The dual objectives of the project were to document students’ relationships with work and the influence of these relationships on career choices and perseverance, and to propose a group facilitation guide aimed at providing students with tools to counteract the negative effects of certain relationships with work. A survey confirmed the important place that work plays in the lives of students from high school to university.
The majority of students hold a job while studying, and almost half of them work more than 15 hours a week.
The majority of students hold a job while studying, and almost half of them work more than 15 hours a week. The different types of relationships they have with the current labour market and with the job they wish to hold in the future, as well as their educational aspirations, are strongly associated with their social characteristics (sex, parents’ education, country of birth). They are also affected by stereotypical representations, particularly with regard to gender, and a lack of knowledge of the labour market, which can limit career choices and the motivation needed to achieve them.
The S’Orienter intervention program for small groups was developed and tested as part of the project to promote discussion, debate and awareness of the limiting representations among students. The S’Orienter Guide, which offers two versions of the intervention that include some 20 activities spread over five or eight meetings, has the additional advantage of covering several compulsory high school academic and career guidance content items.
Main researcher
Sylvain Bourdon, Université de Sherbrooke
Deposit of the research report: March 2020