Education
Should Schools Have More Career Visits Instead of Only Career Talks?
Career visits for students could become an important part of education as schools look for better ways to prepare young people for life after school.
Career talks are already used in many educational settings. Professionals are invited to schools to speak about their occupations, qualifications, experiences and advice for students.
These talks can be useful, but students only hear about the workplace from someone standing in front of them.
A career visit offers a different experience.
Instead of only listening to a professional explain what they do, students can have an opportunity to see a workplace, observe how people perform their duties and ask questions about the environment.
This raises an important question:
Should schools organise more career visits so students can experience different workplaces before making decisions about their future?
What Is a Career Visit?
A career visit involves taking students to a workplace or professional environment for educational purposes.
Depending on the students’ age and the organisation involved, a visit could include:
- A guided tour
- Meeting professionals
- Observing daily activities
- Demonstrations
- Question-and-answer sessions
- Discussions about qualifications
- Information about different career pathways
For example, students interested in journalism could visit a newsroom and observe how stories are researched, written, edited and prepared for publication.
Students interested in engineering could visit an engineering company or suitable technical facility.
Those interested in agriculture could visit a farm or agricultural research facility.
The purpose is to give students a clearer picture of what different professions actually involve.
Why Are Career Visits Important?
Students often learn about careers through textbooks, teachers, parents, television and social media.
These sources can provide useful information, but they may not fully explain what happens in a real workplace.
A career visit can connect classroom learning with practical experience.
Students can see how the knowledge they acquire at school is used in real situations.
For example, mathematics is not simply an examination subject. Students can see how calculations are used in engineering, construction, accounting, business and other fields.
Science can be connected to medicine, agriculture, environmental work, technology and manufacturing.
Language skills can be seen in journalism, teaching, law, communication and business.
Seeing a Career Can Be Different From Hearing About It
A student may hear someone say that they are an engineer, journalist, doctor or entrepreneur.
But seeing the person at work can provide a different understanding.
Students may observe the equipment being used, how professionals communicate, how teams work together and what a typical working environment looks like.
This experience can help students ask more specific questions about the career.
Students sometimes make career decisions without having enough information.
A student may choose a career because it sounds attractive or because someone they know works in that field.
Career visits can provide additional information before students make important academic or career decisions.
Students can learn about:
- Educational qualifications
- Professional training
- Working conditions
- Required skills
- Career progression
- Workplace responsibilities
- Challenges associated with the profession
- Possible employment opportunities
This does not mean one visit should determine a student’s career choice.
Instead, it can be one source of information that helps students explore their options.
Students may associate certain careers with particular groups of people.
For example, some may believe that engineering is mainly for men or that certain professions are only suitable for particular academic backgrounds.
Visiting workplaces and meeting different professionals can expose students to a wider range of possibilities.
They may see women working in engineering, men working in healthcare or education, young entrepreneurs building businesses, and professionals who entered their careers through different educational routes.
This can encourage students to consider careers based on their interests and abilities rather than assumptions.
Career Visits Can Introduce Students to Less-Known Careers
Many students know about common professions such as teaching, medicine, law, accounting and nursing.
However, there are many other careers that students may know very little about.
Schools could organise visits connected to areas such as:
- Technology
- Cybersecurity
- Film production
- Animation
- Renewable energy
- Logistics
- Aviation
- Agriculture
- Fashion
- Manufacturing
- Construction
- Tourism
- Graphic design
- Data analysis
- Telecommunications
- Creative arts
Exposure to these industries could help students discover opportunities they had not previously considered.
Connecting Education to the World of Work
One common question students ask is: “Why do I need to learn this?”
Career visits can help answer that question.
When students see professionals applying knowledge in real situations, they may better understand the connection between school subjects and the workplace.
For example, a visit to a construction site could demonstrate the practical use of mathematics, science, technical drawing and safety procedures.
A visit to a media organisation could show how writing, research, communication and technology are used together.
Students may become more motivated when they understand how their education connects to their future.
A student who meets a professional working in an area they are interested in may become more curious about the subjects and skills needed to enter that field.
However, schools should avoid presenting career visits as promises of future employment.
The purpose should be education and exposure.
Career talks and career visits do not necessarily have to compete with each other.
They can complement one another.
Career talks
Students can:
- Hear directly from professionals
- Ask questions
- Learn about career journeys
- Understand educational requirements
- Meet several professionals at once
Career visits
Students can:
- See actual workplaces
- Observe professionals at work
- Experience workplace environments
- See equipment and processes
- Ask questions while observing real activities
A strong career guidance programme could use both approaches.
Should Every Student Go on Career Visits?
