How does your family encourage...

Planning Transitions for Successful Futures Guide for Parents

1.False, 2.C ,3.D, 4.C, 5.False, 6.C, 7.B, 8.C, 9.D, 10.Campbell, Unger, Dutton The Decade After High School (2008)

Career Pathways Quiz 1. True or False? It is normal for 18-

year-olds to have made final

decisions about their future education

and career plans?

2. ___% of high school students in

Canada Go to post-secondary

education within three years of

graduation?

A. 40% B. 64% C. 82% D. 93%

3. ___%of post-secondary students

who graduate from a different

program than the one they started?

A. 19% B. 31% C. 45% D. 60%

4. ___% of parents who completed

university hope their children will do

the same

A. 52% B. 70% C. 84% D. 94%

5. True or False? The more educational

and career choices a young person

has the easier it is to decide.

6. ___% of high school/university

students reported that at least one

chance event influenced their

educational or career path.

A. 10% B. 50% C. 70% D. 90%

7. Two years after graduation ___% of

Canadian undergraduates are in jobs

that do not require the skills they

gained in university.

A. 29% B. 50% C. 62% D. 71%

8. The transition from high school to full

-time work now takes approx. ___

years for young adults to complete%

A. 4yrs B. 6yrs C. 8yrs D. 10yrs

9. ___%of high school student would

like additional help career planning.

A. 25% B. 42% C. 64% D. 70%

10. Who are high school students most

likely to approach for help with career

planning?

A. parents B. friends C. guidance

counsellor D. teachers

Answers:

Encouraging 21st Century Learning Skills.

Skill Defining action Responsibility  Fulfills commitments 

Recognizes and manages own behaviour 

Collabora on  Works to resolve conflicts amiably  Sees self as a contribu ng member of the family 

Organiza on  Creates, manages and shares personal priori es 

Contributes to family goals  

Ini a ve  Looks for and acts on new ideas Demonstrates crea vity and interest 

Independent Work 

Monitors self progress and revises plans to complete tasks and meet goals 

Follows instruc ons with minimal supervision 

Self  Regula on 

Sets personal goals and tasks to achieve  Perseveres and demonstrates effort when challenge 

Building  grit  through  a  growth mindset,  resilience  and 

self‐awareness will support our children and ready them 

for a  21st century world of work and personal success. 

Our students are preparing for an unknown future that is 

changing rapidly.   Technology and  innova on are a part 

of their daily lives as they play, work, and communicate.  

While the unknown future may be in mida ng to some, 

our  students  are  adap ve  and  em‐

brace  the  changing  nature  of  tech‐

nology  and  its  effect  on  how  they 

live.   

However,  the  changing  world  of 

work  also  provides  students with  a 

world  of  opportunity.    The  future 

does not need to be overwhelming if 

they  are  prepared  with  the  skills 

required.   Consider  that  If we buy our gadgets knowing 

they will be outdated in two years how can one not won‐

der if what we learn in the first year of a post‐secondary 

program  is  s ll  relevant  in  the  fourth  year  of  the  pro‐

gram.   Jobs change, disappear, careers take unexpected 

turns,  and    the  workplace  is  no  longer  restricted  to 

where we work, or live. 

Globaliza on  redefines  how,  where,  and  for  whom  we 

work.   Successful students need to prac ce and recognize 

their strengths as they prepare for post‐secondary training 

that will shape  the essen al learning skills and work habits 

students have begun to develop through  their  ini al edu‐

ca on.  Parents can support 21st century career aspira ons 

of  students  by  encouraging  their  curiosity  and  crea ve 

nature, providing a variety of learn‐

ing experiences  through  family and 

community  involvement,  celebrate 

and honour individual strengths and 

interests, label and encourage posi‐

ve work habits,  and  reinforce  the 

learning  skills  they  develop  in 

school.  The work of Carol Dweck on 

“Growth  Mindsets”  supports  21st 

century  learning skills by encourag‐

ing students to recognize that they can develop their abil‐

ity to learn through prac ce and reflec on.  The process of 

learning is valued rather than end results.    Students with 

a growth mindset embrace  challenge because  they know 

they  are  developing  skills  that  will  serve  them  in many 

areas  of  their  life.    Parents  are  their  child’s  first  teacher 

and con nue  to support  learning skills  in everyday  family 

interac ons.  

Strengths Based Living

The top ten jobs in 2010 did not

exist in 2004

We are preparing kids for:

- jobs that don’t exist...

- using technology that hasn’t

been invented...

- to solve problems we don’t

know exist

Todays learner will have 10-14

jobs before they are 38

1 in 4 current workers have been

with their current employer for

less than 1 year

1 in 2 workers have been with

their current employer for less

than 5 years

In 2009 86% of exporters in

Canadian were small independ-

ent business

Technological information dou-

bles every 2 years… so half of

what you learned is outdated by

your fourth year

SO WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

SHIFT HAPPENS!

