CAREER EDUCATION OF 7TH-8TH GRADE STUDENTS: CAREER PROFESSIONALS` POSITION

Organizational opportunities and peculiarities of career counselling for students in General Education Schools are disclosed in the research. Object of the research: Problems of career development of 7-8 grade students in general education schools of Kupiškis region municipality. The aim of the research was to determine how career development in region schools is being pursued, to identify existing problems and to anticipate improvement opportunities. Five teachers of region general education schools, responsible for career development, participated in the research. The structured individual interview was used to obtain the survey data. The results of the research revealed that the career education of 7-8 grade students is not carried out in all the schools in the region: in five of the seven schools there is a career counselor who does not guarantee a comprehensive career development for students. Not all the teachers in the region, who are responsible for career development, are trained as a career specialist. A career counsellor at school is the only person, who is responsible for career development, but he has more responsibilities and cannot give enough attention to the career development of students. Career Information optional subject in grades 7-8 is provided only in two schools curriculum. Students' vocational information is mainly provided in the schools. Meanwhile, experiential visits to vocational training are rarely carried out, students have access to individual career advice not in all the schools.