Career Guidance
We have a dedicated webpage for students of Coláiste Naomh Cormac detailing numerous career paths available to each student here.
Aims of Guidance Programme
The aim of the Guidance Programme in Coláiste Naomh Cormac is to provide a comprehensive guidance service for all the students in our school.
Role
The role of the Guidance Counsellor is to provide for, and support, the personal, social, educational and vocational development of the student.
Guidance
Guidance is a range of processes designed to enable individuals to make informed choices and transitions related to their personal, education and career development.
Counselling will be offered on an individual or small group basis. The focus of counselling is on the personal, educational, and vocational issues, individually or in small groups or as part of supervised peer counselling. The guidance counselling service will provide a caring context for counselling, engage in advocacy where appropriate and support young people in personal crises. Individual Counselling is an interactive process to help the student to understand his personal reality in a safe, supportive environment and help him/her deal responsibility with his needs. Counselling may be defined as the skilled and principled use of relationship to facilitate self -knowledge, emotional acceptance, growth and the optimal development of personal resources. The overall aim is to provide an opportunity to work towards living more satisfyingly and resourcefully.
Function
The Guidance Counsellor assists students with their personal, social, educational and career choices by providing counselling, support, assessment, information, referrals and classroom guidance activities.
The Guidance Programme places particular emphasis on:
- The smooth transition from primary school and induction to second level
- The role of study in student life
- The decision making process
- Transition from Junior cycle to Senior cycle
- Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme
- Leaving Certificate Established Programme
- Transition from second level to further education / training and employment
The entire programme and its associated activities are delivered on an individual, group or class basis and may be on three separate levels:
- Personal and Social Guidance
- Educational Guidance
- Career Guidance
A wide variety of guidance and counselling activities are provided by the school. These include:
- Counselling is offered as part of an ongoing developmental process or at moments of urgent need
- Advice
- Mediation
- Assessment
- Educational Guidance – study skills, subject choice, time management skills
- Career Guidance – career decision making skills, job-search skills.
- Direct Information
- Classroom activities
- Personal and Social Developmental Programmes
- Referral – the provision of additional assistance from outside agencies following agreed procedures with parents and local agencies
General aims of the Guidance Programme for the student body:
- To develop an awareness of interests, aptitudes and personality traits in themselves and others
- To develop career awareness and develop employment readiness
- To acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions
- To recognise the need to take responsibility for their own vocational journey
- To view career development as a continuous life-long process
- To acquire the competency to consult with Guidance Counsellor and others in the wider community with regard to personal and educational concerns
To make an Appointment
- Appointments may be made directly by the students with the Guidance Counsellor
- Referrals may also be made by teachers or parents
- Each student who has been provided with an appointment must show the yellow Appointment Slip to the class teacher before the appointment
- All senior students are provided with an appointment (in alphabetical order by surname)
- Outside the regular schedule, appointments will depend on the availability of the Guidance Counsellor
- Some students may meet with the Guidance Counsellor on a number of occasions, depending on the set of circumstances
The Careers Library
Students may, with Guidance Counsellor’s permission, use the resources to research career information. Prospectii from a large number of third level and PLC institutions, as well as career and other job related information, are available on loan from the Careers Library.