Careers and Career Choices

1. Careers and Career Choices Self-knowledge

2. Key Concepts • SAQA – the South African Qualifications Authority • NQF – the National Qualifications Framework • RPL – recognition of prior learning • Skilled worker – a person who has received specialised and extensive training in a particular occupation, such as engineer, doctor, dentist, or lawyer • Semi-skilled worker – a person who has received some, but not extensive, training in a particular occupation, such as cook, waiter, shopkeeper • Unskilled labour – people who have no training or very basic training and therefore have very limited career choice, such as cleaner, dishwasher or farm labourer • Learnership – a training programme that that combines theory and practical on-the-job experience

3. Introduction • Self-knowledge is a critical factor in determining your career • Self-reflection enables you to establish your strengths, skills, interests, personality, values and career expectations • Having awareness of the above = self-knowledge • In other words it refers to an assessment of your own personality • Self-knowledge is the first step in successful career planning

4. Types of Personality John Holland, a career guidance specialist in the USA, devised a format that matched several personality types to particular skills and interests. His format comprised of the following six personality types: • Realistic (R) • Investigative (I) • Artistic (A) • Social (S) • Enterprising (E) • Conventional (C) Remember RIASEC

5. Matching Personality Types to Occupations • Realistic people like to work with things, e.g. chef, air traffic controller, builder • Investigative people prefer working with data, e.g. medical technician, computer programmer, engineer or scientist • Artistic people enjoy working with ideas, e.g. commercial artist, musician, designer, philosopher • Social people like working with people, e.g. teacher, nurse, counsellor • Enterprising people enjoy life when creating and selling products, e.g. politician, entrepreneur, marketing manager • Conventional people are happiest when working with data, in fields such as accountancy, administration and the paralegal profession You may find out what occupations your personality is suited to by completing a Personal Inventory Form – a summary account of your knowledge, skills, interests, personality traits, values and interests

6. SAQA and the NQF • SAQA is a body appointed by the Ministers of Education and Labour and has two main functions: to oversee the development of the NQF and to oversee the implementation of the NQF • Education and training institutions are allowed to develop their own courses, but they are only included in the NQF once they have been accredited with SAQA • The NQF registers records of learners’ achievements, which then become nationally recognised • Within NQF there are 3 learning bands. Each band has a NQF level or levels of learning attached to it. • ABET stands for Adult Basic Education and Training

7. National Qualifications Framework NQF

8. RPL and Learnerships • People, who failed to attain formal learning for no faults of their own, are assessed for recognition of prior learning to offer them opportunities for further studies • Some form of informal, non-formal learning is considered though perhaps not directly related to the chosen field of study • On that basis they are accorded an opportunity to take a study programme together with those who attained formal training • Learnerships are professional and vocational education training programmes that combine theory and practical experience (On the job training) • The employer normally pays the full fees and offers the learner some pocket money for the study period. • Conclusion – “Successful people do what other people won’t, so that one day they can live the way that other people can’t” – Author unknown