Want to Unleash your child’s inner strengths and passions? Here’s one idea ERIN ANDERSSEN The Globe and Mail published Thursday March 08 2012

them  focus  their  me  on  outside ac vi es  that  play  to  their  strengths as well guiding parents what  to do  if they want to quit. 

Boos ng  happiness  and  achievement by ge ng younger kids to think more concretely  about  their  abili es  as early as Grade 5  is an  interes ng no‐on.  (From a business perspec ve,  it 

also  astutely  feeds  into  the  current parental  obsession with  se ng  their kids up for success.) 

For about $8, your child can take the online  test,  which,  choosing  from  a range  of  10  quali es,  spits  out  their top  three.  There’s  a  similar  test  for older  teenagers  and  adults,  so  the whole family can join in. You get what you  pay  for:  compared  to more  de‐

tailed  psychological and IQ tests,   which  o en  cost more than $1000, it’s far  less  in‐depth.  Do you  have  a  Future Thinker with  an ana‐ly cal mind?  

A  Discoverer  who likes  to  ask  “how” and  “why?”  An  Or‐ganizer, who  likes  to plan?    The  results, with descrip ons  

of each trait, are tailored both to the students and  the parents. But as Dr. Lopez points out, they are not meant to send parents hustling their kids off to  band  lessons  or  science  camp. They are  intended as a guide  to  see what  ac vi es  their  children  would most enjoy and how  they might put their  natural  strengths  to  work  at school. 

There  is  a  caveat  here: As  Po  Bron‐son,  the  co‐author of  the book Nur-ture Shock: New Thinking about Chil-dren,  points  out,  adolescence  is  the most  significant  period  of  personal and physical growth, and to s ck to a one‐ me  assessment  would  be  a mistake. 

 

and launched leadership workshops in businesses  across  North  America. Developed  by  the  Gallup  research organiza on  in  the  United  States  – the  same  ones  who  do  all  those eponymous  opinion  surveys  –  the program  is  based  on  studies  that shows  when  employees  receive posi ve  a en on  for  their  inherent abili es  they  are  more  engaged  at work.  Gallup  has  now  developed  a similar  “talent  test”  for  children  as young as 10. 

“In  educa on,  we  don’t  really  learn what we are good at. We spend a  lot of  me  correc ng  what we  are  bad at,”  says  Shane  Lopez,  who  studies student  well‐being  and  helped develop  the  Strengths  Explorer  test for 10‐ to 14‐year‐olds. 

Last  year,  Kim  Zuraw’s  daughter, Aurora, announced that she wanted to quit  compe ve  swimming  –  a er nearly seven years, hundreds of days in the pool, and more than a small dent in the  family  bank  account.  Her  parents debated what to do: At 13, Aurora was winning  races  and  earning  high  praise from  her  coaches;  there  was  the prospect  of  scholarships  in  the  future. But  Ms.  Zuraw,  of  Georgetown,  Ont., says  that  they  finally  realized  that winning  wasn’t  enough  for  their daughter – she wanted a more normal teenage life. “It was very hard,” her mom says. “We really had to  focus on what was be er for  her,  and  take  us  out  of  the equa on.” They let her quit. Every  parent wants  to  help  their  child find their passion, to find that one thing that brings them  joy and success – the sooner  the  be er,  the  warning  goes, before  they  have missed  their  chance at the big  me. That’s a big part of the reason why  so many middle‐class  kids have  more  extra‐curricular  ac vi es than  school  subjects;  a er  all,  their secret genius might be hiding out at art class, or on the soccer pitch. What  if  you  knew  your  child’s  inner strengths  early  on?  The  prac ce  of tes ng  for  ap tudes  and  interests  has been  standard  prac ce  in  high  school (when dri ing seniors need help), and it has  become  more  common  in  the corporate world. But it’s not been used for  younger  kids  –  except,  usually, when there’s a problem at school, such as  a  suspected  learning  disability,  or signs of  “gi edness.” But why wait  for trouble  or  postsecondary  dilemmas? Could any 10‐year‐old,  taking a  similar value  test,  get  the  same moral  boost from  the  process,  and  help  clarify  to their  de  facto manager  (i.e. mom  and dad)  the  best  way  to  foster  their abili es?  In  the  business  world,  the  idea  that managers  should  be  coached  to develop  their  strengths  rather  than devote  excessive  energy  on  improving weaknesses,  has  sparked  a  series  of best selling Strengthsfinder books,  

