India needs 1.4 Mn career counselors: IC3 Conference

The 2018 Annual International Career and College Counseling (IC3) Conference acknowledged that India's 350 million students, the biggest student population in the world, needs at least 1.4 million career counselors to maintain a globally acceptable student-to-school-counselor ratio.

The conference also unveiled a special report 'A World on The Move: Trends in Global Student Mobility' by Institute of International Education (IIE) highlighting that despite global uncertainty, the demand for international education has consistently been on the rise and will continue to grow.

The conference attendance grew by 40 percent in 2017 to 700+ delegates this year from leading high schools and global universities across India, South East Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia.

With 100+ speakers and over 40 sessions, the 3rd edition of the IC3 Conference provided an engaging platform to discuss new ideas and opportunities in global higher education and student counseling.

The two-day event, hosted by KIC UnivAssist and co-hosted by Ashoka University, was a collaborative effort with content partners such as IIE, Education USA, Edu Canada, College Board, British Council, Cambridge Assessment, International Baccalaureate, and NACAC.

Welcoming the 100 counselors (recipients of the IC3 scholarships this year) from under-resourced schools across the country, the committee announced the winners of the 2nd edition of IC3 awards for their outstanding contributions in the field of career counseling.

"We were delighted with the level of participation and discourse at the conference this year. This year marks a major milestone with the launch of the IC3 Institute to realize our mission of establishing a dedicated career counseling department in all schools and colleges in India and throughout Asia," said IC3 Conference Chair, President & Chief Mentor, KIC UnivAssist and Former High School College Counselor, Ganesh Kohli.

"Never have students had so much freedom to choose courses, careers, and countries than they do today. These are however also times of extreme uncertainty. Students need guidance and coaching for career development like any other discipline taught in schools. If India has to realise its demographic dividend, it needs to provide one career counselor for every 250 students it has," added Kohli.

"It is exciting to see the momentum IC3 has generated within the Asian teaching community and academic institutions. Career counseling has long been a gaping hole in institutions and is even more crucial in the context of the sweeping changes in types of jobs the world is likely to see in the light of emerging technologies from artificial intelligence to gene therapy. Students will benefit immensely from IC3's effort to empower high schools and colleges with professional development opportunities and guide students on what to study, where to study, and how to prepare for a successful career," said Karthik Krishnan, Britannica Group, U.S., Global CEO.

Other distinguished speakers included Vivek Mansukhani, Head, Institute of International Education, India; Anuj Bhasin, Trade Commissioner, Education, High Commission of Canada to India; Dr. Lindsay Addington, Associate Director, International Initiatives, National Association for College Admission Counseling; to name a few.

The conference witnessed multiple breakout sessions, insightful keynote addresses by leading education experts, networking opportunities and other pre- and post-conference events such as Workshops, Presidential Forum, Fair & Symposium and Local University Visits.