The Oxford Dictionary defines "career" as the period of time that one spends in one’s life working. It is that small world that one integrates and where one is going to derive joy, pride and self-satisfaction along with hardships. A man with a job – whatever it is – can boast about threading on the right path towards self-accomplishment in society. The choice of career is therefore perhaps the most important milestone in everyone’s life.

Most people start making up their minds about what they would like to be one day when they are still as young as five years old. It is not surprising at all since that decision would not be the child’s personal one but would only reflect those dreams imposed by the parents. The decision is finalised much later in life. While some drop out of school at secondary level to learn a profession through pre-vocational education, others make it to university. The major confusion arises when one has to apply for specific courses.

It is important to have all the facts to make a sound decision. The Rotary Club of Grand-Bay had made a move in this direction in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Human Resources by organising the 14th International Career’s Guidance & Education Fair from 10th to 13th May at the Swami Vivekananda Conference Center in Domaine Les Pailles. There were conferences on fields of study such as finance, offshore, medicine, tourism, etc. on the agenda. It must have been of invaluable help to the student community, but it is not enough.

<B>Continuous assistance</B>

The Government is conscious that continuous assistance must be provided to guide the nation to meet the demand of the market. The existence of a Careers Guidance section under the management of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources confirms it. Nevertheless, it is high time that the authorities review the service provided. Two of the main functions of the Career Guidance Service, as quoted on its website, are to offer careers guidance to young people and provide careers information. It is really unfortunate that none is being carried out in a proper way. This section of the ministry, in fact, has more information to offer about universities abroad than real-time statistics about the status of specific jobs on the Mauritian market.

There is also an Employment Service under the aegis of the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations & Employment, which apparently shares the same responsibility as the Careers Guidance Service. The former offers careers counselling and has a careers documentation unit to support its activities. The plus-point of this ministry is that it hosts a particular web page on its website, in the “Occupational Information” section, where jobs in different sectors are described briefly. The section on “Sectoral profile” can also be helpful. However, this web page is in a bad state. One will have trouble to believe in the validity of the information posted there.

The Minister of Finance and Economic Development has recently shown a deep concern for the contrast between demand and supply of workers on the market. One efficient solution is that the authorities make sure that the locals are aware of the current market situation and the trend in the demand for the next ten years at least. A list of priority fields of study is already published yearly. Yet, it is not enough.

The government seems to appreciate the progress of other countries and wishes to adopt the same measures to achieve success. I would like to draw attention of those concerned on the website http://www.bls.gov/home.htm This webpage, hosted for the American people, not only provides thorough descriptions on a plethora of jobs but also indicates the annual earnings, the job prospects, etc. The Canadian website at http://jobfutures.ca/ or the one hosted by the Australian Government at http://jobsearch.gov.au are also good illustrations of an appropriate management of human resources. We are in transition towards a world dominated by IT.

It is a fact that information is more readily available through the net. It is high time that the authorities take necessary actions to meet the needs of the country in terms of its working force. One must not forget that our manpower is our main strength.

Disorientation can prove a serious drawback to the economy. We badly need a reliable website to inform youngsters. There is no other way out!

<B>Rajnish DAMRY</B>