Environment Of North East India North Eastern Region History Essay

Environment Of North East India North Eastern Region History Essay CHAPTER 2 The North Eastern region shares borders with Bhutan, Nepal and China on its North, Myanmar on its East and Bangladesh on its South and West, approximately 60% of Indias land borders. It is the only region in South Asia to be situated amid five countries. The jungles of South East Asia sweep down from Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh across seven other nations Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Kampuchea, Malaysia and Vietnam-spanning political boundaries regardless of physical frontiers. The region provides access for China to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Lhasa is 1200 Km from Kolkota Port and Kunming is 550 Km from Sittwe port in Myanmar. Nepal is dependent on Kolkota port for all its trade. Similarly Bhutans economy is linked to India through Assam and West Bengal. Myanmar is a gateway for India to South East Asia through this region and Bangladesh is a prominent wedge between Indian mainland and its North East States. Each one of these countries is in a state of influx a nd economic turmoil, constrained by legitimacy issues. There are political, economic and boundary grievances as a fallout of small- big power syndrome. They are providing sanctuaries to the insurgent groups from the North Eastern region. Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) in large quantity is finding their way into the North East from the neighboring countries. The region has an area of 2.6 lakh sq.km (8.06% of Indias land area)  [1]  while its population is 39 million plus (3.73 % of Indias population)  [2]  . It has estimated483 ethnic tribes with a comparable number of languages and dialects  [3]  . The region has immense geo strategic importance and the ongoing insurgencies and the implementation of the Look East Policy is a matter of grave concern to the Government and the strategic planners of the country. Ethnic coalitions, oral traditions and lifestyles based on respect for nature have mattered more in these regions than frontiers. Here men and women, with common origins but different nationalities, share a racial, historic, anthropological and linguistic kinship with each other that is more vital than their links with the mainstream political centers, especially at Delhi, Dhaka and Rangoon, or Yangon. Neighbouring Countries of the North Eastern Region Bangladesh Geo -Strategic Location. Bangladesh is bounded with India almost entirely on three sides with Assam (263 km.), Meghalaya (443 km.), Mizoram (318 km.) and Tripura(856km.) except for a small but significant border in the southeast with Myanmar. There are hardly any natural obstacles as the area consists of jungles, hills, plains and riverine stretches. It is thickly populated and cultivation is carried out right up to the border. The Indo-Bangladesh border is a porous border with illegal immigration and anti national activities from Bangladesh. To curtail the above, the Government of India had sanctioned the construction of border roads and fencing in two phases. The total length of Indo-Bangladesh border sanctioned to be fenced is 3,436.59 km.; out of which about 2,735.12 km. of fencing has so far been completed and is expected to be finished by March 2012.  [4]  C:UsersabcDocumentspaasInternal Security _ India_filesnorth_east_india.jpg This border is contiguous with Myanmar state of Rakhine (old Arakan), thus gains importance. Its geo-strategic location is of significant value to the two strategic rivals, China and India, because in the north Bangladesh is separated from the Himalayan kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan by a strip of Indias territory, which is known as the Siliguri Corridor  [5]  .The Siliguri Corridor (narrowest is 21 Km) is regarded as a very sensitive strategic land for India. If this land connection is blocked in future by any internal or external elements, India would find itself cut off from its strategic part of the Seven Sisters states, so in that situation the only alternative way for India to reach its important part of land is a strategic corridor through Bangladesh. China enjoys access to the Bay of Bengal through Myanmar. Bangladeshs proposal to connect it with Kunming by a road through Myanmar could be an alternative route for China. Indias geo-strategic location is also important for Bangladesh because Bangladesh energy security strategy relies on the import of hydro-based electricity from Bhutan or Nepal, so Bangladesh needs a route for access through India. Successive governments in Bangladesh except Awami League were reluctant to help North East India get access to the Bay of Bengal through Chittagong port as well as by allowing transit. However, after Sheikh Hasina came to power Bangladesh has also agreed to use their territory for transportation of goods on specific purposes. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni also indicated that Dhaka would welcome Indian support for Chittagong Port development where China is also bidding.  [6]  With a growing Islamist agenda, the erstwhile East Pakistan had emerged as the primary staging ground for the ISI-Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) operations in the North East. The erstwhile East Pakistan was aiding the Mizo and the Naga separatists before 1971. The DGFI, as is well known, is a smaller prototype of the ISI and was created in 1978 by Gen Zia-ur-Rahman, and presently it is this organisation that has taken the initiative to launch forward intelligence capabilities in the North East. After the assassination of Sheikh Mujibir Rehman in 1975, there had been a transparent shift of the foreign policy of Bangladesh towards China. Bangladesh has been acquiring their defence and development needs from China. In 2002, both the countries had signed an agreement on Defence Cooperation which covers military training and defence production. The Bangladesh Armed Forces are equipped with tanks, frigates, missile boats and fighter jets from China.  [7]   Migration .Migration from the erstwhile East Bengal/ East Pakistan and the present day Bangladesh to eastern and North Eastern parts of India has been an ongoing phenomenon  [8]  . Only after the partition of India in 1947, following which the political boundaries changed has this age -old tradition become Illegal. This cross- border movement of people is due to a number of interrelated factors: economic, environmental, religious and political. Bangladesh is one of the most populous and poorest countries in the world. Hence Bangladesh is a major source of labour, but mainly of low skilled and unskilled workers. This immigration in the North East was focused in Assam because of tea, oil and coal industries and the demand for labour. From Assam the immigrants are going to other states of the region. In recent times, Nagaland, along with Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur has attracted a large number of immigrants. In Mizoram, migration from Bangladesh and Myanmar has b ecome a serious issue. The influx from across the border has resulted in demographic transformation which has led to tribal insurgency in the states. Indo Bangladesh Relations. With the Sheikha Hasina government in power in Bangladesh, Indias relations with that country seem set to improve. Bangladesh lies contiguous to Indias sensitive North East, which has been the focus of destabilization through anti Indian insurgencies supported by China, Myanmar and also Bangladesh, singly and jointly with Pakistan. However the security related issues need to be addressed. The issues include the safe havens provided to the Indian Insurgent Groups like the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), activities of the Islamic Groups such as the Muslim Liberation Tigers of Assam (MULTA) and the People United Liberation Front (PULF), passage of arms and ammunition through and from Bangladesh. The visit of the Bangladesh Prime Minister from10-13 January 2010 promised to launch a new phase in the ties between the two countries. Three agreements were signed fight against international terrorism, organized crime and illegal drug trafficking, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and mutual transfer of convicted prisoners. If despite internal resistance from anti Indian elements and the bureaucracy, India Bangladesh relations can be steadily transformed, it will considerably improve the political and economic dynamics of the region. Bangladesh can play a positive part in linking the eastern region of South Asia to Myanmar, Thailand and beyond. A solution however has to be found, to the problem of illegal Bangladesh migration into India.  [9]  The Prime Minister of India was on a two day visit to Bangladesh from 06-07 September 2011, during which many agreements less the Teesta River were signed. The boundary issues to include the 111 Indian Enclaves (17,158 acres) and 51 Bangladesh Enclaves (7,110 acres) were agreed upon. Water Problem. Water has been a major issue in India-Bangladesh relations. There are 54 shared rivers between India and Bangladesh. The two have till date signed only the Ganges Water Treaty in 1997. While the Treaty has helped the two countries to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution on the sharing of the water of the Ganges; Bangladesh remains apprehensive about Indias intentions on several other water-related issues such as the sharing of the Teesta and Indias proposal on the interlinking of the rivers.  [10]   Myanmar Geo Strategic Location. Myanmar has a land border with India (1645 km) and Bangladesh. Four Indian states (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram) border Myanmar (Kachin Chin states and Sagaing Division). Myanmar is often perceived to be a buffer state between the two Asian giants of India and China and also a connecting nation for India and other Southeast Asian nations. Myanmar is geographically, dominating the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea and this is where the spheres of influence of India and China overlap. Its strategic location provides Myanmar with an opportunity to play a significant role in both the geopolitics and geo-economics of South and Southeast Asia. It can serve as a land bridge between India and prospering economies in the East and South East Asia. Also having good relations with Myanmar will allow India to check on the growing influence of China in the region. In addition, the availability of natural gas, oil, coal, zinc, precious stones, timber and some deposits of Uranium in Myanmar gives an economic dimension to its strategic significance. With the interplay of market forces across the borders, Myanmar could be both a favoured destination and a crossroad for other Southeast Asian countries and for India, but in reality it has failed to