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VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE
At the Ekpaideftiria Bougas Senior High School, all our initiatives are designed to support teenagers in taking the next step in life, equipped with skills, opportunities, and alternatives!
From information about academic programs and the job market, visits to professional spaces, discussions with alumni about studies and careers, automated tests (professional interests, personality, motivation), group and personalized counseling, to the three-day professional experience program, we help open horizons for our students!
Career guidance or life planning?
Success or happiness?
Building bridges… connecting paths
VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE
MORE INFORMATION AND ACTIONS CONCERNING VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE
Preparing Students for the Future at Ekpaideftiria Bougas
The journey of preparation for every young individual begins—and must begin—with self-reflection. This involves asking fundamental questions such as:
- What are my personality traits?
- What are my strengths and weaknesses?
- What are my values?
- What do I expect from myself in the future?
The school supports students in addressing these questions through:
- Automated personality tests
- Experiential exercises and role-playing activities
- Meetings and talks with psychologists
- Personalized counseling sessionswith the school career advisor
Through these methods, students engage in self-discovery, gaining insight into their roles within the workplace and society.
Stage Two: Comprehensive Career and Education Information
The next phase in crafting a personal plan involves providing students with thorough, multidimensional information about studies and career options. Our school achieves this through:
- Reliable data collection on the educational system and its offerings (e.g., directions, scientific fields, and optimal combinations).
- Familiarization with schools, departments, alternative options, and associated professional rights.
- Interviews, videos with professionals, and visits to diverse work environments.
- Practical experience, such as the three-day professional experience program conducted during the Christmas and Easter holidays, which has been highly successful and well-received.
- Automated career orientation tests.
All these initiatives are offered at Ekpaideftiria Bougas with a deep understanding of their significance. They serve as critical tools, enabling students to make conscious decisions, commit to them, and develop the right strategies for achieving their goals—whether it’s filling out their academic applications, pursuing higher education, or planning their future career paths.
The Importance of Skills in Modern Education
Beyond formal qualifications (degrees, foreign languages, computer skills), essential soft skills are now vital for standing out in a competitive job market. According to the World Economic Forum (Davos, January 2016), the most critical skills include:
- Complex problem-solving
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- People management
- Coordination abilities
- Emotional intelligence
- Decision-making and judgment
- Service orientation
- Negotiation skills
- Cognitive flexibility
It is crucial to note that these skills are not innate but acquired through learning and development, enhancing an individual’s position in their personal, professional, and social life.
Cultivating Skills at Ekpaideftiria Bougas
We understand that fostering these skills is not just the focus of Career Counseling but also an integral part of our entire educational structure. Every educator, regardless of their specialization, is committed to cultivating these abilities directly or indirectly.
Our initiatives include:
- Participation in educational programs and entrepreneurship projects
- Engagement in international and global competitions and Olympiads
- Conducting research projects
- Involvement in the debate club, reading club, and theater group
- Hosting talks by distinguished individuals who serve as role models
- Organizing seminars on topics such as stress and time management, led by psychologists
These activities exemplify our commitment to preparing students not only academically but also with the skills required to thrive in a dynamic world.
"Students Gain… Professional Experience"
This program has been organized and implemented by our school for the past ten years (during school vacation periods) as part of our Career Guidance initiative. It has garnered significant interest from both students and collaborating institutions, with the feedback we receive each year upon its conclusion being highly encouraging for its continuation.
Through this program, our students have the opportunity to explore the nature and demands of their desired professions, working conditions, required social and technical skills, alternative career paths, and industry trends in the most experiential and interactive manner possible.
