Young people and vocational tests: how can they be of use to them?

After the covid-19 pandemicrecovery of youth work becomes difficult and slow, particularly in Latin America. According to a report from the International Labor Organization (ILO) By 2022, the youth unemployment rate reached 20.5% on the continent, and 1 in 5 young people is unemployed. In this context, and taking into account technological changes and the multiple possibilities offered by today’s world, vocational tests are once again relevant. Many young people who do not know what career to follow are inclined to carry out one of these evaluations.

“Young people are in a moment of doubt and reflection in which they must make one of the most important decisions for their future. It is essential that before taking it they can access an analysis of their personality, abilities, interests and preferences in order to reduce this uncertainty”, he explained. Marcelo Fumasoni, Microsoft Human Resources Director for Latin America.

When talking about the rapid and dynamic that technological changes bring to the world of work, Fumasoni commented on the importance of vocational guidance tests adapting to this reality, incorporating new technologies and disciplines into their careers. , in addition to traditional races.

In case of Golden arches it is paradigmatic. In the company, which operates the brand mcdonald’s in 20 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, 60% of its employees are under 24 years of age, and many of them are living their first formal work experience. Due to its commitment to the training and employability of young people in the region, in 2021 the holding had to open the doors of its corporate university and i created MCampus Community, an educational platform with free and open access. It offers a wide variety of courses, such as Digital Marketing, Programming or Entrepreneurship. But it also has a vocational guidance program that helps young people who are taking their first steps in the world of work to discover their strengths and prepare for their professional future.

“Through this alliance we managed to help thousands of young people in Latin America to know themselves, recognize their virtues, their interests and motivations to reach their exponential talent and find their vocation. The purpose of this union is the labor insertion of young people in the region,” he explained. Josane Julião, Rector of the Hamburger University.

The MCampus orientation program uses tools that help to discover which are the ideal careers according to each profile. The test presents 3 approaches: vocational preferences, behavioral profile and multiple intelligences.

The concept of “Multiple intelligences” was developed by the professor of the University of harvard, Joseph Gardner, and is based on the idea that intelligence is not a unitary set that groups together different specific capacities, but rather a network of interrelated autonomous sets. According to this, there are 8 types of intelligence: linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and finally, naturalistic. This methodology, applied to education, helps to detect the abilities of students at an early age in order to enhance their abilities and focus them on a career aligned with them.

“Choosing a vocation can be frustrating, but having self-awareness tools always makes making that important decision easier. We want people to be able to access scientifically-based self-knowledge tools so that in the future they can express their uniqueness in the profession or trade they choose”, concludes Fumasoni.