Career interest of young people in Zambia-J. Anitha Menon , Tepa Nkumbula , Lee-Ann Singh

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Educational Research (ISSN: 2141-5161) Vol. 3(9) pp. 744-748, September 2012

Available online@ http://www.interesjournals.org/ER
Copyright © 2012 International Research Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Career interest of young people in Zambia
J. Anitha Menon*1
, Tepa Nkumbula2
, Lee-Ann Singh3
*1Head of Psychology Department, University of Zambia, P.O.Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia
2Programme Manager, University of Zambia HIV and AIDS Response Programme
3Chief Executive Officer, Image Promotions
Abstract
National Career Expo 2011 was held in Lusaka, Zambia with an objective of exposing High School
students from grade 10-12 to possible career options and allowing participants to interact with potential
employers and or institutes of higher learning. In doing so it was expected that they would be able to
make an informed choice about their career. This paper explores the career choice of young people in
Zambia who attended the career expo. Totally 3900 participants registered for the event but only 1890
completed the career interest profile. The results indicated that young people in Zambia have varied
career interests and providing them with information and helping them think closely about their skills,
interests and achievement is useful in identifying career choice. Gender difference in career interest
was also found.
Keywords: Career interest, young people, Zambia.
INTRODUCTION
Career development has been researched for a very long

time; Super et al (1976) describe career development as
a life long process beginning at birth. According to this
description, many individuals would seem to influence the
career development of a person. Although many people,
including family, view career choice as a natural aspect of
the life, for an adolescent it is a major decision in
establishing career path that may open up or close
opportunities. It is an important turning point involves
making career choice while in secondary school.
Research studies have suggested that adolescent
career choice is influenced by many factors, including life
context, personal aptitudes, and educational attainment
(Bandura et al. 2001). It has also been found that even
young children, as young as five years, can have career
dream (Seligman et al. 1988). There seems to be sex
stereotyping in career choice of school children,
especially girls, when asked about career choice, girls
seem to select traditional female career (teacher, nurse
etc.) while boys tend to choose a more varied
occupations (Looft, 1971).
*Corresponding Author E-mail:
anithamenon667@hotmail.com
According to the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen,
1991), children’s career choice intentions change from a
fantasy stage to more realistic options as they grow up
(Hartung et al., 2005). By adolescence, therefore, one
can expect that they would explore various career options
and develop career choice intentions consistent with
one’s own abilities, values, and interests (Kracke, 2002).
There also seems to be a relationship between the
career interest of adolescents and the later career choice
(Low et al. 2005). The study by Falck et al. (2010)
showed the stability of career aspirations from
adolescence to adulthood. In their study, students who
stated entrepreneurial intentions at age 16 were shown to
have a significantly higher probability of being an
entrepreneur at age 33 compared to those who did
indicated any entrepreneurial intentions. In another study
Schmitt-Rodermund (2007) showed a relationship
between entrepreneurial interests at the age of 13 years
and entrepreneurial activities 20 years later.
Therefore making an informed career choice
becomes important to adolescents. The 2011 National
Careers Expo was held in Lusaka over a two day period
from the 17th to 18th of November at the Mulungushi
International Convention Centre, Lusaka, Zambia. The
Career Expo was Organised by Image promotions in
collaboration with Junior Achievement Zambia and
Menon et al. 745

Table 1. Presentations and Exhibitions at the Career Exp 2011
Presentations Exhibitions
Accounting ACCA
Agriculture Bank of Zambia
Architecture Barclays Bank
Auditing / Finance Barefeet Theatre
Careers within NGO field CAMFED
Communication Skills CAVENDISH University
Cosmetology CHAMP
CV Preparation DMI St Eugene College
Film Production & Acting Guardian Motors
Financial Education University of Zambia HIV and AIDS
Response Unit and University of Zambia clinic
Forensic Law Ministry of Education

How to Choose a Career National Institution for Public Administration
Human Resources Punzila- overseas education counsellors
Interview Skills Wildlife Environment and Conservation
Society of Zambia (WECSZ)
Law
Life Skills
Marketing
Medicine
Motor Industry
Performing Arts
Swedish Education & Scholarships
Tourism
Zambia Army
Ministry of Education, Zambia. The objective of the
Career Expo was to expose High School students from
grade 10-12 to possible career options and allow
participants to interact with potential employers and or
institutes of higher learning. In doing so it was expected
that they would be able to make an informed choice
about their career. This paper explores the career choice
of young people in Zambia.