Student Testimonials About the Program
"This experience helped me understand how the profession of an architect is practiced in real life. I also saw how various specialties collaborate to complete a project." Ioanna Dakouri
"This experience confirmed the reasons why I love the profession of architecture." Thaleia Andrianou
"Meeting and talking with a psychologist eased my concerns about whether this profession still meets my expectations." Ioanna Tassiopoulou
"The organization of a factory, such as the Karelia tobacco industry, and the operation of the production lines was a unique experience for me. I was generously provided with numerous details and answers to the various questions I had about the profession of a Mechanical Engineer." Dionysis Makris
"We had the chance to see several aspects of Economics, such as Accounting, Human Resources, Logistics, Public Relations, and Marketing, and better understand what one can pursue after completing an Economics degree. The entire experience and the coordination of this program by the Karelia company were exceptional." Thanos Diamantopoulos & Sotiris Kakaletris
"From my meeting with a lawyer, I gained many new insights and stimuli that helped me consider this profession further. This experience will remain unforgettable. I was given a tour of the courthouse by Ms. Michalopoulou and eagerly await the summer when I will attend a trial!" Elpida Margeli
"The people at Nokia managed to give us a complete understanding of the overall atmosphere and collaboration environment. We had meetings with all the different specialties and could ask many questions about our areas of interest. Additionally, the labs were equipped with the latest technology!" Dimitris Bougas
At Ekpaideftiria Bougas on March Saturday 2 2024, from 6 to 8 pm, successfully implemented the interesting career guidance webinar entitled "Alternative careers in the era of AI and IT". It is a topic that, as can be seen from the attendance, is on the minds of many as the reports touched on the anxieties and challenges of our time.
So six excellent speakers, six different careers guided us through alternative career paths and highlighted in each sector the need for our digital readiness and the challenges of AI.
- Mr. Andreas Zervas, Software Engineer, spoke about Information Systems, their potential and prospects and encouraged young people to get involved with programming and computers in subjects they are initially interested in and find entertaining so that their development and engagement will come more naturally if they want to.
- Mr. Vassilis Georgopoulos, Ethical Hacker - Cybercrime Forensic Scientist, spoke about hacking and how exciting "Ethical Hacking" is. ...and yes eventually a hacker can be both ethical and well paid as there is a great demand and need today in this field.
- Ms. Ioanna Zafiriou, an associate of Ms. Mina Zoulovits, also a Lawyer trained in "Internet Law" explained what Internet Law refers to! It is a specialization with many areas of involvement in it.
- Mr. Dimitris Tsalos, PhD Researcher in Personalised Medicine from far away Finland explained how research in personalized therapies is done through bioinformatics and assured that in a few years we will not separate the terms "personalized medicine" and "medicine" as they will be identical terms and thus each patient will receive exactly the treatment that "suits" him/her.
- Mrs. Violetta Moustakali, Orientum's Curriculum Advisor, spoke about the value of the CV and how young people can shape it appropriately in order to stand out. Ms. Mustakali now emphasized the value of a master's degree as a key component in choosing a professional identity.
- Stefanos Tyros, a PhD candidate in work and new technologies and from July 2024 he will work as a researcher at Harvard, spoke practically and with many examples about how AI enters into different professions, in school and in people's lives. He urged the participants not to be afraid of it but to learn to use it properly as a tool that will make their work more efficient.
The discussion was moderated by Mrs. Stavroula Kokkali, Professor of Economics and Career Guidance Counsellor of the Bougas Schools with apt interventions and statements. She also presented the work done in the Counselling Office of the Schools and the three-day work experience program that is implemented as a basic counselling tool in the school.
Through career guidance, students have the opportunity to take automated career interest and personality tests, time and stress management seminars, access to the entire system of information about schools and disciplines, and personal meetings with Ms. Kokkali.
Also, the three-day work experience program, which has been implemented in our School since 2008, during the school holidays, is of great interest both from students and from the partner institutions, as the messages we receive every year as feedback at the end of the program are encouraging for its continuation. Through this process, our students are able to see the nature and requirements of the job they want, the working conditions, the social and technical skills they need, the alternatives, and the developments in the industry in as experiential and interactive a way as possible.
The success of the event on a technical and promotional level was excellent and this was entirely due to Mr. Vasileios Kostis, Information Systems Consultant of the school and Ms. Christina Lykisioti, Social Media and Marketing Manager of Ekpaideftiria Bougas.
Competitiveness - Innovation
The Role of Education
It is commonly accepted that young people are constantly confronted with an ever-changing work environment (internal and external).
The aim is to ensure that rapid developments and constant challenges are quickly perceived and transformed into significant added value for all.
