A youth is any individual within the age of Fifteen (15) and Twenty Four (24) years irrespective of gender. The investment in the activities of young men and women is really the investment in the future generation of the world.
Many countries have been experiencing a ‘youth bulge,’ which can often lead to different problems. Therefore, there is a critical need to invest in youth at this time. A failure to train them more effectively and efficiently to be active, responsible citizens, could lead to widespread disillusionment and social tensions.
Mary’s Friends foundation (MFF) is registered non denominational Norwegian Non Government Organization. The Career Development Center (CDC) is one of the projects funded by the Mary’s Friends Foundation in Sri Lanka. This provides Vocational education and training in Beauty culture, Cookery, Tailoring, Computer application and Bakery to the underprivileged female students in the country.
Considerably, large percentage (54%) of the students who have passed out from the institute are not engaged in the fields that they were trained and qualified.
Therefore, this study was conducted to establish factors influencing Career Choices among female students in CDC. The study was guided by the following research objectives; To identify the factors contributing towards the career choice among the girls, who have successfully completed the career development program at the CDC, To find the critical order of the impacts made by factors influencing the career choice in choosing a career by young women, To make appropriate recommendations pertaining to the findings of the research.
The population for the study was students at CDC. There were a total of 207 female students who have passed out from the institution out of which 100 have been considered as the sample size for this research. Simple random sampling techniques were used to sample the respondents for the study. Questionnaires and interviews were used as instruments for data collection. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the quantitative data. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to describe the data. A Chi-square test was conducted to find out associations between independent and dependent variables.
The analyzed data were presented in the form of tables and graphs.
The study found out that 74% of the female students who are more sensitive to their Socio Economic Conditions have selected non-subject oriented job opportunities, whereas 73% of them have selected non-subject oriented jobs who are more sensitive to their Family and Cultural Factors. Further 68% and 67% of students who are more sensitive to their Skills and Abilities and Financial Barriers respectively too have selected non-subject oriented job opportunities.
The study concluded those Socio Economic Conditions, Family and Cultural Factors, Skills and Abilities and Financial Barriers influence Career Choices among female students at the Career Development Center.
The study recommended that career guidance and counseling in the institute should be heightened to enable students to make sound career choices. The study also recommended that different options for courses should be offered at the institution to give varieties of careers to the students. Further, it recommended to make aware both parents and the students about the importance of the vocational education and advise parents that they should allow some degree of flexibility in their children’s career choices and avoid imposing careers on their children. Finally, it recommended that the financial assistance should be offered to cushion the adverse financial situation of the
