Red U (Apr 2016)
Considerations about a Counseling experience in the Faculty of Engineering-Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos.
Abstract
The present work presents the different strategies and instruments concerning Vocational guidance that have been implemented at a state university in Argentina for ten years, together with an analysis of the most significant factors that have been approached within this space. The Office of Educational Guidance and Career Counseling is an area within the university that encompasses Education professionals and Psychologists, who work co-operatively with teachers, alumni, administrative and faculty authorities. At University level, Vocational guidance is a powerful tool that enables specialists to work on different underlying issues, which relate to the vocational decisions students take, especially during the entrance and graduation stages. It is at university where, apart from education, social interaction becomes possible, thus enabling the establishment of spaces that foster interaction with others, and that allow for the provision of support in the resolution of everyday concerns. The strategies and instruments that are here presented include: open days for future undergraduates; advice on how to settle-down; undergraduate vocational orientation surveys; student mentoring schemes; tutoring; workshops for learners in the first years, workshops for learners in the more advanced courses; brief questionnaires on vocational decisions; and individual interviews. As well as this, reference is here made to more informal and casual meetings given that these can frequently allow for students to express their views concerning their individual situations in particular. This experience shows that there are a number of ways in which Vocational guidance can be approached at University, and that this is especially so given that career choices are always under development, and that the choice does not take place linearly.
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