With sessions on chartered accountancy (CA) and commercial shipping, parents and students gained new knowledge on the plethora of options available to them, as the The Hindu EducationPlus Career Counselling Fair 2024 concluded on Sunday.
Most students visiting the fair were entering Class XII and were looking into the higher education options available to them. On the other hand, Class IX and X students were keen on identifying the streams they should choose in Class XII to pursue a course that would ensure employability.
“I am interested in the Navy and, hence, wanted to know about the kind of courses I could pursue along those lines. I found nautical science in the merchant navy session to an interesting option,” said Vinaya N., a Class IX student.
“While my daughter is interested in commerce, my nephew in Class X is interested in the science stream. Apart from medicine, we did not know about career options in the science stream, but today, we learned about paramedical courses, which could be an interesting alternative,” said Gayathri Sriram, a parent.
Meanwhile, parents and students also attended sessions on various courses hosted by experts. Speaking about pursuing chartered accountancy, Rajendra Kumar P., chairman, Committee on Career Counselling, and Central Council Member, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, said anybody from any stream or bachelors’ degree could pursue CA.
Capt. K. Karthik, principal, AMET Institute of Science and Technology, said, “Without the shipping industry around 50% of operations around the world would come to a standstill as shipping plays a crucial role in moving around raw materials, and seafarers are an integral part of shipping.”
Answering a question about the need for awareness on such professions, he said more such fairs had to be conducted for people to explore the opportunities available to them. Otherwise, people would just fall back on the age-old streams that were available to them, such as medicine and engineering. “Parents need to explore so that they can better guide their children,” he said.
Stating that more women are now entering the profession, he said: “Many women from Kerala and north India are taking up the profession. Furthermore, the Union government is also promoting the profession through various scholarships targeting women.” Noting that shipping companies are prioritising inclusivity and diversity, Capt. Karthik added that the chances of women being hired in the field was high.
The event was powered by Hindustan Group of Institutions, Chennai. Associate partners are AMET University, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research, Rajalakshmi Institute of Technology, Shankar IAS Academy, and Shiv Nadar University, Chennai. The banking partner is State Bank of India.
