Abstract:

Higher and Vocational Education students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) must embrace the reality of career decision making from the early beginning of their curriculum. They have to develop a set of skills related to decision-making to ensure that their professional career is to be directed to intended goals, professionnal and personal needs and values. They have to be self-aware of their weaknesses, their personal aspects or qualities to improve and the strengths that will allow them to face with greater success a world that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA).

Institutions of higher education and vocational education (VET) can help students to make appropriate decisions in their professional career in VUCA situations. They must not only train students to learn technical and academic skills, but also enable these young people to be well prepared in the face of an unpredictable professional world.

This proposed paper, based on the results of the DAhoy European project, aims to show how students should approach career decision making in complex situations, and how higher education institutions and VET can contribute to strengthen their decision making skills and their judgment.

It defines the landmarks that are keys for leading one’s decisions and actions making of the students and the different models for career management and counselling that address career decision-making in the domain. Some examples of methods and tools that allow to prepare future STEM professionals to an unpredictable future are analysed. They are for example inspired by game models deigned and operated in the DAhoy project in four different institutions that simulate different career situations and help STEM students to improve their knowledge and skills.

Keywords:

Career, orientation, profesionnal project, decision, VUCA, first job, serious games, card games.