CORRELATION BETWEEN CAREER GUIDANCE PRACTITIONERS PREVIOUS EDUCATION AND STUDENT CAREER CHOICE

The purpose of the study was to explore the correlation between career guidance practitioner's previous education and student career choice and learning for working life in general education. Guidance plays a decisive role in the major decisions that individuals have to take throughout their lives. In Latvia the most often career guidance are implemented by school teacher - career counselor, career counselor, classroom teacher, in some cases the deputy director, school librarian. Lack of common vision to competencies, necessary for career guidance, lead's to different specialist's involvement in career guidance implementation. Scientific and empirically tested evidences of special training in career guidance and counseling benefits still needed. Empirical data were collected through student self-assessment questionnaires (n=1013) and analysis of group (n=633) and individual (n=699) counseling evaluation reports. 18 counselors were involved in the study. Data collected in the period from September, 2012 till May, 2013. Results of the study show that career guidance practitioners with career counsellors qualification act effectively than practitioners without special training in guidance. Correlation analysis between career guidance practitioner's previous education and students' comprehension about their career choice show positive correlation – Spearman's rho = 0.624. This means that the higher career counselor's qualification is facilitative factor of student's comprehension about their career choice.