Binti Shupavu | Career Guidance | 30th June 2025

Young people today face a lot of pressure when choosing careers, especially because things are always changing. Many finish school without a clear sense of purpose, not because they lack ambition, but because they lack guidance.

Let us be honest, choosing a career is not an easy task, especially for young people. That is where career guidance steps in as a powerful tool to help scholars explore their strengths, discover opportunities, and make informed decisions about their futures.

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting young girls to reach their goals and become positive contributors in their communities, career guidance has become a vital component provided to these scholars. Mentors have played a key role in delivering these skills, and at times, invited career experts further enrich the sessions by sharing additional knowledge. These sessions have not only opened scholars’ eyes to different career paths but have also helped GLAMI learn and improve how to support them. While earlier stories highlighted the impact of career guidance on scholars, perspectives from invited career facilitators offer a deeper understanding of how these sessions are conducted and received.David, an invited career facilitator, shared his experience delivering career guidance sessions in different GLAMI Partner schools to Binti Shupavu Scholars : “Facilitating these sessions has been a deeply fulfilling experience. It is a good and demanding session, since our society does not offer early guidance on career choices. But it’s essential; it helps scholars explore their future paths early on. The sessions are highly participatory, using different methods to engage learners across different levels of education. Printed handouts and interactive discussions help scholars stay involved and retain information. Many were visibly happy and excited during the sessions, especially in schools where follow-up visits occurred. This joy reflected their growing interest and appreciation for planning their futures.”

Since 2018, in implementing these sessions, another invited career expert, Christopher, has witnessed remarkable transformations in students’ attitudes, engagement, and awareness. “Throughout my experience in facilitating career guidance, I can write a book of 50 pages to explain how career guidance sessions impact scholars in their careers and lives.”

His role included preparing relevant materials and tailoring each session to meet the expectations of the scholars. He consistently used a participatory approach that took into account key factors such as the students’ level of understanding, age differences, gender diversity, and learning environments. Through open discussions and flexible facilitation, scholars felt safe to share, ask questions, and engage deeply with the material.

Christopher’s experience confirms that when career guidance is delivered consistently and interactively, it becomes a catalyst for scholars’ growth, not just academically, but personally as well.

The voices of scholars themselves speak volumes about the impact of these sessions. During Career guidance sessions, a group of scholars shared their thoughts, offering rich insights into how Career Guidance has influenced them:

Moureen : “Career guidance helps us understand ourselves and provides direction for our careers. It empowers us to align our strengths with meaningful opportunities. We also get a chance to learn the factors to consider while choosing a career, which helps us make the right decisions.”

Eugenia : “Career guidance sessions helped me to choose what I really like and passionate about, giving me a clear direction on how to make it happen. These sessions motivate us and help us pursue our  future  careers”.

Elizabeth : “It is very important to have early awareness about careers because it helps us know the options available. I wanted to be a pilot, but after learning about the factors to consider before choosing a career in the career guidance sessions, I decided to shift to journalism. These sessions also allow me to make deliberate and informed choices.”

Sara : “Career sessions helped me with subject and combination choices. For example, if you want to be a doctor, you need to focus on science subjects, but if you want to be a tour guide, you should focus on subjects like Swahili, English, and other languages such as French that are tied to future opportunities. They emphasize the value of paying attention in class with purpose.”

Detrishab : ”Career guidance sessions helped me develop strong awareness about my career and not rely on what other people say. They helped me focus on important aspects of my future career, including the job market, work environments, job application procedures, job advertisements, and interview preparation. Honestly, these sessions are very important in my academic and career journey.”

Career guidance sessions serve more than an academic purpose, they change lives. From what the scholars shared, it is clear that these sessions support self-awareness and purpose, build confidence in decision-making, help students connect their education with long-term goals, foster resilience and independence, and promote motivation and personal growth.

Zainab, Program Mentor said, ”Career guidance has played a key role in helping scholars better understand their personal strengths, weaknesses, and overall abilities connected to their careers. Through these sessions, they’ve been able to reflect deeply on their own interests and passions. This process has helped them make more consistent and thoughtful career choices. Most importantly, they are now more confident in selecting paths that align with what they love and what will be meaningful for their future”.

Madam Jesca, partner school Liaison (liaison), “I recognized that empowering scholars, especially girls, through career guidance is more than just a program goal, it is a chance to provide them with opportunities, knowledge, and skills about their future careers. Career guidance is a form of empowerment: it builds confidence and helps bridge the gap between talent and opportunity. For many scholars in government schools, these sessions are the first time someone has ever asked them, ‘What do you want to become?’ and, more importantly, ‘How can we help you get there?’”

The impact of career guidance goes far beyond a classroom session. It sparks ambition,  builds clarity and transforms confusion into confidence. As these stories from both facilitators, mentors, liaison and scholars show, when young people are given the space and support to think about their futures they reach their full potential.

Contributed and Written by : Hadija Waziri, GLAMI Program Mentor