METHODOLOGY
This was a cross sectional study with an objective of
finding out about the career interest of young people in
secondary schools in Lusaka.
Participants
Students in grades 10, 11 and 12 in the secondary
schools in Lusaka and students from tertiary institutions
were invited to take part in the career expo. Totally 3900
participants registered for the event at the location but
only 1890 completed the career interest profile.
Procedure
The invitation to the schools was sent out through the
Ministry of Education. Permission was obtained from the
Ministry of Education and at the career expo all the
students were invited to take part in the study, the
purpose of the study was explained and a consent or
assent was obtained from the students. Peer educators
specially trained in the administration of the career
interest profile administered the career interest profile to
the consenting students. The career interest profile is a
self report but the peer educators were available for any
clarification required. After completing the questionnaire,
the peer educators assisted the students to interpret their
career interest profile based on their skills, interests and
strengths indicated in their answers. The students were
then encouraged to attend the various presentations on
different careers, exhibitions and keynote addresses
(Table 1). Finally, the students also filled in an evaluation
form to indicate if they found the career expo useful in
making a career choice and what aspect did they find
most useful.
Measure
Career interest survey

The Career Interest survey is based on items from
Guidance Division Survey, Oklahoma Department of
Career Education (2005) and Strong Interest Inventory;
the items were adapted for use with Zambian school
children and pre tested. The career interest survey acts
746 Educ. Res.
Table 2. Gender differences in Career Interest
Career Interest Male Female P value Total
n % n %
Social 267 33% 514 48% <0.05 781
Scientific 177 22% 146 14% <0.05 323
Business 42 5% 51 5% 1 93
Creative 30 4% 62 6% 0.05 92
Tourism/Hospitality 53 6% 89 8% 0.08 142
ICT 65 8% 28 3% <0.05 93
Technical 71 9% 24 2% <0.05 95
Services/Sports 99 12% 127 12% 1 226
267 1071 1890
as a guide that explores likely fields of career interest of
an individual based on their skills, interests and strength
in subjects offered in school. The answers to the career
interest survey are clustered to give a career profile that
includes five broad areas of interest: Social, Scientific,
Business, Creative, Tourism and Hospitality, ICT,
Technical and Service and Sports. Each of these fields
offered a number of different career option, for example
in the Social field of interest career options included but
are not limited to education, ministry and social work,
while the science field included medicine, engineering
and research. The career interest survey allowed
participants to identify their top three desirable areas of
career interest.
RESULTS
Characteristics of the participants
Totally 3900 participants from secondary schools,
universities, colleges and other tertiary institutes
registered for the event at the location but only 1890
completed the questionnaires. Most of the participants
from the secondary schools that attended the event were
in grade 11. The grade 12 pupils represented the lowest
attendance, with only 2% of the participants of the Expo
being grade 12 pupils. The low attendance of grade 12
pupils could be attributed Expo being conducted l during
the Grade 12 final examinations. Age of participants
ranged from 10 to 29 years of age, the mean was 16.8
years, of these 56% were females and 44% males.
Participants came from diverse backgrounds and homes,
with the largest proportion coming from lower economic
background. Economic background was assessed using
the area of residency, number of people living in the
house and whether or not the parents or guardians were
employed. The majority (72.1%) of the participants
indicated that at least one of their parents or guardians
were employed (either formally or self employed).
Career interest

