In this article the author examines the role and relevance of career counselling in schools, as an aspect of the school psychological services. In particular, the psycho-social aspects of career counselling are studied against the background of education for democracy in a changing South African society. A major argument advanced in that the training programmes of school career counsellors should be made more relevant to the specific social and educational needs of disadvantaged pupils. This would mean effecting changes in some prevailing practices, and adopting different paradigmatic perspectives when viewing career counselling for a new South African society. In the movement away from rigid social control, mechanistic and behaviouristic tendencies towards emancipatory practices, both psychological as well as sociological perspectives will have to be taken into account. This will enable youngsters to discover their strengths and weaknesses and to be able to respond creatively to the prevailing socio-economic constraints which influence job choices.
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