WHEN Millennia Institute student Siti Soleha Noorhisham, 17, was wondering what career she could get into in future, she found some answers in a new tool offered by her school.

The Web-based ecareers.sg, which required her to answer questions about her personality and interests, told her she could become a journalist or an anthropologist, and that she needed a diploma or degree in mass communications or the arts to get on either of those career tracks.

Armed with this information, she has now set a target for herself: She aims to do well enough in her A levels so that she can earn a degree in sociology at the National University of Singapore.

The education and career guidance programme, which was run as a pilot project in 23 schools early this year, will be made available to all secondary and junior college students by August.

Primary school pupils will be on the programme by early next year.

The programme finds out a student's strengths and interests via profiling tests, and then lists the suitable jobs and the relevant study or training courses.

Students will also be able to pick up interview and resume-writing skills from the website.

The nationwide roll-out of the programme, unveiled at a conference held for principals, teachers, school counsellors and career-guidance coordinators, follows the success of the pilot project.

Mrs Tan Ching Yee, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education, said education and career guidance will raise students' awareness of their potential and help them 'understand the possibilities available and guide them in developing plans to realise their aspirations'.

She added, however, that for education and career guidance programmes to be effective, they have to be supported by school leaders. Time must also be put into carrying out these programmes, which should be introduced to students early on.

School administrators said career and education guidance initiatives motivate students to work harder, as they can map out tangible goals and be guided towards them.

At St Hilda's Secondary School, one of the 23 schools in the pilot programme, the ecareers.sg website was used to motivate 19 students at risk of dropping out.

With the website giving them a focus and goals to aim for, the 19 have either decided to complete their secondary education or have decided to go further.

Said school principal Ong Kim Soon: 'We cannot avoid the mundane routine of school, but sometimes, it is the reason many students don't want to attend it. However, when students see that they need to attend school to achieve a future job they like, they are motivated to come to school and work harder.'

Anderson Junior College student Teng Yi Feng, 17, can see the benefit of such guidance. He knows of students who got onto university courses only because their grades qualified them, not because they truly enjoyed those fields of study.

'They find out later that they have no interest in the subject. I want to avoid this as I want to enjoy what I study.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.