The Impact of Career Center UM FOV on Student Career

Trg dela in spremembe, ki so povezane z njim, študente že v času študija spodbujajo k načrtovanju njihovih karier, saj se v današnjem svetu številni diplomanti ob prehodu na trg dela soočijo z dejstvom, da je konkurenca med mladimi iskalci zaposlitve neizprosna. Za enostavnejši prehod študentov na trg dela na visokošolskih zavodih skrbijo karierni centri, ki študentom v času študija pomagajo pri razvoju njihovih karier, jih spodbujajo pri pridobivanju novih znanj ter obveščajo o novostih na trgu dela in v okolju. Na Fakulteti za organizacijske vede Univerze v Mariboru (UM FOV) deluje Karierni center, ki študentom nudi različne aktivnosti, s katerim naj bi si študenti povečevali svoje znanje in kompetence in si posledično povečali tudi konkurenčnost na trgu dela. V specialističnem delu smo se osredotočili na vpliv Kariernega centra UM FOV na kariere študentov. V teoretičnem delu smo predstavili koncept kariere in teorije razvoja kariere, slovenski visokošolski sistem študija, posameznikove kompetence in problematiko zaposlovanja mladih. Raziskava o vplivu Kariernega centra na kariere študentov je bila izvedena med študenti UM FOV. Rezultati kažejo, da študenti ne razmišljajo o svoji karieri samo zaradi vpliva okolice, temveč imajo močno voljo za doseganje svojih kariernih ciljev. Študenti v večini poznajo aktivnosti Kariernega centra, vendar je le-te treba v času študija posameznih generacij študentov posodabljati, nadgrajevati in prilagajati zahtevam okolja. Študenti menijo, da so aktivnosti Kariernega centra uporabne pri gradnji njihove kariere. Prav tako bodo po zaključku študija, ob vstopu na trg dela, uporabili znanja, pridobljena v sklopu dejavnosti Kariernega centra. Ugotovitve raziskave so dobra podlaga za boljšo organizacijo aktivnosti Kariernega centra UM FOV, ki jih bo na podlagi mnenj študentov mogoče posodobiti in na ta način povečati pomen Kariernega centra tudi pri sodelovanju fakultete z okoljem. Menimo, da je za kakovostno izvajanje študijskih programov potrebna ustrezna podpora študiju, ki jo študenti pričakujejo od fakultete. Pri tem so aktivnosti Kariernega centra brez dvoma lahko podpora študentom pri načrtovanju njihovih karier.The changes in the labour market are encouraging students to plan their careers during their time of study. Many graduates entering the labour market are faced with the fact that the competition among young job seekers is relentless. To enable smoother transition of students onto the labour market, career centres in higher education institutions were established. Career centres help students in the process of their career development, encouraging them to gain new knowledge and inform them about the novelties in the labour market. The Career centre at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Maribor (UM FOV) offers diverse activities for students, aiming to increase their knowledge and competences and thus increase their competitiveness in the labour market. The focus of this thesis was to research the impact of the Career centre UM FOV on student careers. The concept of career and its development theories are presented in the first part focusing on the theoretical background, followed by the presentation of Slovenian higher education study system, as well as individual’s competences and issues of youth employment. The research on the impact of Career centre on student career was conducted among students of UM FOV. The results show that the impact of environment is not the only factor influencing the students’ concerns about the career. Students have a strong will to achieve their career goals. The majority of them are familiar with the activities of the Career centre. However, the activities need to be updated, upgraded and aligned with the demands of the environment. Students believe that the activities of the Career centre are useful for their career development. In addition, they will use the knowledge and skills acquired during the Career centre activities when entering the labour market after finishing their study. The findings of this research form a solid basis for raising the quality of the organization of activities at the faculty’s Career centre. The improvements will be based on the opinions of students and will thereby increase the importance of the Career centre in cooperation with its environment. We reasonably believe that adequate support for study programmes, which students expect, should be provided by the faculty. Activities of the Career centre are undoubtedly a significant assistance to students in planning their careers