The New 2012 HD version on the progression 

of informa on technology researched by Karl 

Fisch  

He  cites  a  ques on  that  Gallup  has been  asking  for  years  of  parents:  If your  children  brought  home  a  report card with an A, a C and or an F, which grade  would  merit  the  most discussion.  Across  all  Western countries,  the  majority  of  parents zoom  in  on  that  worrisome  F  – something the growing field of posi ve psychology  suggests  is  a  mistake. What’s  more,  Dr.  Lopez  says,  in surveys,  young  people  are  o en unable to ar culate what they did well to  succeed  –  the  good  grades  come home, the  trophy gathers dust on  the shelf,  but  they  can’t  really  define  the innate  abili es  that  brought  that success  to  frui on.  Having  a  be er sense of those abili es can help  

“define the innate abilities that brought that success

to fruition”

Dr. Lopez is not saying that parents  should  let  their kids  give  up math  if  they are weeping over frac ons every  night.  He’s  sug‐ges ng that it shouldn’t be the  focus.  It makes more sense  to  develop  their confidence  in areas where they  show  interest  and ability,  with  the  idea  this will  bolster  their  skills  in weaker areas. 

Experiential Learning Includes Specialist High Skills Major

concentration of course in an

interesting area of study

Cooperative Education

try on a work experience, learn

about a career, work environment

and opportunities for the future

Job Shadowing

visit a worksite and see what the job

is all about, ask questions about

skills and opportunities

Dual Credits

try a college course while in high

school . Practice the skills required

to learn with the support of a guiding

teacher

Travel Credits

experience a different culture in a

unique learning environment while

becoming independent and

responsible

Volunteer

make positive connections with

people in your community, gain

networking references and share

and grow your skills set

Team/Club participation

gain valuable leadership/team work

skills while developing interpersonal

skills

Part-time jobs

e n c o u r a g e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y ,

independence, init iat ive and

organization skills

Create your own Challenge

take a risk, do something that you’ve

always wanted to try, set a goal and

plan the steps to attain it.

“What  can  be  perceived  as  special strengths may be just a snapshot,” he says, rejec ng the no on that these  

qualities  may  be  stable  in  kids. (Whether the designations you get at 10 still apply when you are 25 hasn’t been tested, as Dr. Lopez admits. But he  still  argues  that  it’s  healthy  for kids, at any age, to get a sense of their current  abilities,  and  consider  more proactively  what  they  do  well  as opposed  to  anxiously  ruminating  on where they mess up.)  As it turns out, Kim  Zuraw  now  feels  that  quitting competitive club  

 

In the past career paths were linear.

People started in a career and moved

through consistently available work gain-

ing skills, seniority and responsibility.

The 21st century work place is affected

by globalization, changing economies,

rapidly changing technology and chang-

ing expectations for work and life bal-

ance. Many young people find them-

selves looking for work in a world that is

rapidly changing. They may need to re-

invest in education or re-direct their skill

sets to emerging work demographics.

They find themselves competing with

technology and the hidden market. It is

increasingly important for young people

to recognize and market personal

strengths, while managing resilience and

grit.

peers,  and  has  the  potential  to  be  a leader. 

Just  tweaking her  activity  to better  fit her personality, her mom says, appears to  have  renewed  her  enthusiasm  for swimming once again. In the emotional math  calculation,  as  Shane  Lopez would say, that’s a plus for any parent. 

The Career Path

swimming was the wisest choice for her  daughter,  who  is  enjoying  the social aspect of team sports such as basketball even though she’s not as good  at  them.  She’s  become involved  in  musical  theatre.  And recently,  she  announced  plans  to join  her  high  school  swim  team  in Grade    9,  where  she  will  be competing with  

Parenting Transitions from Caregiver to Mentor

The role of parents/guardians as their child transi ons  into adulthood  is to gradually 

release responsibility and to make the shi  from caregiver, teacher, and protector to 

mentor,  ally,  and  career/life  coach.    During  the  transi on  from  elementary  to 

secondary  school,  young people desire  and  seek more  independence, but  they  s ll 

require guidance and support.   Students during this transi on may say, “BACK OFF”, 

but what they need is for their parents/guardians to actually “LEAN IN”  

Being a mentor means:

helping your teen find  his/her passion and know his/her strengths, interests, and aspira ons; 

helping your teen create challenging but achievable goals; 

encouraging secondary school course choices that challenge your teen’s current skills and abili es 

while s ll providing the opportunity for success [achieving 8 credits in the grade nine year is cri cal to 

future secondary school success]; 

suppor ng your teen through challenges, decision‐making, and both personal and career related 

choices; 

recognizing and rewarding his/her efforts rather than always praising the end result; 

building  opportuni es to engage in posi ve career related discussions and experiences; 

“Decide in your heart of hearts what really excites and challenges you, and start moving your life in that direction.” Col. Chris Hadfield, Commander, Expedi on 35, Interna onal Space Sta on

Resources for Parents

myBlueprint.ca/Simcoe create an individual pathway plan, create a high school plan, research post-secondary opportunities or career possibilities, set personal goals and record personal accomplishments. Ontario College Program Finder Ontario University Program Finder Plan Your Next Move - learn about pathways between post-secondary destinations By: Robert Shewchuk