By: Angelica Mae I. Javier
Last February 7 to 11, 2022, Malayan Colleges Laguna, A Mapúa School’s Center for Guidance and Counseling (MCL CGC) together with MCL Senior High School (MCL-SHS) Department held the SHS Career Week for S.Y. 2021 – 2022 titled “Building Professionals: Career Exploration in the New Normal,” with the official hashtag #CGCSHSCareerWeek.
Held annually, the SHS Career Week is a seven-part event. MCL CGC collaborated with the MCL Supreme Student Council (MCL SSC) and the CGC Peer Facilitators’ Club to cultivate the career paths that the current SHS students will further explore in the new normal set-up.
The list of activities prepared showcases what the current SHS students should look out for before they choose their own career paths and programs for college which are aligned with the global trend with the objectives of being aware of the factors to be considered in career exploration and career decision-making, to be informed of the latest career trends and job markets in the new normal, and to appreciate the importance of career exploration in making right career choices in the new normal.
The celebration of the SHS Career Week launched via Blackboard Learn (BBL), MCL’s learning management system with the events of SHS Career Week Module for Grade 11 and Grade 12, along with the Career Bingo last February 7, 2022. MCL-CGC also posted various Career Testimonial videos of MCL alumni on their official Facebook page.
As part of the event celebration, webinars were held last February 8, 2022, via Facebook Live. As the first invited guest as part of their online seminar series, Ms. Joanna Pareja, the Workforce Development Trainer for the Center for Education Innovation for the National Teachers’ College, discussed the career paths to consider for the first webinar titled “Exploration and Career Decision Making.” Alongside the first speaker, Ms. Mary Jane T. Banasihan-Corcuera from the PESO Provincial Office of Laguna was also invited to talk about “The New Normal Market: Staying Ahead on the Curve” during the second webinar.
The first part of the webinar tackled the possibilities of your future career paths, what to consider, and even the weight of how influential the people we are surrounded with are. Ms. Pareja also enlightened the audience on how important it is to have both skills and knowledge and the work habits that are important to possess before entering the industry. She ended the first part of the webinar with the quote “The career you choose is not just what you want. It is a combination of many other things and there should be alignment in skills, work habits, and resources.”
Aside from knowing what mindset we should possess it is also important to know what the market has to offer. As part of the second half of the program, Ms. Banahisan-Corcuera then shared the importance of being informed of the Labor Market avoiding the dilemma of job skills mismatch. She then imparted an important tip to all the SHS students, she said, “Be informed to be able to decide” on how to be more competitive on what career path to choose and to stay driven with your passion in line with the market demand.
The SHS Career Week also held online competitions such as Digital Slogan-Poster Making Contest and Career Dress Up Video Making Contest in which all SHS students can participate. All winners were posted on the MCL CGC Facebook page after submissions were closed.
To end the week, MCL CGC held Online Kamustahan: SHS Career Week Edition last February 11, 2022, wherein members of the SHS community hosted the event and invited graduates of MCL-SHS as part of the program.
The MCL CGC and MCL-SHS Department ended the SHS Career Week with a blast and as per usual, the annual event has become a tradition for both CGC and SHS. Still, with pandemic restrictions easing, both SHS students and CGC are looking forward to the face-to-face versions of these events.
“Of course, the CGC is excited to see the students face-to-face, and right now, as we plan our activities for the upcoming school year 2022-2023, we also plan to incorporate both online and face-to-face activities. We hope that the students will continue to participate and support these activities and events for the next school year,” said Ms. Laryh Cuevas of MCL CGC.