Students’ Career Aspirations Versus Occupational Environments In The Economy Of Ghana

Abstract

A study was conducted to investigate the relationship between secondary school students’ career aspirations and the various sectors of the Ghanaian economy as well as the occupational environments in it. Specifically, the study examined the extent to which secondary school students in Ghana aspire to the various sectors and occupational environments in the Ghanaian economy as well as the relationships between their career aspirations and their demographic characteristics. Participants consisted of 1075 males and 1265 females (N=2340) randomly chosen from 22 senior secondary schools through a multi- staged stratified sampling. Data was collected with a questionnaire and analysed with percentages and chi-square (x2) test of independence. Results revealed that majority of students aspire to enter government sector employment and enterprising occupational environment. School setting, school-type, academic programme, and ethnicity related significantly to students’ preferences for employment in the various sectors of the Ghanaian economy. Implications of the finding? for counselling and human resource development including the need to guide the aspirations of the youth into the private sector and to moderate their interest in public sector employment are made.