CAREER GUIDANCE • SELF-AWARENESS • FUTURE PLANNING
Helping Grade 11 students at Visuvamadu explore possibilities for their future
For students in Grade 11, the question of what comes next can feel both exciting and uncertain. What should I study? Which career could suit me? What skills will I need? At the Skills Development Centre in Visuvamadu, CFCD created a practical space for 42 Grade 11 students of Visuvamadu Maha Vidyalaya to begin exploring these questions with greater awareness and confidence.
With the financial support of Child First (UK), CFCD organised a Career Guidance Session on 25 August 2026, bringing together students and four officials from the skills development structure. The session encouraged students to look at career choice as a process of self-discovery rather than simply choosing a familiar or popular occupation. They reflected on their interests, abilities, preferences and expectations while learning about a wider range of occupations and vocational possibilities.
A structured Career Key interest assessment formed an important part of the session. Using six broad RIASEC interest areas—Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional—students explored patterns in the activities and types of work they may enjoy. They then considered how their interests could connect with possible occupations and pathways through further education, vocational training and employment.
The value of the exercise went beyond completing an assessment. Each student’s results were recorded in an individual career-guidance record, including suggested occupational areas. This gave students a practical starting point for thinking about their future and created useful information that CFCD and the school can draw on for more personalised guidance in the future.
The session also reinforced an important message: career planning can begin with knowing yourself before choosing a job title. By reflecting on their interests and discussing the assessment results, students could begin to recognise how personal strengths and preferences may influence the choices they make. Introducing these ideas at Grade 11 gives students time to explore options, strengthen relevant skills and make more informed decisions about their next stage.
For Child First (UK), the session demonstrates how support for young people’s education can extend beyond academic learning. Career guidance adds a future-readiness dimension by helping students understand themselves, discover a wider range of possibilities and approach their next steps with greater purpose.
Overall, the session gave 42 Grade 11 students an opportunity to look ahead in a structured and reflective way. Rather than presenting career choice as a single decision, CFCD helped students begin a process of knowing themselves, exploring possibilities and considering pathways that may suit them. The individual assessment records provide a useful foundation for continued, age-appropriate career guidance as students move towards further education, vocational training and employment.