Free career guidance for Bangaluru students, professionals

Bengaluru: Among the many changes triggered by pandemic, an important one is, trying to make informed educational and career-related choices. Many traditional specialisations will be replaced by new-age ones such as Molecular Gastronomy, Behavioural Finance, Cliodynamics, Cognitive Psychology, Genetics Law, etc, which require interdisciplinary education.

Bangalore, which has always been at the helm of career trends in India, is expected to once again reflect these changes before other cities. Karnataka has 68.3% of the population above the age of 18 years, providing it a distinct advantage in staying ahead of times.

To help students and professionals amid the current uncertainty, the Institute for Career Studies (ICS) has been providing a wide range of free career guidance services through its mobile app, ICS Career GPS. "We have guided numerous students and professionals globally over the past few months. We especially want to reach out to the youth in tier-II cities of Karnataka like Hubli, Belgaum etc," said Dr Amrita Dass, Founder-Director,ICS, and Member, Uttar Pradesh Government's Steering Committee for implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Highlighting the need and scope of career counseling in India, Dass said, "Our country has 50 million students in need of career guidance. A recent career awareness survey revealed that 93% Indian students know only seven career options out of the available 250 plus. ICS Career GPS guides users on careers based on their interests. The deep-dive tests in the app enable them to shortlist their best suitable careers. The user gets a career report and information about courses, campuses and career pathways, along with free consultation with advisors. The objective is to help the youth discover their dream careers."

In August, the School Education Department of Jammu & Kashmir had placed ICS Career GPS on its career portal to benefit students from the region. The app highlights the new subject combinations and careers that will emerge with the implementation of NEP 2020, and also facilitates easy access to experts for personalized counseling.

Additionally, ICS has provided over 1,000 free personalized counseling since August 15, as part of a CSR initiative