Students are facing a dilemma when choosing their future career paths as a result of undue pressure from their parents, career counsellor Lorraine Grech Aquilina believes.

Speaking to this newspaper ahead of the national careers fair I Choose, being held over the weekend, Ms Grech Aquilina said that while some students were often unaware of the options available to them, there were others who were pressured by their parents to opt for subjects they might not be interested in.

“When we meet with the students we need to look out for some things that might be leading to them not choosing subjects they truly want to study so as to avoid them dropping out at a later stage.

“This includes identifying whether there is parental influence or even pressure from peers,” Ms Grech Aquilina said.

In such cases, she said, students tended to make decisions based on the choices of friends, which often resulted in them being unhappy with their decisions at a later stage.

It is important to show them that there are plenty of options available

The I Choose conference is being held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre and students who have completed secondary school will be able to seek advice on the options available to them.

Ms Grech Aquilina said that while some might be hesitant to seek advice, such services do work and there had been instances in the past where those close to dropping out decided to further their studies after some useful guidance.

“Sometimes it all boils down to the students not being equipped with the necessary information and, instead of looking for the options that are available to them, they simply give up,” the counsellor explained.

She said vocation routes were proving popular with students and some of those that would have entered the workforce soon after leaving secondary school, were instead opting for such subjects.

“The vocational subjects that are being offered at secondary level are very popular with participants and through such subjects, we are reaching a new group of students.

“It is then important to maintain this group and to show them that there are plenty of options available to them when they leave school,” Ms Grech Aquilina said.