Häädemeeste Secondary School is located at Häädemeeste, Pärnu county, Estonia, on the former Livonian areas between two Baltic capitals – Tallinn and Riga. There are 167 students from age 7 to 19 studying at Häädemeeste Secondary School and 24 teachers. Häädemeeste Secondary School helps students from the age 14 to 19 (year 8 to year 12) with their career planning. Lecturers come to school to give lectures on different topics concerning future work-life, excursions to different enterprises take place, students take tests and analyse themselves to become aware of their interests, capabilities and skills, which enable making definite plans for their careers. Students are taken to the Vocational Centre of Pärnu County (VCPC) to see what professions can be taught there.
In Häädemeeste Secondary School students can choose between optional subjects depending on human resources (teachers we have) and students’ interests. At secondary level (years 10 – 12) students get a lot of individual attention, they can choose between business, history of culture, national defence, biology, art and architecture, tourism, also Finnish as additional subjects. English as a first foreign language, Russian and German as a second foreign language is taught at the school. Every year in November students from upper secondary classes take part in Job-shadowing Day. Later prepare a presentation to give an overview what they learnt about certain jobs. They get familiar with different professions and also with educational and vocational possibilities.
Häädemeeste Secondary School works closely together with local institutions like State Forest Management Centre where students take part regularly in different study programmes; tourism enterprises; Bird Watching Centre; the professions connected to the ecoproduction are introduced. In the future there is a plan to include into school curriculum an optional course “Career Education”, which involves the knowledge of the history of local enterprises, about the natural sources. The area has created jobs according to the usage of natural sources throughout the centuries – clay bricks for the ovens were made in this region already since 1890s; sand, gravel, bog peat; forest and shipbuilding; the sea and fishing; farming; the beach, pure nature and tourism.
School homepage: https://www.haademeeste.edu.ee/