The Government of Madhya Pradesh (MP) is joining hands with the Institute for Career Studies (ICS) to institutionalise career counselling and guidance in the state over the next three years. An MoU to this effect was signed in September 2021. This paves the way to facilitate much-needed support to the underprivileged, rural students studying in MP’s approximately 8,500 government secondary schools in navigating their career choices.

The first workshop under this career counselling and guidance programme, ‘Lakshya -MP’, was organised at the Administrative Academy in Bhopal, MP, on December 15 (Wednesday). Principals of 440 secondary schools of excellence / model secondary schools of MP, and senior education department officials participated in it.

Principal secretary, school education, MP government, Mrs Rashmi Arun Shami stated the importance of career guidance and counselling for students. “Awareness and access to information is the key to making students realise their true potential. We are confident that the ICS guidance would provide the right support required for the end-to-end career counselling of our students,” she said on the occasion.

Dr Amrita Dass, Founder-Director, ICS, who has pioneered career counselling and guidance in India, said, “We are honoured that the MP Government has reposed their trust in ICS. There are around 25 lakh students in MP attending government secondary schools. They will benefit immensely under this joint initiative by being guided to their best-fit careers. This will be an impactful step towards our shared vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.”

ICS will seek to institutionalise career counselling and guidance in the state’s secondary schools through the following initiatives – facilitating the establishment of career counselling cells in schools; training and building the capacity of government school teachers as counsellors; app-based career counselling of students by ICS-trained teachers; and developing the career guidance curriculum for implementation across secondary schools. The Lucknow-headquartered ICS has been providing a broad spectrum of career guidance and educational services in India and abroad since 1985.