ECG Resource for Parents
ECG helps our child gain a better understanding of themselves so that they can make informed choices and develop their education and career goals. As a parent, you are one of the key decision influencers in your child’s education and career aspirations. This ECG Toolkit for Parents aims to provide useful tips and activities for you to engage your child while you support them in their education and career journey.
What are some ways through which you, as a parent, can support your child as they discover and pursue their education and career aspirations in their polytechnic and post-polytechnic pathway?
Here are 3 tips and suggested conversation starters and activities to engage your child in their education and career journey.
Tip #1 Discovering Purpose
Guide your child to make informed decisions and own them. Help them understand their Values, Interests, Personality, and Skills (VIPS) and the larger industry landscape in a deeper manner through the MySkillsFuture Portal.
Set aside time and space where you can speak with, listen to and understand your child’s thoughts and feelings. Use the following questions to encourage your child to find out more about themselves.
Conversation Starters
- Which industries and occupations are you curious about?
- What is important to you in your future career?
- How do you plan to go about achieving your aspirations?
Tip #2 Exploring Opportunities
Exploring education and career pathways with them
- Encourage your child to find out more about further education pathways and the world of work. Encourage your child to participate in meaningful engagements with different communities, participate in a wide range of experiences such as career workshops, fairs, learning journeys to industries, internships or work experience programmes. TP Career Services Website hosts a wide array of career and further education resources to support your child’s exploration.
Conversation Starters
- Which educational institutions are you curious to find out more about?
- How will they help you achieve your aspirations?
- What research have you done on the industries or careers you are interested in?
- How do you think you can find out more about the education or career pathways you are interested in?
Tip #3 Staying Relevant
Embrace lifelong learning and develop your child’s future-ready skills
Encourage your child to continuously pursue opportunities for learning. Learning does not occur only in school, but throughout life. Journey with your child through triumphs and challenges in their education and career journey. SkillsFuture Skills Framework is one good resource to understand the various industries and related skills and competencies.
Conversation Starters
- What are the opportunities for continual learning and growth in the education and career pathways you are interested in?
- Industries and careers constantly face changes. How can you prepare yourself to enter into the world of work?
- What are some skills and competencies which would prepare you for the ever- changing future?
How you can encourage your child
- Reflect with your child, on meaningful experiences, such as transitions, setbacks and achievements.
- Share your personal experiences where mistakes and failures have been opportunities to build your resilience and personal growth.
- Encourage them to document experiences, skills and accomplishments regularly, to help your child chart out their own process of lifelong learning and personal growth.
- Advise your child on how to tap on setbacks as opportunities for further growth and help them identify activities and projects that will help develop future-ready skills.
Find out more
We hope you have found this ECG Toolkit for parents useful. Please feel free to give us feedback on the ECG resources you would like to see in the future.
https://for.edu.sg/ecgparentssurvey
This resource has been adapted from MOE “Journeying with Our Children, Supporting Their Aspirations” for Parents of Temasek Polytechnic Students. Full document contains further resources on ECG services and support from primary and secondary schools.
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