IMPROVING EARLY CAREER GUIDANCE ACTIVITIES WITH SCHOOL GRADUATES

Abstract

This study is devoted to examining the professional orientation of school students, their professional self-determination, and the formation of success in the field of vocational education. Modern approaches to career guidance at school are considered in the context of a changing labor market and the dynamics of emerging professions. Preliminary professional diagnostics make it possible to study the graduate’s personality, value orientations, interests, aptitudes, abilities, and motivation in choosing a profession. Early career guidance activities contribute to the process of self-determination of high school students in developing life plans and mastering the basics of professional knowledge.

The article presents a set of measures aimed at providing psychological and pedagogical support to students in choosing an individual professional trajectory, including: career guidance testing, counseling based on test results, development of an individual development plan, training sessions on soft skills development, master classes, and excursions to industrial enterprises for school graduates in the city of Atyrau. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with project participants to identify students’ interests and strengths, as well as to determine ways of their professional development and self-realization.