Taibah Celebrates Career Guidance
Jun 22, 2003
It is a fact that career guidance and counselling are lacking in many schools. Taibah College School has, however, gone a step ahead through its work experience programme. The results are beginning to show as students embrace this new way of training, reports <b>Herbert Ssempogo</b>
One of the major problems that graduates face in Uganda is failure to get employment. It affects people so much that it leads to mental retardation and related problems because of frustration.
A number of reasons like lack of “contacts†and increase in number of graduates in the country cause the problem. There are, however, other reasons that complicate the problem.
One of the main reasons is lack of experience in the fields in which graduates want employment. Almost all employers with vacancies usually state that a given applicant should have experience of a given number of years while applying.
Indeed one incensed New Vision reader recently wondered whether there are schools that teach the so much required “experience†so that graduates go there to acquire it.
It is for that reason that has prompted the Taibah College School (TCS) along Entebbe Road to incorporate ‘Work Experience’ in the curriculum.
Oskar Ssemweya Musoke the headteacher describes it as a programme where students are taken to work voluntarily in different organisations for a period of three to two weeks.
“We came up with the idea three years ago after realising the trouble graduates were going through to get employment,†Ssemweya said while closing the work experience day celebrations at the school premises last week on Sunday.
He said that by sending students to various companies, they help them to acquire skills that would assist them to gain independence even before they leave their parents’ homes.
“There were more implicit gains by students including more meaningful responsibilities, working in new roles and learning about the word of work,†he said.
“We have observed here at school that some S6 students’ attitude to academic has seriously improved since taking part in the programme,†he said.
Students from the school during the last holidays joined other companies where they performed tasks for three weeks.
Some of the companies that accommodated these students are Hot Loaf, AAR, Ex-Ken Ug Ltd, Kazinga Channel, Stanbic Bank, SAS clinic, Hunger Project, UTL Mango, Sky Net and many others.
The students narrated interesting ordeals about their stay at their respective places of work.
“The other challenge I faced was with greeting. There are people who came in and hardly said hullo. I however had to take the first initiative at this thing called greeting,†Aulah Luyombo of S.6 said.
She said that shortly after, everyone was her friend and greeting became the order of the day.
Ishta Kuteesa of S.3 said that the process gave her an idea of what it feels like to survive from her own sweat.
“In the adult world of work, most people work to survive not as part of a two-week programme,†she said.
Anthony Odele of S6 was full of praises for Stanbic Bank. He worked there for three weeks.
“I had so much work to do. One could hardly stay idle. The work required so much concentration,†he said.
Anita Mago, the mother of Nina Mago of S3 hailed the school for the brilliant programme adding that it would assist the students a lot.
“My daughter’s stay at Mama FM was so good. She became mature and could easily move about alone in town,†a smiling Mago said.
Speaking at the same function, John Muhimbise, a director at Stanbic Bank said the programme was a unique experience, which would also help the students after school. Six students who excelled in the programme received certificates.
Work experience is very vital in schools. It is part of career guidance, which is a cornerstone in the students’ time at any school. It could help students to identify the kinds of professions they are interested in and therefore choose the right subjects accordingly.
If emulated by other schools or adopted by the Ministry of Education ‘Work Experience’ could go a long way in helping students to choose the right subjects at secondary and tertiary level. Ends
A number of reasons like lack of “contacts†and increase in number of graduates in the country cause the problem. There are, however, other reasons that complicate the problem.
One of the main reasons is lack of experience in the fields in which graduates want employment. Almost all employers with vacancies usually state that a given applicant should have experience of a given number of years while applying.
Indeed one incensed New Vision reader recently wondered whether there are schools that teach the so much required “experience†so that graduates go there to acquire it.
It is for that reason that has prompted the Taibah College School (TCS) along Entebbe Road to incorporate ‘Work Experience’ in the curriculum.
Oskar Ssemweya Musoke the headteacher describes it as a programme where students are taken to work voluntarily in different organisations for a period of three to two weeks.
“We came up with the idea three years ago after realising the trouble graduates were going through to get employment,†Ssemweya said while closing the work experience day celebrations at the school premises last week on Sunday.
He said that by sending students to various companies, they help them to acquire skills that would assist them to gain independence even before they leave their parents’ homes.
“There were more implicit gains by students including more meaningful responsibilities, working in new roles and learning about the word of work,†he said.
“We have observed here at school that some S6 students’ attitude to academic has seriously improved since taking part in the programme,†he said.
Students from the school during the last holidays joined other companies where they performed tasks for three weeks.
Some of the companies that accommodated these students are Hot Loaf, AAR, Ex-Ken Ug Ltd, Kazinga Channel, Stanbic Bank, SAS clinic, Hunger Project, UTL Mango, Sky Net and many others.
The students narrated interesting ordeals about their stay at their respective places of work.
“The other challenge I faced was with greeting. There are people who came in and hardly said hullo. I however had to take the first initiative at this thing called greeting,†Aulah Luyombo of S.6 said.
She said that shortly after, everyone was her friend and greeting became the order of the day.
Ishta Kuteesa of S.3 said that the process gave her an idea of what it feels like to survive from her own sweat.
“In the adult world of work, most people work to survive not as part of a two-week programme,†she said.
Anthony Odele of S6 was full of praises for Stanbic Bank. He worked there for three weeks.
“I had so much work to do. One could hardly stay idle. The work required so much concentration,†he said.
Anita Mago, the mother of Nina Mago of S3 hailed the school for the brilliant programme adding that it would assist the students a lot.
“My daughter’s stay at Mama FM was so good. She became mature and could easily move about alone in town,†a smiling Mago said.
Speaking at the same function, John Muhimbise, a director at Stanbic Bank said the programme was a unique experience, which would also help the students after school. Six students who excelled in the programme received certificates.
Work experience is very vital in schools. It is part of career guidance, which is a cornerstone in the students’ time at any school. It could help students to identify the kinds of professions they are interested in and therefore choose the right subjects accordingly.
If emulated by other schools or adopted by the Ministry of Education ‘Work Experience’ could go a long way in helping students to choose the right subjects at secondary and tertiary level. Ends