Career guidance for children: how to spot their strengths

India faces a major structural crisis in how children and young people transition from education to meaningful careers. According to a NITI Aayog report, only 8.25% of graduates are employed in roles that match their qualifications.

Indian education system has often been criticised for its emphasis on rote memorisation and prioritising examination scores over practical skills, critical thinking and holistic development of students. The National Education Policy 2020, calls for restructuring career preparation in India by embedding skill-building, vocational training, and career guidance directly into the core curriculum.

Educators and parents play a major role in identifying children’s potential and guiding them to the right careers. There is a need to ensure that this support does not translate into pressure and provides a healthy environment for students to fail, explore, and continue learning.

To discuss this topic in-depth, The Hindu will host a webinar titled, ‘Career guidance for children: how to spot their strengths’ on November 14, 5:00 p.m. The webinar will be moderated by M. Kalyanaraman, who heads the education vertical.

Register now for free to ask questions and interact with the panellists. The three best questions will receive a free online subscription to The Hindu. Rohit Chopra- Director of New Era Public School, Dwarka At New Era Public School, Rohit Chopra places emphasis on empowering students through sports, experiential learning, communication and opportunities beyond the conventional classroom.

During his tenure as President of FCBM of India, he represented India at international platforms, giving him an opportunity to engage with wider sporting and professional communities. Parthajeet Das- Project Director, Centre Square Foundation Parthajeet Das is the Project Director- Strategic Support States at Central Square Foundation.

He specialises in transforming large-scale public education systems across India — working directly with government ministries and state administrations to design reforms that are measurable, sustainable, and built for scale.

Ms. Janvi Parekh is an RCI-registered Clinical Psychologist and a faculty member at several esteemed institutions across Mumbai. As an A-Star Gold Standard Career Counsellor, she has guided over 250 students and adults, to provide tailored vocational guidance based on individual preferences and interests, and map their personalities and abilities to their interests.

She also specialises in psychological & psychometric assessments. Kalpana Ramesh- Senior Academic Excellence Manager Kalpana Ramesh is a Senior Academic Excellence Manager at Hippocampus Learning Centres, which follows the KBC Approach to help children go beyond classrooms and get ready for the real world.

She works with schools, teachers and children. An English educator and teacher trainer with close to 30 years of experience, she is also the co-author of the book Defying Destiny. Siddhant Chaturvedi- Co-Founder, Rocket Learning Siddhant Sachdeva is a social entrepreneur and co-founder of Rocket Learning, an ed-tech non-profit impacting a million low-income children in India.

Rocket Learning partners with central and state governments at scale in India to support ECCE and foundation learning for 3-8 year olds. In 2022, Siddhant was awarded in the Business World Social Impact Leaders list for his efforts in the social impact space