Competitiveness and innovation are today's prerequisites for economic and social growth. Concepts such as sustainable development, fair trade, social economy, e-business, etc. are being integrated into the assets of societies worldwide.
But how fast is the actual integration of these concepts into the Greek reality? Are we not flexible enough?
We can say that flexibility is now considered a necessary skill for every student, every employee, every productive - economic unit, so that any change can be a new challenge, a new comparative advantage.
By flexibility we mean
The ability to anticipate developments and to always be ahead of them, i.e. to constantly monitor developments and possibly take on new challenges, after critical and analytical thinking. To establish a professional identity capable of changing at any time in response to market needs, without altering personal characteristics and professional values. Being able to move from one working environment to another, without this implying stagnation, but adding value to what we call human capital. What can be the role of the school (at all levels of education) in the above? How can this interactional relationship between the socio-economic environment and the individual become dynamic and beneficial?
School should contribute to the cognitive and emotional development of young people. It must be open to society, aware of developments and, if necessary, adapt to them.
The educational process must aim to transform the child from a receiver to a transmitter and manager of the knowledge acquired. Flexibility is not only a gift, but can be taught. It is taught at all levels of education with an orientation towards the broader general education of the pupil and a deep knowledge and understanding of things. It is taught by promoting the student's self-direction, teamwork and the expression of his or her views in various ways. In this way, the pupil's self-esteem is enhanced and his or her special talents are cultivated.
We ought to help young people to be happy with themselves and proud of their work , to have dreams and aim to implement them, to have ideals and fight for them, to envision change and make it happen.
Stavroula Kokkali
Educator-Economist at Ekpaideftiria Bougas
The informative debate "Professions of 2030" was held on Saturday 11 February 2023 with great success. The event was organized by Ekpaideftiria Bougas and the Orientum Career Guidance Consultants company, and was under the auspices of the Municipality of Kalamata.
Then, Orientum Co-Founder and Career Counsellor Nikos Pavlakos, presented for the 1st time an extensive survey on the professions that high school students wish to pursue. He stressed of course that students at 16 - 17 years choose studies and then choose - those who wish - a postgraduate program and in combination with Life Skills, which they must constantly cultivate from school, they decide on the profession they will follow. It is worth noting the different inclinations between boys and girls, and it is particularly striking that in recent years Greek pupils have stated that 56% of them want to be involved in entrepreneurship.
Immediately afterwards, the Professor of the University of Peloponnese, Dean of the School of Humanities, Director of the Archaeometry Laboratory and the English-speaking CultTech Postgraduate Program Nikos Zacharias, presented some of the faculties of the University of Peloponnese, demonstrated all the facets of the Archaeometry Laboratory and concluded by emphasizing that the field of culture can accommodate all professions.
The Director of Human Resources at COSTA NAVARINO, Author Elena Gika - Petroulaki, took the message from the young people present that they are not interested in working in tourism. With her presentation she highlighted the abundance of professions in the tourism sector, the joy of creation and the experiences enjoyed by those who work in the tourism sector, turning the mood in the room around.
Finally, Assistant Professor, Knowledge and Uncertainty Laboratory (GAB LAB), University of Peloponnese, Vassilis Poulopoulos, demonstrated that new technologies are applied in all modern professions and will be applied even more in the future. Technical intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality will facilitate the professional life of young people.
This was followed by questions asked live or via an online application. Those questions that were not answered will be answered in the coming days on the websites of the Ekpaideftiria Bougas and Orientum.
In the link below you can see the answers to the questions asked via the online application www.mentimeter.com:
On Friday, January 20, 2023, Ekpaideftiria Bougas held a career seminar for high school students, with Mr. Nikos Pavlakos, Career Guidance Counselor M.Sc. and Founder of "Orientum" Company, as a speaker.
The seminar included the following topics:
- Reading modes
- How to read
- How to find the school that suits me?
- Access system to the third level education - new bill.
- How to get admission to the new system of admission to the university?
Mr. Pavlakos stressed to the children that they need to find their "phag" i.e. their personal goal that will motivate them to achieve their best. He also emphasized on the use of mobile phones and how it acts as a key inhibitor in achieving the goal they have set!
