Almost 40% of Romania's students consider it more tempting to open their own business than to continue their studies.
"For most of the students interviewed, developing their own business is more tempting than continuing their studies (39.5% versus 22.3%), and the fear of failure is identified as the first difficulty in choosing an educational/professional path (more than three out in five participants), followed by uncertainty about the future (almost half) and lack of information (similar share - almost half)", according to an investigation conducted by the Save the Children Romania Organisation released on Monday.
Parents are identified as the first actors who help children discover their inclinations and abilities (73.8% on the first two levels of trust), followed by digital resources and applications (credited with confidence by almost half of the participants - 49.3%), which, in turn, outperform trust in teachers of their favourite subjects (39.2%), head teachers (32.1%) and school counsellors (23.5%). It is gratifying that 30.8% credit volunteering with a high level of confidence.
As for the investments they would make if they earned a large amount of money, students put sustainable expenses (house/car) in first place - 28.4%, followed by business (21.9%) and only then by investments in their own training (15.4%). In contrast, more students would spend their money on clothing (362) than on travel (331), as more prioritise gambling (50-4.1% of the sample) over books (42-3.48% of the total).
Almost a third are willing to devote three hours or more per month to activities related to counselling and career guidance and over half of the students (56.3%) say they are satisfied or very satisfied with the way the school trains them in the field of career preparation. The percentage is lower in the case of high school students (50%) compared to secondary school students (60.5%).
The target groups interviewed were students from the seventh and eleventh grades, from Bucharest and the counties of Cluj, Iasi and Mures, between March 5 and 17.
Following the vocational guidance and career counselling project "What's next?" launched by the Save the Children Romania Organisation and the Bucharest City Centre for Educational Resources and Assistance, the percentage of students who are optimistic about their career increased to 54.3% (from 45%) and the fame of Career Guidance and Counselling increased from 67.5% to 88.7% for all students, with the greatest progress in the seventh grade. Over 1,000 students from Bucharest, from the seventh and eleventh grades, participated in the career orientation sessions, with their feedback being more than encouraging.
"Children often feel disoriented and under pressure to already choose a professional path, at the end of middle school and high school, without knowing how to value themselves and actively invest in intellectual and social training. They need information and guidance to be able to choose a career that highlights their potential and curiosity," according to Gabriela Alexandrescu, executive chair of Save the Children Romania.
In the second stage of the project, "What's Next 2.0", 2,700 students from the seventh and eleventh grades are expected to participate, with 1,200 parents/representatives of the children to participate in at least two meetings with school headmasters/counsellors. As many as 144 specialists (school principals, headmasters and school counsellors) will be trained and 54 schools will participate in the project. A
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