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Helping with subject, study or training decisions

As teenagers finish their schooling and prepare to enter the workforce, study or training, they'll face some big decisions. Learn about what they will have to make decisions about, and how you can help and support them.

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As a parent, family member or friend of a young person facing a career decision, you may feel outside of your comfort zone when they turn to you for help. You'll want them to make the best decisions they can, but may be uncertain of what you can do to help. Learn more about the career or life decisions young people may be facing, and how you can support them.

Career-related decisions young people may face

Most young people, independent as they seem, do not feel ready to make big decisions. Trying to decide what to do when they leave school is a big ask and they may feel immense pressure to make the right decision. The best thing you can do is to let them know you are there for them.

Some decisions young people may face are:

What do I want to be?
What subjects should I be studying?
Should I leave school, or should I stay?
Should I go into industry training or should I do a course?
Where should I go? Do I want to stay in town, or do I want to study elsewhere?
My friends are going to university. Do I want to go too?
What will it be like if I move away from home?
I just want to get a job, so where do I start?
I am not ready to make a decision. Should I do a gap year?

A young person has many options, and may find it hard to know which will be the best. What you can do is listen to and support them. Try not to push them into making a decision if they are clearly not ready.

Choosing school subjects

: Whether your child enjoys a subject should play a part in their subject choice decisions

Choosing their school subjects can be difficult to young people as there are many factors to consider. You can help by talking over the options and helping them consider how their choices will affect their future training or career options.

Some things you should help them consider when making a decision are:

What subjects do they enjoy, or not enjoy?
What subjects are they good at, or not so good at?
What about their interests and talents outside of school?
What options are available at their school?
Are their subjects they must study - either because they are compulsory as school, or necessary to get into their chosen tertiary course or career?
Have they chosen a range of subjects? This will help keep their career options open in the future.

Leaving school

One of the first career decisions a young person will make is whether they should finish their schooling or leave early. The Ministry of Education's 'Students’ Transition between School and Tertiary Education' study showed that 13% of all school leavers in 2005 left school with no formal qualification.

Young people still have many options even if they leave school early, including doing workplace training, finding a job or enrolling in a Youth Training course. Youth Training courses are for students who don’t achieve well at school, and help them them move into employment and further tertiary education.

If someone is considering leaving school, you can help by working with them to set goals for their future. If they want to leave school, they should have a plan for what they want to do next, and where they hope to end up. They may find that by looking at their goals, staying at school may be a better option.

Thinking about leaving school - what are the options, and what to consider

Deciding what to do after school

Deciding what to do after finishing school may be one of the most difficult decisions a young person has to face. Assure them that though the decision needs to be made carefully, whatever they decide isn't for the rest of their life. Encourage them to explore all their options and choose something that feels right for them.

This may mean that they choose to do something that you think they'll dislike or that you may feel isn't good enough for them. If this is the case, share your opinions, but try to be constructive. Suggest they do as much research as possible on the job they're interested in, perhaps even doing some work experience. If they're still keen on the job after this, at least you'll know they are making an informed choice.

: Modern Apprenticeships are open to 16-21 year olds

Deciding on workplace training and apprenticeship

Workplace or trade training is a good way to gain a qualification and earn some money while working. Young people who have decided to do workplace training may still need to explore their best option, as some industries have several paths for a young person to follow.

What are the study and training options?

Once they have decided exactly what they want to do, there are a few steps to follow to get into workplace training or a Modern Apprenticeship.

Deciding on tertiary study

Once they've decided on tertiary study, a young person still faces many other questions, such as:

What are they going to study?
What type of education provider or what course is the best one for them?
Which course lines up best with the career they want to pursue?
How will they pay for study?

You can help them by making sure they spend time exploring all their options, so that they can make the best choice. You may also want to suggest options they haven't thought of, or do research of your own to help them out.

Money often plays an important role in tertiary study decisions. People entering tertiary study may be eligible for financial support, and young people need to decide:

whether to take a student loan
if they should live away from home
how they will support themselves while studying.

You can help by providing a sounding board, or by helping them find out about scholarships for tertiary study that they may be eligible for.

Taking time out from study

Gap years are becoming more common, and can offer young people a chance to explore the world, earn some money, have a rest from study or even get some insight into a career area they've been considering.

Help them think through:

what they want to do/achieve in their gap year
how they can pay for a gap year (ie if it's overseas travel)
are they ready for the gap year they're considering? (working full time or travelling on their own etc)
what are their other options? Maybe they can study part time and work part time.

Taking a gap year before study

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