Understanding ourselves, recognizing our strengths, making informed decisions and developing the confidence to pursue opportunities are essential skills for navigating life and work.

For many young people in Thailand, the transition from education to employment remains challenging. Youth unemployment is considerably higher than unemployment among older workers, while mismatches between qualifications, skills and labour market needs make finding suitable employment difficult.

Academic qualifications and technical knowledge alone may not provide the personal, social and practical skills needed to identify suitable career opportunities, communicate effectively, overcome challenges and make informed choices about the future. Young people need the confidence, communication skills and career guidance to identify opportunities, make informed decisions and prepare for professional life.

At Chiang Mai Nayu Foundation, we believe that empowering young people begins with helping them recognize their potential and develop the capabilities to shape their own futures. Our Career Coaching Programme aims to help bridge this gap by developing essential life skills, transferable skills and practical career readiness, empowering young people to navigate their transition into employment and shape their professional futures.

Our Career Coaching Programme supports young people through a structured process of self-discovery, personal development and practical career preparation. It combines the development of life skills and transferable skills with career guidance, helping participants build confidence, explore career possibilities and prepare for their transition into professional life.

The programme contributes to our broader mission of empowering individuals and communities through education, personal development and lifelong learning.

Empowering Young People to Shape Their Future

Life skills and transferable skills are essential not only for employment but also for personal wellbeing, social participation and lifelong learning.

These include self-awareness, communication, resilience, adaptability, critical thinking, decision-making and the ability to plan and pursue personal goals. They enable individuals to respond to challenges, navigate change and take greater responsibility for their personal and professional development. The importance of these capabilities is widely recognized internationally.

UNESCO’s Strategy for Technical and Vocational Education and Training 2022–2029 identifies the development of skills for individuals to learn, work and live as a central priority. It recognizes that education and skills development should enable people to participate in productive employment while supporting their personal development and wider participation in society.[1]

UNESCO-UNEVOC further recognizes the importance of career guidance and career management skills, which enable individuals to understand their abilities and aspirations, explore education and employment opportunities, make informed decisions and manage their careers throughout life.[2]

Similarly, UNICEF’s Global Framework on Transferable Skills emphasizes the development of skills that can be applied across different situations in education, work and everyday life. It recognizes their importance for lifelong learning, employment and personal empowerment.[3]

The International Labour Organization also highlights the importance of career education and guidance in helping young people understand the world of work, identify opportunities and manage their transition from education into employment.[4]

Our Career Coaching Programme is inspired by these internationally recognized principles by placing personal development and practical career preparation within one connected learning experience.

Our Career Coaching Programme

The programme guides participants through three connected stages, beginning with self-understanding, progressing to career exploration and preparation, and concluding with practical steps towards their professional future.

1. Know Yourself – Building Self-Awareness and Confidence

Understanding who we are is an important first step towards making meaningful decisions about our future. Participants explore their personal strengths, skills, interests and values, developing greater awareness of their abilities and aspirations.

The coaching process also addresses self-confidence and self-esteem, encouraging a growth mindset and helping participants recognize and challenge negative thoughts, overcome fear of failure and develop more constructive attitudes towards learning and personal development.

The aim is to help young people develop a stronger understanding of themselves, greater confidence in their abilities and a willingness to pursue opportunities and overcome challenges.

2. Prepare Yourself – Exploring Opportunities and Developing Communication Skills

Making informed career choices requires understanding both our individual capabilities and the opportunities available to us. Participants explore potential career directions, consider how their interests and strengths relate to different occupations, and reflect on the skills and experiences they may need for their chosen pathways. They also develop essential communication skills, including body language, clear self-expression and the ability to present themselves confidently and professionally.

Through practical exercises, participants learn to communicate their strengths and aspirations, prepare a personal introduction or elevator pitch, and develop confidence in employment interviews.

The aim is to strengthen participants’ ability to explore career possibilities, make informed choices and communicate effectively in professional situations.

3. Moving Forward – Taking Steps Towards a Professional Future

Career development requires more than identifying aspirations. It also involves translating personal goals into practical actions. Participants learn how to present their qualifications, experiences and capabilities through their curriculum vitae (CV), professional online profiles and employment applications.

The programme introduces LinkedIn, professional networking and approaches to identifying and creating career opportunities. Through reflection, goal setting and career planning, participants identify practical next steps towards their professional aspirations.

The aim is to enable young people to take greater ownership of their career development and pursue education, training and employment opportunities with confidence and purpose.

Why Career Readiness Matters

The transition from education to employment is an important stage in young people’s lives. Yet preparing for this transition involves more than acquiring academic qualifications. Young people must also learn to recognize their abilities, understand career possibilities, communicate with others, make decisions and adapt to changing circumstances.

These capabilities are not always developed systematically through formal education. As a result, young people may face difficulties in identifying suitable career directions, recognizing and presenting their strengths, or approaching employment opportunities confidently.

Career coaching can help address these challenges by providing opportunities for guided reflection, practical learning and personal development. The importance of supporting young people’s transition into employment is also reflected in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Sustainable Development Goal 4, particularly Target 4.4, emphasizes the development of relevant skills for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

Sustainable Development Goal 8 promotes productive employment and decent work, including efforts to improve young people’s access to employment, education and training.

By helping young people develop transferable skills, make informed career decisions and prepare for professional opportunities, the Chiang Mai Nayu Foundation seeks to contribute to these broader international development objectives.

The Goals of Our Career Coaching Programme

Our Career Coaching Programme aims to strengthen young people’s personal capabilities and career readiness, enabling them to make informed decisions and take practical steps towards their future.

We focus on achieving:

1. Improved Self-Awareness: Young people develop a clearer understanding of their personal strengths, skills, values, interests and aspirations.
2. Greater Self-Confidence and Resilience: Participants develop more constructive beliefs about their abilities, a willingness to learn and greater confidence in responding to challenges and setbacks.
3. Enhanced Communication Skills: Participants improve their ability to express themselves clearly, communicate their strengths and interact confidently in professional situations.
4. Informed Career Decisions: Young people gain a better understanding of potential career pathways and their own suitability, interests and development needs.
5. Improved Career Readiness: Participants develop practical skills for preparing employment applications, presenting themselves professionally, navigating job interviews and building professional connections.
6. Greater Ownership of Career Development: Participants are better equipped to establish realistic career goals, identify opportunities and take practical steps towards achieving their aspirations.

Through these outcomes, we aim to empower young people not only to prepare for their first employment opportunities, but also to develop skills that will support their personal and professional growth throughout life.

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[1] UNESCO (2022). Transforming Technical and Vocational Education and Training for Successful and Just Transitions: UNESCO Strategy 2022–2029. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/transforming-technical-and-vocational-education-and-training-successful-and-just-transitions-unesco

[2] UNESCO-UNEVOC. TVETipedia Glossary: Career Guidance. Based on the Inter-Agency Working Group on Career Guidance, Investing in Career Guidance (2021). https://connect.unevoc.unesco.org/home/TVETipedia%2BGlossary/show%3Dterm/term%3DCareer%2Bguidance

[3] UNICEF (2019). Global Framework on Transferable Skills. https://www.unicef.org/reports/global-framework-transferable-skills

[4] International Labour Organization (2024). Handbook for Career Development. https://www.ilo.org/resource/other/handbook-career-development