Influence Of Guidance And Counselling In Career Choice Of Secondary School Students
[EKITI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KWARA STATE]

Conclusion
  From all that has been discussed, it has become obvious that guidance and counselling influences career choices of secondary school students. Some of these influences include choosing the appropriate career educating the students on the skills that are needed for a chosen career; providing adequate information about the particular occupation; providing firsthand knowledge about the kind of career to be choosen and ensuring that the students understanding the norms and values of work. Also, guidance counsellors should be aware of the factors affecting or influencing career choices as they provide vocational counselling for secondary school students.
    Besides the above it was also observed that career counselling is very significant for career development of secondary school students. This is because the average secondary school adolescent student needs help to be able to make appropriate career choices.
Implications of the Findings
    The results of this study have significant implications for school counsellors, researchers, policy-makers and school administrators. The study indicated that guidance and counselling plays vital roles in career development of secondary school students. Therefore, all these vital roles should be known and understood by career counsellors, policy makers and school administrators. Career counsellors should make maximum use of the findings of the study in their career counselling.
    Career counsellors should use the findings of the study in helping the students to select their careers according to their choices and interest. The findings of the study will assist the career counsellors in doing self analysis, occupational analysis, and true reasoning or counselling to relate personal and occupation information for secondary school students.   
    Moreover, the findings of this study will assist the school administrators and policy-makers in formulating and implementing counselling programs in our secondary schools.
Recommendations
    Based on the findings of the study, it could therefore, be recommended that:
(1)    School counsellors should organize or offer a career week to address personal career development issues which is a continuation of the career day. One or two days of the week should be dedicated to introducing seniors to career options by seasoned professionals in the community. The rest of the career week should be dedicated to assessments much look those offered by personal career development coaches.
(2)    There is the need for the personal career development interview with a secondary school counsellor or personal career development coach. According to NCDA (2003), this interview allows the students to fully explore and discuss career options, and make a decision about the path that he/she wants his/her career to take. The counsellor or personal career development coach then provides the secondary school student with several resources to help them start on their path to personal career development.
(3)    Career development should be seen as inevitable to the happiness and self-actualization of the child and as such, the home, classroom and the community at large should be seen as a workplace and all members as workers (NCDA, 2003).
(4)    Career counselling should be seen as imperative to appropriate career development and as such should be given priority in school administration.
(5)    Considering the importance of counselling parents, teachers, friends, mentors and all capable members of the community should act as support groups, for appropriate career development.
(6)    Professional counsellors should harness discriminately in the factors affecting career choices for counselling students with respect to appropriate career development.
Suggestions for Further Studies
    This study was limited to investigating the influence of guidance and counselling on career choice among the secondary school students in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State. Subsequent studies may consider the following areas: 
(1)    The factors influencing career choice among the secondary school students in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
(2)    The influence of guidance and counselling in career development among the tertiary school students in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.