Schools could provide career exposure opportunities to all students rather than limiting them to students who already know what career they want.
This is important because students who are uncertain about their future may benefit greatly from exposure to different professions.
However, schools could allow students to choose some visits based on their interests as they become older.
Career Visits for Younger Students
Career exposure does not have to begin only when students are preparing to leave school.
Younger students can participate in simple, age-appropriate visits.
For example, they could visit:
- Libraries
- Farms
- Museums
- Hospitals
- Fire stations
- Media organisations
- Workshops
- Science centres
- Businesses
The purpose at a younger age should be exploration and curiosity rather than career selection.
Career Visits for Older Students
Older students can participate in more specialised visits.
They could visit workplaces connected to subjects or career areas they are considering.
They could also ask more detailed questions about qualifications, professional training, internships and employment.
In some cases, supervised job-shadowing programmes could provide an even deeper experience.
The Ghanaian Education Context
Career visits could be particularly useful in Ghana because students have access to different educational and career pathways.
Students may consider university education, technical and vocational training, apprenticeships, professional qualifications, entrepreneurship or direct entry into certain areas of work.
Workplace visits could help students understand that there are multiple routes into professional and skilled careers.
Schools could partner with organisations across sectors including agriculture, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, media, tourism, construction, finance and the creative industries.
Businesses and professional organisations could also contribute.
They could create structured school-visit programmes where students receive guided introductions to different departments and professions.
Professionals could explain their responsibilities and answer students’ questions.
Companies could also support career days, mentorship programmes and supervised job-shadowing opportunities.
Such programmes should be designed primarily for learning rather than recruitment.
Safety Must Come First
Career visits involving students must be properly planned.
Schools need to consider:
- Transportation
- Supervision
- Workplace safety
- Permission from parents or guardians where required
- Student numbers
- Emergency arrangements
- Accessibility
- Appropriate behaviour
- Privacy and safeguarding
Not every workplace is suitable for student visits.
Schools should choose environments that can safely accommodate young people.
The Cost of Career Visits
Transport and logistics can make workplace visits expensive.
Some schools may struggle to organise regular trips.
Possible solutions include partnerships with nearby organisations, community institutions and professional associations.
Schools could also use virtual workplace tours where physical visits are not practical.
However, virtual experiences should complement rather than completely replace real-world exposure where safe and possible.
Virtual Career Visits
Technology has created another option.
Students can participate in virtual tours, online workplace presentations and video conferences with professionals.
This could allow schools to connect with organisations located outside their communities.
Virtual visits can also be useful when transportation, distance or cost makes physical visits difficult.
Students Should Be Allowed to Ask Questions
The value of a career visit depends partly on student participation.
Students should be encouraged to prepare questions before the visit.
They could ask:
- What qualifications are required for this career?
- What skills are most important?
- What does a typical working day look like?
- What challenges do professionals face?
- What subjects are useful for this career?
- What opportunities exist for further training?
- What advice would you give someone interested in this field?
This can turn a simple trip into a meaningful learning experience.
What Should Happen After the Visit?
Career learning should not end when students return to school.
Teachers can organise discussions or assignments asking students to reflect on what they observed.
Students could write about:
- What they learned
- What surprised them
- What skills they observed
- Whether the career interests them
- What qualifications they would need
- What other careers they would like to explore
This helps students turn the experience into useful knowledge.
Challenges Schools May Face
Career visits may involve several challenges.
Cost: Transport and logistics can be expensive.
Time: Visits may take students away from normal lessons.
Access: Some schools may struggle to find organisations willing to host students.
Safety: Workplaces must be suitable for young visitors.
Organisation: Large groups can be difficult to manage.
Unequal opportunities: Schools in some communities may have greater access to professional organisations than others.
These challenges mean career visits need proper planning rather than being organised simply as occasional trips.
Should Career Visits Replace Career Talks?
Career visits do not necessarily need to replace career talks.
Both approaches offer different benefits.
Career talks allow students to hear directly from professionals and can bring many different career perspectives into one school.
Career visits provide direct exposure to professional environments.
A combination of both could give students a broader understanding of the world of work.
Schools could develop a structured career exposure programme that includes:
- Career talks
- Workplace visits
- Career fairs
- Professional mentorship
- Job-shadowing opportunities for older students
- Career guidance sessions
- Skills demonstrations
- Post-visit reflection activities
This would make career education a regular part of schooling rather than an occasional event.
Final Thought
Students are eventually expected to make decisions about further education, training and employment.
Giving them opportunities to see different professions in real-world settings could help them understand their options more clearly.
Career visits should not tell students what they must become. Instead, they can expose students to possibilities and allow them to ask questions, observe professionals and discover areas that interest them.