Abstract
M.Ed.
Making a career choice is the most important decision any school leaver has to make.
However, research conducted at the University of the Western Cape, indicates that only 23,4% of first year students are satisfied with the career counselling' processes they were exposed to. Career guidance practices in South Africa rely heavily on the Trait-and- Factor approach that originated during the Industrial Era. Frank Parsons, founder of this specific theory was responsible for the reforms that enabled workers to choose jobs that suited their specific aptitudes and interests. It also led to the rise of the psychometric movement as jobs were matched with personalities based on the client's specific psychometric test results. This practice might have been sufficient in the Industrial Era. However, school leavers are currently faced with an ever-changing labour market where job descriptions are no longer stagnant and job security is no longer guaranteed. School leavers need to be prepared to survive in an informal labour market where the focus is on the constant upgrading of job related skills. Unfortunately, however, it appears that career guidance practices in South Africa do not satisfy the needs school leavers have regarding career guidance. Career guidance interventions rely too heavily on outdated career approaches, such as the Trait-and-Factor theory, that do not take the dynamic nature of the labour market into account. The purpose of this study is to determine how the adolescent experiences a career guidance process that is based on the Trait-and-Factor approach where personal contact with the career counsellor is limited to the administering of psychometric tests and a written report. A qualitative research strategy was used to enable the researcher to establish what meaning the school leaver attached to a career intervention based on the Trait-and-Factor approach. Focus group interviews have been conducted with grade 11 learners who were exposed to the already mentioned career guidance process. The original question posed by the researcher was as follows: "How did you experience the career guidance process?"The data-analysis, which was confirmed by a literature study, indicates that career guidance processes, which rely on the Trait-and-Factor approach and limit personal contact with the career counsellor, do not meet the needs of their clients. Participants indicated that the process resulted in a negative emotional experience, which hampered their ability to make a realistic career choice. They also identified certain needs that were not satisfied during the process. These include: the need for personal contact with the career counsellor; the need to establish a therapeutic relationship in order to allow the client to explore his or her weaknesses and strengths in a safe environment; the need for information on the purpose of the psychometric tests used and information on how the test results were interpreted; and relevant information on the current labour market and tertiary institutions. Participants also criticised the career assessment they completed. They perceived the psychometric test to be outdated and the test-items as boring. They were also concerned that the standard test battery did not take their unique nature into account and may have resulted in inaccurate test results. A number of guidelines based on the themes identified by the analysis of the focus group interviews have been developed for career counsellors to take into account when planning a career intervention.