Students are left alone and in the dark to decide on their future careers without receiving the proper advice from schools and universities.
Six months before the end of their final year at school, students are given forms to fill in with their preferences as to what they would like to study and subsequently their career path without being given the full picture.
Students are essentially making decisions about their future without proper guidance, with some finding out, later down the road, that they have chosen a career for which there is no or limited demand finding themselves unemployed.
Stakeholders argue that students are lost, left alone to take a wrong turn, finding themselves stuck with a career choice with which they are not satisfied.
Students who lack proper career counselling in schools turn to private advisors who have a clearer picture of the needs of Cyprus and in which fields they are most likely to succeed based on their skill set.
Sophie Aristodemou manager at Career Finders told the Financial Mirror that without appropriate advice at schools, in most cases children choose to study what their parents want.
“Sometimes this works out for the best as children at that age may not be ready for such choices,” said Aristodemou.
“However, in most cases, this is not the case and children return from their studies with a degree which carries no weight as there might not be enough demand for graduates in the chosen field of study. In some cases, students complete their studies in a field they have no passion for.”
She said students are asked to decide on their career path without having a clear picture of what the professions entail.
“Marketing is a very attractive profession; however, it is also a very demanding one. Students should be made aware of demands and sacrifices they may be called upon to make. Same goes for professions such as HR managers.”
Aristodemou said that students are not made aware of the realities of each profession.
“For example, a number of students with a talent in art are inclined to choose to study graphic designing. These students, as a rule, are not made aware of the harsh reality of low salaries in the sector”.
Likewise, students are not made aware of professions which are in high demand such as professions in Finance and Law.
A survey should be conducted and transcribed into graphs if necessary, so that students have a visual of what is out there and on what terms, Aristodemou said.
Currently, there is a high demand for IT roles and other professions adapted to the digitalisation of our lives.
“If a student is thinking of studying marketing, there should be someone there to push him or her towards digital marketing which is the future of the profession. Likewise, if someone is thinking of taking on a profession in real estate, they might consider doing a course on managing non-performing loans as companies are buying mortgage-backed NPLs,” said Aristodemou.
Green MP and member of the House Education Committee, Charalampos Theopemptou, said that students are not made aware of the realities and opportunities of professions and study fields before making their decision.
“The simplest example… A lot of students want to go to study Greek Philology, but they are not made aware of the fact that there are thousands of unemployed tertiary philology teachers waiting to be appointed,” said Theopemptou.
He said students should be well informed of employment opportunities and realities.
“They are not made aware of the requirements of their future professions. For example, students should know that in order to join some professions, they will have to become members of an equivalent association.”
Engineers needed
Students are also not made aware of how many others are expected to graduate from a specific field of studies, nor how many hold a degree in their chosen field.
Theopemptou argued that there are no statistics on the supply in many professions, as the state does not have complete statistics on what students are studying or have studied over the past years.
An official at the Human Resources Development Authority (ANAD) told the Financial Mirror that indeed the state does not have complete data on what students abroad are studying.
Every two to three years ANAD surveys what professions will be needed by the Cyprus economy, however, their surveys are incomplete as they are missing critical information regarding the supply, that is of people who can meet the demand for specific jobs.
“Up until 2011, data on what students were studying abroad was collected and recorded by the service accepting applications for student grants.
Ever since the service stopped collecting the data we are left without the critical information of what students are studying and the numbers in each field. Half of Cyprus students are studying abroad,” said the official.
ANAD’s surveys have, however, indicated that there are serious labour shortages in technical professions such as construction workers and other technicians, with demand continuing to be high in the forthcoming decade.
The official said that schools and universities should take in consideration surveys and studies such as the ones conducted by ANAD.
ANAD studies show that over the coming years a large number of technicians working in the broad sector of natural gas will be needed.
From technicians who will be working on drilling platforms to engineers installing heating systems.
Employers have also in the past pointed out that there is a serious shortage of skilled labour for construction sites and tourism enterprises.
The Cyprus Federation of Employers and Industrialists has urged authorities to step in and resolve the issue, with the introduction of workers from third countries if necessary.
Head of OEB’s labour department Lena Panayiotou said the Ministry of Education should step in and encourage school students to choose a technical career, highlighting the prospects of such a career such as higher salaries.
