Career Guidance and Counselling

Career Guidance and Counselling

Guidance counselling in St. Vincent’s Secondary School

Our Guidance service provides our students with information, advice and support throughout their time in St. Vincent’s Secondary School.

The service guides students in three main areas: Academic, Career and Personal and Social development.

The aim of the guidance service is to help students make informed decisions about their education, future career and personal lives.

Career Guidance helps students by:

  • Finding and understanding information about colleges and courses
  • Identifying strengths, interests, personality and skills
  • Learning how to plan the next stage in a student’s life
  • Learning about the world of work
  • Learning about CVs, application forms (colleges and work) and preparing for interviews.

Students’ self-awareness and decisions are helped through Interest Inventories, Aptitude Testing, IT Programmes, Career/Course Investigations.

Visits to career events, college open-days, presentations by speakers from colleges/industry/youth welfare and support groups are arranged throughout the year.

Career Classes are timetabled throughout the Senior Cycle (TY to 6th Year).

Guidance provision is provided across all year groups from 1st – 6th year. We provide:

  • Study skills session through UCC
  • Study Skills through academic monitors
  • Homework Club through UCC
  • Transition Year students complete a Career Fit Assessment
  • A subject fair is held to aid students with subject choice at senior level
  • 5th and 6th years have one-to-one vocational interviews with the Career Guidance counsellor
  • Senior students attend College Open Days at PLC and 3rd level colleges as well as Career Option days
  • Speakers are invited in for parents/students to assist with college applications.

Academic Guidance helps students by:

  • Understanding how school can benefit them
  • Receiving information about subject choices and levels
  • Learning how to study more effectively
  • Improving exam techniques
  • Learning about qualifications and the National Framework of Qualifications.

The service also liaises with learning support in relation to students with special educational needs.

Personal and Social Guidance helps students to: Learn about relationships. Understand feelings and moods. Learn how to make important decisions.

Personal Counselling helps students by: Offering a student a chance to talk to someone in a private, caring and non-judgmental place. Helping students with a wide range of issues: relationship problems, family problems, low self-esteem/confidence, identity, dealing with strong emotions, loss of a loved one, worried about the future, settling into school, fitting in, bullying, exam stress, drug and alcohol use, body image, peer pressure, depression, abuse (physical, sexual or psychological) and self-harm.

Students are referred to the guidance service by the care team, teachers or by self-referral.

College and Further Education Websites

www.citynorthcollege.ie
www.ucc.ie
www.cit.ie
www.csn.ie (Colaiste Stiofain Naofa)
www.corkcollegeofcommerce.ie
www.stjohnscollege.ie

Other Useful Websites

www.garda.ie
www.military.ie
www.qualifax.ie (Ireland’s national course database, provides information on course content, entry requirements, subjects needed and points)
www.cao.ie (Central Applications Office – for applying to Universities and I.T.s)
www.examinations.ie (State examinations commission. Find exam timetables and exam papers)
www.studentfinance.ie (National website for information about grants)
www.susi.ie (national website for grant application)
www.accesscollege.ie (Students applying for the HEAR and DARE schemes)
www.careerdirections.ie (Careers database established by FAS)
www.skoool.ie (online revision aid with interactive lessons, assessment and study notes)