Career guidance in Maltese post-secondary institutions : understanding young people’s educational paths and career choices through narrative-based approaches

Abstract

Over the past years, Malta has undergone major changes both socially and economically. This resulted in a rapidly changing workplace which requires advanced skills and higher levels of preparation (European Commission, 2014), which makes the completion of post-secondary education essential. Helping and encouraging students to successfully continue their studies after compulsory education is the way forward. This is possible if career guidance advisors can understand young people and their developmental process.

The main aim of this qualitative research was to explore the educational and career choices of young people at post-secondary level. The study sought to investigate the factors that influence these choices and the role that career guidance plays in all this. This was achieved by using the narrative interviewing technique to create a collaborative environment with participants.

The findings show that there are several internal and external factors, as well as various issues which influence young people’s post-secondary educational pathway. Some of these factors appeared before the participants entered postsecondary institutions and continued to develop over time. Additionally, they are the result of an interplay between the person’s environment and the decisions taken along the entire childhood and adolescent years and not simply an incidental or sudden event at the end of post-secondary education.