As 2024 draws to a close, many Form 5 students are focused on preparing for their SPM exams, with most of the written papers set for January 2025. Once the exams are over, a wave of relief and celebration will follow. But as the excitement fades and the wait for the results begins, one question inevitably arises: What comes next? For a select few, the answer will be clear, marking a moment of clarity; for others, this period will be fraught with uncertainty.
Snapshot of Current Trends
Recent data highlights the challenges that Malaysian students face when transitioning from secondary school to post-secondary pathways. A survey by FINCO on Students’ Post-SPM Decision Making found that 88.7% of students surveyed were unable to identify two immediate actions they could take to plan their post-SPM pathway. This lack of direction was also most prevalent among those with lower academic grades with 99% of these students unable to identify next steps, compared to 79.2% of those with A-B grades.
While 79.8% of the students surveyed expressed an intention to pursue further education after SPM, the reality is starkly different. According to the Ministry of Education’s eProfil Kerjaya Murid (ePKM) data, 48.74% of SPM students from the 2021 cohort did not continue their education beyond SPM, a sharp increase from the previous year’s 35.16%. This gap between intention and reality raises serious questions about the support systems available to guide students.
In addition, Project ID, a social enterprise co-founded by Teach For Malaysia Alumni focusing on leadership, social-emotional learning, and career aspirations, reports through its Student Voice Matters 2024 survey that 50% of students feel they lack sufficient career exploration support. These findings underscore the disconnect between student aspirations and the guidance they need to make informed decisions for their future.
Gaps in Career Guidance
At present, career guidance in many public schools remains limited and underdeveloped, leaving students to navigate their post-SPM options with minimal structured support. While some schools provide basic guidance through initiatives by the counselling unit, the approach is often one-size-fits-all, instead of tailored to meet individual needs. These efforts also typically focus on mainstream pathways, overlooking the diverse aspirations and abilities of students.
Moreover, guidance counsellors in public schools often lack the capacity to provide adequate and up-to-date guidance due to the large student-to-counsellor ratio and the lack of training and resources. In some schools, guidance is centred solely on public university routes, leaving students unaware of other options such as TVET, apprenticeship programmes, microcredentials and private institution pathways. This narrow focus limits students’ exposure to a wider array of opportunities and further reinforces the misconception that a university degree is the only desirable path for further education after SPM.
In addition, many students and their families rely heavily on the experiences of those around them such as friends, relatives, and older siblings as their primary source of guidance. Students with access to a broader network of professionals, or those whose families have experience navigating diverse post-secondary options, may be better equipped to make informed decisions. In contrast, those with limited exposure to such networks are at a disadvantage, relying on a narrower set of experiences that may not reflect the full spectrum of opportunities available.
Strengthening Career Education and Guidance in School
To equip students with the knowledge and skills to navigate diverse post-secondary pathways and make informed decisions, schools need to provide a holistic and integrated approach to career education. Some examples of initiatives include:
- Connecting learning to the real world: Develop learning experiences that link academic subjects to real-world career opportunities, helping students see the relevance of their studies.
- Personalised career counselling: While increasing the number of guidance counsellors in schools is ideal, this is often not feasible. Hence, other ways to provide more tailored support include:
- Leverage Teachers: Training class teachers to offer basic career advice and guide students to relevant resources.
- Peer Mentoring and Alumni Networks: Establish mentoring programmes and connect students with alumni to share experiences and provide guidance.
- Utilise Technology: Adopt tech platforms with career assessment tools, pathway exploration features, and one-on-one virtual guidance.
- Enhancing System-Level Support: Strengthening the implementation of the initiatives outlined in the Malaysian Education Blueprint by:
- Providing access to specialised career counsellors through shared services across schools.
- Centralising resources for career education, ensuring schools have easy access to up-to-date tools, templates, and guidance.
- Industry and Employer Engagement: Organise career fairs, mentorship programmes, and industry talks to expose students to various professions and pathways.
- Promoting Non-University Pathways: Increase awareness on alternative routes such as TVET to address misconceptions and broaden students’ options.
- Educating and Engaging Parents: Provide workshops and resources to help parents understand the breadth of education and career pathways, empowering them to better support their children.
By integrating these initiatives and fostering collaboration with industry, civil society organisations, and the wider community, our students can receive the guidance and exposure they need to confidently explore and pursue pathways aligned with their aspirations.
Other Initiatives To Bridge The Gaps
For many students, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds, the transition to post-secondary education or work can be particularly daunting due to financial constraints, limited resources, and a lack of support. Tailored career guidance is essential to address these barriers, ensuring all students can pursue pathways that suit them best. This includes providing support to help students navigate scholarships, financial aid, and other funding options.
Initiatives like Closing the Gap, a two-year mentoring programme, equip secondary school students from under-represented backgrounds with the skills, knowledge, and mindsets needed to pursue higher education. When coupled with opportunities for financial assistance and leadership development, these efforts not only enable students to access higher education but also help set them up to thrive.
By leveraging technology, Schola by Creador Foundation is a platform that provides career exploration tools and guides for students. Similarly, MyFutureJobs by PERKESO provides information on job opportunities, upskilling programmes, and career services to support job seekers. These online platforms offer accessible and scalable solutions for career exploration, broadening students’ understanding of available opportunities, pathways to achieve them, and the evolving job market through well-researched, up-to-date information on industry landscapes and career pathways.
At Teach For Malaysia, our Future of Work initiative focuses on developing students from underserved schools into future leaders by equipping them with the skills and mindsets needed to enhance their career readiness in an evolving economy. Through industry talks, workshops, and site visits, students gain valuable insights into various career options and the pathways to pursue them. Partnering with industry leaders, the initiative provides exposure to the world of work.
Building a Future-Ready Generation
Education plays a pivotal role in ensuring that all students are equipped to navigate post-secondary pathways. By strengthening career education and guidance, we can better address the ‘leakages’ in the talent pipeline to support our country’s economic development and create a more inclusive future for all.
The transition from school to further education or the workforce is a critical moment for students, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that students are able to make informed decisions. Hence, we need to strengthen our initiatives to ensure that every student, regardless of their background, is prepared for the workforce or further education. Investing in career readiness today will help set them up for success tomorrow.
As we invest in building a future-ready generation, we contribute to a more prosperous and equitable Malaysia, where every individual has the opportunity to lead a meaningful life and make a lasting impact on the economy and society.
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