My Journey: Achieving through different paths

My Journey targets all Year 8 students (12-13 year olds).  Students have to choose two new option subjects to study for the following three scholastic years (Year 9, 10 and 11) depending on their abilities, interests and future career aspirations. My Journey gives equal value to academic, vocational and applied learning programmes. This educational journey allows secondary school students to blend relevant and quality academic, applied and vocational subjects enabling them to reach their maximum potential. Students who have different kinds of abilities and who enjoy working hands on will have more access to learning subjects that match their technical skills. Students are exposed to different forms of learning and assessments, have the opportunity to reach the same level of qualification and be equally employable regardless of the blends of options they choose to study.

The academic subjects include Accounting, Business Studies, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, Social Studies, European Studies, Music, Art, Graphical Communication, Design & Technology, Home Economics, Physical Education, Computer Studies, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Arabic.

The applied and vocational subjects include Hospitality, Health & Social Care, Information Technology, Engineering Technology, Agribusiness, Retail, Textiles and Fashion, Media Literacy and Hairdressing and Beauty.  

Other subjects also offered include Sports Career Development Programme and Prince’s Trust International.

This exercise, in practice, includes individual and classroom career guidance interventions with students and talks with parents to help students make an informed choice. All students are given a handbook containing useful information about all subjects and which careers these subjects can lead to. Career fairs, both at national and college level, are organised as well.

To support Year 8 students with their choice of option subjects, the National School Support Services in collaboration with PRISMS, a non-governmental organisation have together worked on the development and updating of the Explore More – My Journey Portal.  Year 8 students and their parents/guardians can acquire information on all option subjects and the different career paths and post-secondary courses that these subjects can lead to. The information is presented in an interactive way with short videos outlining all subject options on offer, videos with first-hand testimony from the people who work in the industry and a short quiz which helps students identify the work sector/subjects of their interest.