32.Career guidance program to assist potential students coming from poor families and foster children – Dr Mohamad Surya, Indonesia

32.1Key Issues

  • According to the Constitution, all children have the right to education and a right to enter the workplace.
  • In 1996 the municipality asked the question: How can we give poor children further education?
  • The SDSHS school was developed.

32.2“Student Development of Senior High School Plus” (SDSHS)

  • This school is located in Bandung, West Java.
  • This institution was designed to educate students from JuniorSecondary School with high academic achievement and high potential who had the status of a foster child or came from a poor family.
  • This institution was established in the 1995/1996 school year as a form of education unit in the secondary level which implemented a special education program.
  • Educational process – students are enrolled in the regular high school as well as in the dormitory.
  • Dormitory (after school) activities included:

-Teaching learning plus – students learn English and Arabic and computer studies.

-Agro-business.

-Entrepreneurship for self employment,

-Accounting for practical business knowledge.

-Guidance and counseling – how to help students to develop an identity, recognize life resources, and assist in their preparation to enter the world of work.

32.3Career Guidance and counseling

By career guidance, the students in the dormitory will get assistance in:

  • Getting a better and more accurate sense of self understanding.
  • Recognizing any kind of life resources.
  • Mature preparation to enter the world of working and life in general.
  • Choosing adequate placement in a certain life field.
  • Solving specific problems relating to vocation and other life patterns.
  • Making objective and healthy choices for careers.

Career guidance helps students as young generation to:

  • Possess intellectual capabilities needed for succeeding in various aspects of life.
  • Possess skills for self understanding, management, control, appreciation, and direction.
  • Possess knowledge or information regarding life environment;
  • Be able to interact with others effectively.
  • Be able to overcome problems of everyday life.
  • Understand, internalize, and apply principles of religion that are related to careers.

Career guidance activities include:

  • Gaining and understanding career information through: interaction with relevant factors such as teachers, guidance workers, counselors, parents, peers, administrators, officials etc.
  • Receiving information from counselors with regards to opportunities of guidance activities.
  • Studying printed materials or other media relating to career guidance.
  • Participation in lectures given by resources persons.
  • Discussion on subjects concerning career problems.
  • Visiting some subjects related to career guidance,skills practice through simulation, games and group work.
  • Consultation with relevant persons.
  • Studying and doing assignments in the career guidance modules.

32.4Conclusion

  • Career guidance that is conducted with an integrated approach has positive effects. This is shown by the enthusiasm in learning activities and another social interactions.
  • This will impact a student’s learning achievement and mastering of various skills that are needed to enter the world of work and higher educational levels.
  • The most important thing is the strong internalization of values as a basic-fundamental of one’s personality and way of life.
  • Until now Bina Siswa Plus has graduated 720 students for 13 generations with a 100% pass rate at the National Examination.
  • 426 alumni’s or 59% continued to Higher Education/University with a scholarship and successfully entered the world of work as entrepreneur, professional, civil servant, etcetera.
  • A key component to learning at work is learning from interacting with patients, colleagues, customers and clients.
  • Formal training often adds value to individuals’ career development.
  • Taking advantage of learning opportunities is helpful for individual development and being self-directed and self-reflexive is critical.