need worry about career advice. Not at 10 years old anyway.

Tags: Careers, Education, life, Parenting, Politics, primary school, Simon Hughes, University

This entry was posted on July 21, 2011 at 10:47 pm and is filed under Education Policy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “It’s Not Career Advice that 10 Year-Olds Need”

broadsideblog Says:
July 21, 2011 at 11:12 pm | Reply
I agree with you, but another aspect of this — and 10 is little young — is shadowing people who work in a field you think might appeal or doing informational interviews, school visits, whatever.

The whole notion of picking a career, when you know no one who does it all day and can’t find out what it’s really like, is absurd. I had fantasies, even at 12 or 13, of becoming a radio DJ…a brief visit to a local radio station (I called and asked, at about 16) very quickly made clear my fantasies were just that. (I became, and still am, a journalist.)

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