Clarendon Parker, Change Associates, Educational Consultancy Services sign up for GETEX school outreach programme

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Strategies for planning higher education must be supported by rigorous self-assessments, while students' awareness of mainstream and lesser known career streams can be developed by educators and industry professionals.

These conclusions were drawn at an evening of discussion on 'Planning Higher Education vis-à-vis Career Objectives' held yesterday (January 31) and initiated by International Conferences & Exhibitions (IC&E), the organisers of GETEX - The Gulf Education and Training Exhibition The discussion was the first event in a school outreach programme of the same name, which is now supported by experts from Clarendon Parker, official Career Counsellors for GETEX; The Change Associates, official Life Planning Advisors for GETEX; and Educational Consultancy Services (ECS), official Admissions Advisors for visitors to GETEX.

'This pilot project evolved from a need to provide the community and the education industry in the region, both of whom have contributed to the continued success of GETEX over the past 16 years, with an enriched programme,' stated Anselm Godinho, Managing Director, IC&E. 'On the one hand, the enormous range of career-choices continues to grow; on the other, paradoxically, certain professions are losing their relevance in face of increasing automation of the workplace. With retirement ages being lowered in almost every country of the world, the realities facing the next generation of professionals will be very different from the relative security of our time.'

'At IC&E, we recognize that we are in a position to help students optimise their academic and professional potential and contribute to the development of the next generation of the human resource bank. To achieve our goals we are bringing together similarly committed individuals and organisations in this project,' explained Godinho.

Addressing the school leaders, Robert Turner, international Education Consultant and Managing Director, The Change Associates FZ-LLC, said: 'A career is more than just the work an individual does for money. It is an expression of an individual's total makeup as a person. A person's moral choices are expressed through his career. Hobbies, recreation, and development of talents are directly related to the way someone practices his career. In choosing a career, students are choosing how they want to live their life. And in choosing their education path, they are laying only PART of the groundwork for a potential career. But it is a very important and costly part.'

In his future interaction with the students, Turner aims to sensitise students about the whole issue of career and life choices, and what it means to choose a particular career. He will also provide an introduction to self-assessment tools that help promote an understanding of individual strengths in skills, attitudes and aptitudes. His interactive sessions will encourage an understanding of the value of a personal portfolio that students can build to be the start of their university application process and their CV later in life.

At the 17th GETEX, to be held from April 5 to 8, 2005, at Dubai International Exhibition Centre, Turner will provide consultation and support in the process of making some of the hard choices that students will face in selecting a school (or getting selected by a school) for a particular course. He is also designing some in-show workshops for students and teachers on career and life choices, as well as help for schools that want to set up their own career and life choice programmes.

Speaking of the global employment trends, Patrick Luby, Managing Director, Clarendon Parker Middle East FZ LLC, stated: 'It is essential that students become aware not only of their choices, but also of the competition which exists t today's market place. This competition for existing employment opportunities will only increase, especially within the GCC. The recruitment decisions of tomorrow's employers will be driven by the cost and value of each employee - there will be no passengers on board their career ship - only crew.'

As part of the two month project, Aida Elsamna, International Students Advisor, ECS, at the in-school presentations will provide students with information on admissions requirements for higher education in various countries across the globe. She will also be available for consultation at the 17th GETEX, to help students through the often complicated process of understanding and comparing admission and study requirements of international universities through the 4 short days of the exhibition.