Weak vocational guidance leads students into the “trap” of “expendable” university majors.

Students and their families confirmed that the weakness of the culture of vocational and university guidance directed at third-cycle students in schools, and its absence among second-cycle students, falls them into a “trap” of “consumable” university specializations that do not suit their abilities and do not keep pace with the needs of the labor market, while the Department of Education and Knowledge confirmed that schools are required from the beginning This year, by implementing the new policy on vocational and university guidance, and appointing at least one full-time vocational mentor.

Students in the third session, Hussein Ali, Amjad Hisham, Muhammad Shawqi, Nourhan Hamid, and Amani Ibrahim, confirmed that schools are satisfied with clarifying university requirements and the mechanism for applying to universities and do not provide them with guidance that helps the student make the right professional decision, choose the profession appropriate to his abilities and inclinations, and prepare. For it, and the subjects that are supposed to be studied to enroll in it, in a way that achieves professional compatibility and increases the chances of success, at both the individual and societal levels.

While the families of students, Islam Khalifa, Moataz Al-Toukhi, Samer Al-Talawi, Manal Khaled, Magda Ahmed, and Mona Al-Shazly, called for the vocational and university guidance programs provided by schools to also include the students’ families in order to introduce them to the most important specializations in the labor market, and the requirements for admission so that they can help Their children and prepare them properly, to enroll in it instead of falling into the trap of expendable university majors.

The students and their families unanimously agreed that vocational and university guidance should include an organized mechanism to prepare the student to choose the appropriate academic major, through the implementation of educational meetings, lectures and joint workshops between the guidance and guidance team within the school, the students, their families and labor market institutions.

In the same context, educators Ayman Iskandar, Talal Sobeih, Sarah Zidan, and Rasha Ismail emphasized that advanced technology has now surrounded students from every direction and controls their interests. Therefore, electronic means and available sources of information must be taken advantage of and used to provide professional guidance to students in an interactive and attractive manner. To attract them and attract them to the right ways to choose optimal career paths. They pointed out the need for educational institutions to bear the responsibility of disseminating specialized professional knowledge and expertise, and training and qualifying national cadres capable of advancing the process of vocational guidance, in order to enable young people in the UAE to determine their university majors and choose the professional path that suits their abilities and inclinations, which Through it they can produce, create, and serve the nation.

For its part, the Department of Education and Knowledge issued a new policy for vocational and university guidance, a copy of which was obtained by Emirates Today, to provide support and vocational and university guidance to students to contribute to ensuring their smooth and successful transition to their future destinations, as the policy specifies the basic requirements for organizing the process of offering a program. Vocational and university guidance in schools, the tasks of the vocational and university guidance counselor, and the necessary requirements for monitoring and evaluating the program.

The department set three goals for the vocational and university guidance policy, which included organizing the process of providing a high-quality vocational and university guidance program in schools, determining the institutional and functional requirements and qualifications required for vocational and university guidance counselors, in addition to commissioning annual evaluations to measure the effectiveness of the program and submitting reports to the Department of Education. And knowledge.

The department obligated each school to appoint at least one vocational and university guidance counselor on a full-time equivalent basis by September 1, 2026, and to ensure that he holds a certificate from the seventh level according to the national qualifications system in the Emirates (a bachelor’s degree) in any specialty, in addition to meeting the requirements. Continuing professional development, or obtaining a bachelor’s degree in any specialty, in addition to his previous or current work as a teacher, and in the event that the professional guidance counselors do not meet the requirements Current university graduates who meet the aforementioned recruitment requirements must undergo basic training and on-the-job training, in addition to additional professional development programs.

The department has identified 9 mandatory tasks for the vocational and university guidance counselor, the most prominent of which are understanding the professional aspirations of each student in cycle 3, starting from grade 9/year 10, and providing the necessary guidance regarding planning and harmonizing the student’s classification in a way that meets his aspirations and ambitions (choosing majors, academic and extracurricular interests, etc.). , and advise each student on the most appropriate or “best fit” local and international options and institutions to achieve his or her professional aspirations, and ensure that Each student has submitted at least one application to a post-secondary destination.

The Department confirmed that all schools are obligated to this policy since the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year, stressing that failure to comply with this policy will expose the school to legal accountability and penalties applied under the regulations, policies and requirements of the Department of Education and Knowledge.

Program evaluation

The Department of Education and Knowledge confirmed that schools must monitor and evaluate their vocational and university guidance program, by developing qualitative and quantitative indicators and internal procedures to evaluate the level of provision of vocational and university guidance services, and vocational and university guidance counselors must belong to annual membership in at least one of the organizations. Professional qualifications for career and university guidance counselors, completing at least 25 hours of professional development Annually (in areas related to the job role as much as possible).

“Education and knowledge”:

. Obligating schools to provide a high-quality vocational and university guidance program, and specifying the institutional and functional requirements and qualifications required for vocational and university guidance counselors.

. 9 mandatory tasks for a career counselor.