In the first-of-its-kind in the city, Lokmat Times Campus Club organized the International Career and College Counseling (IC3) Regional Forum and fair and symposium 2022. School principals, teachers, career counsellors and university stakeholders from across the state participated in a day-long workshop organised at the Lokmat hall, Lokmat Bhavan on Saturday.

The event started with the lighting of the traditional lamp by Ganesh Kohli, founder president of IC3, Dr Vilas Sapkal, vice-chancellor of MGM University, Uma Mohandas, principal, Wockhardt Global School and Rahul More, Faculty of English and child psychologist.

Career counsellors and school representatives exchanged ideas which are driving the latest global trends in the field of career counselling. Ways to incorporate global insights into the education system were also discussed and participants emphasized the importance of creating a conducive environment for students to explore their interests while relying on their innate strengths. Delegates agreed that there was an urgent need to set up counselling offices in high schools considering the growing multiplicity of career options amid increasing uncertainty about future opportunities. Yogesh Gole, executive editor, Lokmat Times, Nuzhat Fowad, head, Campus Club and others were present on the occasion.

Technology around us is ever changing

Keynote speaker Dr Vilas Sapkal said “The technology around us is ever-changing. But the syllabus in the schools and colleges has remained the same for the past 30 years. Our students still learn the same English grammar, Algebra and Science that we learned back then. Hence children are not able to change their thinking. There are around 24 crore school students in India. Schools can play an important role in holistic development of the student by evolving an emotional, social, hectic and critical thinking model for students by involving teachers, parents and educational system. Teachers must let the students solve real world problems and prepare them for the jobs of the future. Counselling should be integrated in schools to guide the child about their career.

Right kind of guidance can transform the potential of students

Ganesh Kohli, founding president, IC3 movement said, “I believe that the right kind of guidance can transform the potential of students and lead to unparalleled progress in their education and career. With the pandemic, rise in technologies and rapid growth of industries, there are several new sectors and job roles that did not exist before. Moreover, almost 93 percent of schools in India do not have career counselors which leads to students not having the right resources at their exposure to make an informed choice. It is of utmost importance that schools around the country start providing this support to their students to help them make the right choice. The IC3 Forum is committed to improving the ratio of resource allocation across schools in India, with the goal of making career counselling for high school students easily accessible and sharing useful information with educators.

Participation of national and international universities:

The forum saw the participation of representatives of six international universities that included the University of Delaware, Ashoka University, FLAME University, RV University, University of New Castle, Atria University, University of Essex and KREA University.

Participation of experts in panel discussion:

Uma Mohandas. Principal at Wockhardt Global School, Dr Raghuveer YV, Principal, Podar International School (ICSE), Dr Sanjay Paikrao, visiting professor, Department of History, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University and Rahul More, faculty in English and child psychologist participated in the discussion on ‘Impact and Critical Need of Counselling in College Readiness: For High School delegates'.

Nasreen Mirza, Career counselor, Stepping Stone High School, Uzma Shakeel, teacher, Pearl Academy, Samad Shaikh, Counselor, HD Urdu Girls High School, Tanuja Adgaonkar, career counselor, Universal High School participated in a panel discussion on 'IC3 Institutes Flagship Programme: Concept to Practice for High Schools and University Delegates'.

LTCC membership open:

The membership for the 'Lokmat Times Campus Club 2022' has been opened for all schools. There are an array of activities including cultural programmes, drama competition, quizzes, workshops, seminars and many more. The club membership fee is Rs 250. The new members will get a water bottle and tiffin box worth Rs 399, a free 'Campus Champs' Book and gift coupons worth Rs 1,100. There is also a chance of an air trip to Delhi. For memberships, one can contact Lokmat Bhavan, Jalna road.

(Source: https://www.lokmattimes.com/aurangabad/ltcc-hosts-first-of-its-kind-ic3-regional-forum-fair-and-symposium/)