United Nations Public Service Awards Case Studies

Schools
Many Education and Career Guidance (ECG) activities in schools were focused on opportunity awareness to the neglect of the other three domains in the DOTS model. DOTS is an acronym for Decision learning, Opportunity awareness, Transition learning and Self-awareness. It is model for career guidance developed by Law and Watts and adopted by MOE since 1988. Activities organised tended to focus on graduating classes with little or no attention given to other levels.

The choice of assessment instruments also showed a lack of knowledge regarding appropriate tools to be used for ECG. For example, DISC personality profile was more appropriate for students to find out their personality traits rather than as an assessment for their career suitability. Schools thus require guidance on the choice of assessment tools for ECG.

Students
While schools do conduct activities that reflect all ECG domains, these activities are not carried in a systematic and structured manner so as to facilitate independence in students’ educational and career planning. Students appear not to understand the link between participating in current ECG activities and how it assists them in making informed education and career decisions. One of the reasons included the lack of a coherent ECG program; and the implementation of ECG is patchy in most schools. Students wished they had more activities directed towards increasing their self-awareness; so that they can make a more well-informed career decision having considered their values, interest and abilities. In instances where some sort of career profiling was used, there was usually no follow up activities for students to examine more closely his or her career profile.

Teachers
Teachers often perceive themselves as having to provide specific answers to their students’ questions instead of merely guiding their students to relevant and appropriate information sources (i.e. they viewed themselves as ECG knowledge providers rather than ECG knowledge facilitators). This then imposed unrealistic expectations on their constantly being able to provide updated educational information on subject requirements for the various courses offered by the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs).

What is the initiative about? (the solution)
The ECG Portal provides a standardised platform for students across all schools to assess their career pathways against their interest and attributes. The features of the ECG Portal are:- a) On-line Assessment and Inventory b) Extensive Career and Education Databases c) Student’s Portfolio d) Transference of Transition Skills The ECG Portal is the first implementation of a computer assisted career guidance system (CACGS) in ASEAN (Association of South-East Asia Nation) in supporting the delivery of education and career guidance in schools. The benefits of the Portal include:- a) Using the results of their career assessments and academic achievements stored in the portfolio, students can review these results either with their parents or school counselor and assess the degree of alignment their findings have with potential career clusters they are interested in. This then can assist students to form pertinent education plans to prepare themselves for these career clusters. For example, a student is keen on the media career cluster, but evidence stored in his portfolio has shown that abilities and experiences that are more related to Science and Technology career clusters. By reviewing this with the student, the school counselor can highlight the incongruence and facilitate either a change in decision or help him acquire more directly related experiences and results. b) Besides students using their portfolios in career counseling, teachers meeting parents to discuss their children’s academic progress can also refer to these portfolios. The teacher-parent discussion can include academic preparation for career clusters students are interested in. In this way, the link between school and work can be made more explicit. c) Teachers will reduce the need to source for relevant and up-to-date information as the Portal contains career and education information. They can use the time freed up on work that yield a higher leverage such as career advising. d) Schools can use the career profiles of their students to plan relevant programmes to meet the career and educational needs of their students. This includes inviting post secondary institutions, professionals to address specific groups of students who share the same career profile or planning educational experience to bring out the potential in the students. The development of the ECG portal is part of the Ministry’s larger review of ECG. The use of the ECG portal coupled with systematic and structured ECG activities designed for pupils from all levels (primary, secondary, and post-secondary) would enable pupils to: a) gain greater self-awareness of their interests, abilities, and values; b) determine educational courses and qualifications required to prepare for entry into these career clusters by using the databases; c) understand the process of developing a career and education plan; and d) be familiar with the various career-related skills (such as interviewing and resume writing).

Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
Guidance Branch (MOE) proposed developing the Portal and implemented the Portal together with IT Branch. The stakeholders are: 1) Students 2) Full-time School Counselors and teachers

Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
a. What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
The objectives of the ECG Portal are:- a) Students will be able to use the assessment module in the portal to identify their personal interest, abilities and values b) Students will be able to use the education and employment databases effectively to make informed choices concerning their education and career paths c) Students will understand the career planning process and develop a personal career and education plan. Instead of developing the Portal from scratch, the Guidance Branch and the IT Branch explored the approach of localising an established computer assisted career guidance systems (CACGS). Eight such CACGS were selected for a comparative study by the Guidance Branch and the IT Branch. They were compared based on 6 criteria: a) Backed by a career theory b) Consisted career assessment instruments and inventories c) Inclusion of extensive information on education and career d) Allowed searching and sorting of information on education and career e) Inclusion of career planning tools f) Inclusion of transition skills

b. What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
Milestones Completion Date Project Approval Mar 2007 Funding Approval May 2007 Award Tender to Vendor Nov 2007 Phase 1 Implementation - Online Assessment - Career and Education Information Database - Student’s Portfolio Mid-Nov 2008 Phase 2 Implementation - Transference of Transition Skills Jun 2009 Phase 3 Implementation - Tools for Primary Schools Dec 2009

c. What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
Education Information from Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) Initially, the IHL were not comfortable about our portal because they have their individual websites promoting their own institutions and they feel the overlaps will dilute the appeal of their own websites. Also, different IHLs have different idea on how their institution’s education information is being presented within the Portal. How we overcome it? However, we had overcome this by inviting representatives from the various IHLs to meetings whereby prototypes and the service provider’s solution were shown to them. Guidance Branch addressed their concerns by explaining the benefits of the Portal to them and showing how the Portal complemented their own websites. After the education information from the IHLs was populated in the Portal, they were given access to view and feedback on the presentation. Subsequently, the IHLs understand the intention and they are now happy about the Portal.

d. What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
The financial costs to develop the Portal approved by the Ministry of Education and drawn upon from the Ministry’s budget. The human resources required to support this initiative was drawn from existing personnel from the Guidance Branch and the schools

Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
This initiative will continue to be supported financially by MOE because of the intangible benefits it will bring. The ECG Portal helps to develop a future orientation by showing how school is linked to the world of work. This understanding helps the students to add meaning to and motivation for their current studies. This will in turn reduce attrition rate in schools, an area which is looked into actively by the Ministry of Education. The ECG Portal can potentially be extended to the general public who wishes to know their career choices when making a career switch.

What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
The project team learnt that, due to a lack of a coherent ECG programme in schools, the ECG Portal will be adopted in a different manner in the various schools. The Portal is not a 'one size fits all' IT system to be used by the schools in a standard manner. Instead, it should be seen in the wider perspective of a Career Guidance Plan rather than a system that would replace the ECG programme in the school. The Portal should be positioned as a useful tool to support the ECG programme. Therefore, a comprehensive change management plan is put in place to ensure that schools, teachers and students are ready to adopt the ECG Portal as part the ECG programme. Change management activities include:- a) Conducting seminar and training to provide an overview of career theory and show how engaging in career development supports academic and workforce development b) Providing career resources such as career lesson plans for schools to use with their students c) Organising of Career Conference to promote sharing of ECG practices and experience


Institution Name:		Ministry of Education
Institution Type:		Government Agency
Contact Person:		Teck Soon Lim
Title:		IT Director
Telephone/ Fax:		68796373
Institution's / Project's Website:		67750781
E-mail:		lim_teck_soon@moe.gov.sg
Address:		1 North Buona Vista Drive, MOE Building
Postal Code:		138675
City:
State/Province:
Country:		Singapore

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

Actors and Stakeholders

(a) Strategies

(b) Implementation

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

(d) Use of Resources

Sustainability and Transferability

Lessons Learned

Contact Information