Career guidance survey says 72.2% students from Nagaland want to pursue higher education

Dimapur, Sep. 12 (EMN): A career guidance survey conducted to assess the aspirations and goals of students across Nagaland has revealed several interesting information, including 72.2% of students wish to pursue higher education after completing higher secondary.

The survey was conducted under LaunchPad, a career guidance and employability skill development programme designed for students pursuing 12th standard in all government higher secondary schools across Nagaland, according to an update from YouthNet.

According to the LaunchPad Career Guidance Survey Report 2022, a total of 67.7% of students, who participated in the exercise, stated that their decision to go to college or university or into job training is due to influence in their decisions from their family members.

On whether an increase in college fees would affect their decision about their ambition after leaving school, 39.63% said it won’t, while 33.09% said it would make them think twice and 15.43% responded that such a move will put them off.

As per the findings, 70.80% said that their main reason for choosing to go to college is to get a better job in the future, 56% cited the main reasons for choosing to work or take up a professional training to get employment is to support their families financially.

While 75.26% respondents said that they plan to pursue higher education in Nagaland, 50.22% cited “better exposure, facilities and opportunities” for wanting to pursue higher education outside the state.

A total of 31.48% respondents said they researched about courses, careers and employment from print media such as newspapers, brochures and posters.

The survey also found out that a majority of the respondents wanted their schools to organise events on higher education, vocational training and career fairs. It also revealed that a whopping 91% has not taken any test or online assessment to understand themselves better or to suggest well-matched careers.

It was informed that a total of 3271 students took part in the survey conducted from May till September 2022.

LaunchPad programme is an initiative of the state’s Department of Youth Resources and Sports in partnership with YouthNet and supported by the Department of School Education, “specially designed to help the students develop their soft skills, motivate them to pursue higher education, encourage them to explore avenues beyond traditional jobs and plan their career based on their abilities and interests” as well as help fight unemployment amongst the youth.

The update from the YouthNet stated that ‘3397 students have been registered under the LaunchPad 2022 Phase from 44 Government Higher Secondary Schools in 16 districts of Nagaland’ and the Phase 2 will start from September 2022 onwards.

“During the second phase, students will be introduced to the World of Work. This will be followed by a Higher Education and Career Fair for the students in May 2023,” said the update.