Edtech startup Mentoria launches operations with over 147 students of Hillgreen High School, Pune taking its specially-designed psychometric tests that will enable children to take career-oriented decisions with a more focused and confident approach.
Pune, June 28, 2017: Deciding on the perfect career for yourself is no child’s play! Especially in today’s rapidly transforming global economy. Students, besides experiencing immense pressure to perform academically are faced with questions like “so, what do you want to be” and advice (read pressure) from parents, peers and relatives. With the objective to eliminate the pressure and clear the clutter that plagues a student’s mind, Mumbai-based edtech startup Mentoria launched its operations in Pune today.
Team Mentoria with Hillgreen High School in Pune facilitated for 147 students from Class 10 and 12 of the school its psychometric tests that assess a student’s interests, abilities and personality. This assessment is futuristic, based on modern career guidance theories, and is driven by artificial intelligence. It accurately identifies a student’s interests, personality and ability, thereby enabling the student to discover who he/she truly is. The reports that will be handed to the students based on their respective tests will detail findings and identify the career paths they will thoroughly enjoy and therefore, excel in.
At this occasion, Sameer Bhakhri, co-founder, Mentoria said, “Mentoria’s vision is to positively and exponentially transform our nation by enabling our future , our youth, to accurately discover who they truly are and to handhold them as they discover who they are meant to be throughout their career discovery journey. We are delighted to partner with a dynamic and innovative Principal, Ms. Mona Dey, her colleagues and students of Hillgreeen High School in our foray into Pune”.
Prior to taking the tests, the students and staff of Hillgreen High School were taken through presentations that introduced the Mentoria concept to them. The idea that a career decision cannot be made succumbing to pressures such as parental, peer group and societal expectations was conveyed. It was highlighted that the cost of a wrong/incorrect decision is a lifetime of disappointment , disenchantment, poor compensation and unhappiness, not just for the individual but the entire family. The fact that at any given point, there are over 12,000 career options open before a student and the perils of going wrong deciding the right one among them drove the point home of the immense complexity involved in identifying one’s ideal career.
Welcoming the initiative, Mona Dey, Principal, Hillgreen High School, said, “Students today are confused. In class 10, they are confused about the stream to choose. By the time, they are in Class 12, some worry if they are moving towards the right career. There are examples of students who have studied science and then moved to something like hotel management. Career counselling these days is becoming increasingly important and it isn’t that parents do not realise it. However, it is up to academicians like us and organisations like Mentoria to further reinforce the significance of the concept”.
Reports based on the tests will be handed to the students and their parents on July 3, 2017 when a seminar will be conducted by Mr. Bhakhri at the school premises. Students and parents will be further encouraged to attend sessions by Mentoria-affiliated counsellors who will be able to further guide the students.
The Mentoria ecosystem has been built over the last two and a half years based on interactions with over 3,000 students, parents, teachers and counsellors. Offering a unique combination of psychometrics, technology, expert counselling, a knowledge repository, interactions with industry professionals and constant handholding, Mentoria ensures students take, at the earliest, the first step towards a happier, more productive and successful life.
In a recent interview with EdTechReview staff Nikhar Arora, Founder, Mentoria shared more details. According to Mr. Arora, Mentoria is a unique and comprehensive career discovery platform which enables students (9th std to 12th) to discover themselves and the careers they will truly enjoy and excel at.
He shared, “We have spent the last two and a half years building the Mentoria ecosystem, which included administering the assessment and counseling to over 2700 students across the country, and getting their feedback.”
“We spent close to 8 months meeting 2800+ students, parents and counselors to better understand the diverse needs in the career decision making process, and create a holistic and unique solution,” he added.
Mr. Arora’s confidence is backed by Mentoria’s research findings that showed how a vast majority of young individuals (in India and globally) end up in courses and careers that they will later detest/be sub-optimal in, as the career decisions they make are more often than not based on either lack of knowledge, parental and/or peer pressure or at best, academic scores.
“We believe that if we could offer students (and their parents) an opportunity to peek into the future career path they are most likely to enjoy traversing and handhold them throughout this discovery process, we could facilitate accurate career decisions, leading to happier individuals, families, and nations,” he said.