Approximately 41% of the participants who took part in
the career profiling exercise area of interest lay within
social field, or had a combination of social and one or
more of the other fields, making it the most popular area
of interest. This was followed by the Scientific
(17%),Service and Sports (13%), Tourism and Hospitality
(8%) and the Business, Creative, ICT and Technical
fields being the least popular (all approximately 5%).The
second most popular fields of career interest lay in the
scientific field (20%) with a combination of one or more of
the other fields. Followed by the Tourism and Hospitality
(18% including combinations) and the Social field (17%).
The third most popular field of career interest was in
the Service and Sports field (22%) followed by the
Tourism and Hospitality field (14%) and Business (11%).
Gender differences in career interest
The fields of interest that were predominantly selected by
females included the creative (p-0.05), tourism/hospitality
(p-0.08) and the social (p<0.05) fields, though only the
former was significant. Areas of interest that were
predominantly chosen by males included scientific
(p<0.05), ITC (p<0.05) and technical (p<0.05) fields.
(Table 2)
Career Expo Evaluation

At least 80% of the secondary school pupils reported that
they found the careers expo useful and indicated that it
had assisted them in assessing their career options. The
participants reported the most useful activity at the Expo
was the career profiling. Over 30% (of the secondary
school pupils felt this was the most useful activity. This
was followed by the speakers (21%), counsellors (14%),
exhibitions (6%) and materials (5%). (Figure 1)
Menon et al. 747
Figure 1. Activities found useful at Career Expo
All the participants reported they felt the Expo has helped
them reassess and understand their career options and
choices.
DISCUSSION
In his address at the Career Expo, the Honorable Minister
of Education, Dr. John Phiri, described the event the
fourth and largest career expo was officiated by him. In
his address Dr. Phiri encouraged the participants to take
full advantage of the life changing event and fully
participate, interact and seek guidance from the
professionals in the various fields of study available to
allow them to make informed career choices. With at
least 80% of the participants indicated finding the Career
Fair useful, it can be concluded that the career fair met
some of the objectives it set.
Research studies from long back have consistently
suggested that young people can be assisted to make
career choice through guidance and counseling services.
For example, Graff et al (1972) specified that career
counseling would help in achieving 7 major goals:
becoming aware of majors offered, becoming aware of
career opportunities and requirements, interpreting and
evaluating aptitude and interest measures, discussing the
relationship of personal and social factors in career
choice, discussing philosophy of life and values and the
implications for career choices and, establishing
educational and career goals consistent with abilities,
interests and personality. A large number of students
from schools in Lusaka attended the career expo, more
than a third of them were interested in career in a social
field, almost one fifth of them were interested in a
scientific career, ICT and technical fields were the least
popular career interest. Interestingly more that one fifth of
the participants indicated an interest in service and sports
fields. The results also indicated a gender difference in
the career interest of male and female participants.
Career interest of female participants included the
Creative careers, Tourism/hospitality and the Social,
though only the former was significant, while that of
males were predominantly Scientific, Computer and
Technical. This finding is in line with that found by other
studies that suggest that there is a gender difference in
career interest (Loft, 1997). Astin and Myint (1971) found
that it was expressed interest and aptitude that
differentiated career choice among girls and there
seemed to be a relationship between early interest and
career choice later on.
Evaluation of the different aspects of the career expo
indicated that participants from grade 10 to 12 indicated
the career profiling as the most useful activity as this was
an activity that was designed and directly targeted the
high school students. The least useful activities were
considered by secondary school pupils were the
materials and exhibitions. This could possibly be because
some of the materials and exhibitions were showcasing
their individual institutions and were not directly targeting
the secondary school pupils, in terms of providing
relevant information that would assist the participants
make informative career choices.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study indicate that young people in
Zambia have varied career interests and providing them
with information and helping them think closely about
their skills, interests and achievement is useful in
identifying career choice. To make events such as career
expo more successful and useful to participants and
other stakeholders it would be useful to collect
preliminary information from participants concerning
career interests and include these in the exhibitions and
presentations. This information could additionally be
provided to partners, stakeholders, speakers and
exhibitors to allow them to tailor make their
748 Educ. Res.
materials/presentations to suit the participants. It would
also be important to promote career guidance and
counseling in schools.
LIMITATION
The major limitation of this study was it this was a cross
sectional study. Carrying out a pre- post intervention
study would have been more useful in finding out the
effectiveness of the intervention of a career expo in
assisting students to make career related decisions.
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