attain either of these primarily because of its internal political problems. Unlike China, the grim realities of military dictatorship, isolation from rest of the world and several economic sanctions from West have restricted the nation to achieve economic success over time. The Chinese have made full use of this situation and have been stripping Myanmar of its natural resources. Administrative Map of Myanmar The central Irrawaddy River valley is the hub around which Myanmar is organized. The valley has the hill areas where the population is of primarily the Kachin, Chin, Shan, Karenni and Karen people. These people are self organized and have their own armies and regular forces and they have been fighting the national army since a long period. However, these hill regions which are populated by the minority are ethnically divided from within. They have migrated from China, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia and India. Due to this reason, the western Myanmar which has the Chin population is not similar to the Karen in the eastern Myanmar in any manner. Similarly there is no common factor in terms of language and culture between the Shans and the ethnic Burmans except for the Buddhist religion. In the case of the Arakans, their feeling is that they are not connected with the rest of Myanmar. The Indo- Myanmar border has no border fencing and not clearly demarcated, which allows people to freely cross with neither any security outpost dotted along or within even a few kilometers of the boundary. Communication infrastructure on both sides is poor particularly on the Myanmar side it is abysmal. The area is poorly developed and ineffectively administered. Historical Background. It was in the 13th Century that the Chinas Yuan dynasty invaded Myanmar and it has been since then under the shadow of the Greater China. However, it is interesting to mention that at around the same time, Myanmar became the home of an Indian business community which became a great support to the British in holding Myanmar as a part of Greater British India. In 1948, it became a Union of Burma, which made it a sovereign independent country. During the period 1958-60, there was serious politico-ethnic turmoil. In March 1962, General Ne Win, led a coup after which he suspended the constitution of Burma and ruled the country with a military council and also supported one party system known as the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP).This resulted in a spate of insurgency movements by the ethnic groups like the Kachin Independent Army(KIA),the Shan State Army( SSA),the Arakanese Revolutionary Army(ARA), the Chin National Army(CAN)and the National Party of Arakan (NUPA) against the Rangoon Military Junta. There were serious repercussions of the insurgency and the separatist movements in the Sagaing Division, Chin Hills and the Arakan Region of Burma. It had a major affect on the politico-strategic environment of the eastern areas of India and Bangladesh. In the Indian states, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram were directly affected by this, drug trafficking, narco-terrorism from the Golden Triangle and the political brinkmanship between the Burmese Military Government and the pro democracy movement led by Dow Aung Suu Kyi, daughter of General Aung San, who had been assassinated in July 1947. Myanmar governments writ does not extend over the entire country particularly along the border regions. The Myanmar army is poorly administered. If they are to render meaningful support in the long term, it will have to be upgraded. There is a compete diversity in Myanmar, which has a population of 56 million. Majority of the population is Burman and the minority groups are Shan, Karen, Mon, Rakhine, Chin, Kachin, Kayan, Danu, Akha, Kokang, Lahu, Rohingyia, Tavoyan, and Wa. Indians and the Chinese are the minority groups in Myanmar and there has been discrimination in their treatment by the Myanmar Government for autonomy and self determination. The Chinese because of the economic interests and the trade have gained an added advantage. Chinas overriding concern is a stable Myanmar to give its landlocked southwest access to the Indian Ocean, as well as oil, gas and timber to feed its booming economy. The Indian community is not a homogenous group which is also a drawback. Myanmar is a part of the Golden Triangle including Laos and Cambodia. It is the second largest producer of illicit opium accounting for nearly 80% of worlds drug supply. It is a major narco-trafficking nation and money laundering continues to hi nder the overall anti-drug efforts in the country. North East Region is affected through illegal trade of narcotics, stones and arms from that country into the hinterland of India. Thus there is a need of military co-operation between Myanmar and India to control the drug trafficking, weapon smuggling and support to the insurgents. india_weapons-smuggling croped.jpg India has taken initiative to improve her economic relationship with Myanmar by keeping possible doors open for bilateral engagement, like investment, infrastructure, trade and other co-operation. Trade with and through Myanmar would revive Indias Northeast and make both the nations prosperous. Also, Myanmar being Indias gateway to ASEAN, it is the only country of this group, which has a land and maritime boundary with India. Thus with India becoming a summit level partner of ASEAN and a member of the East Asia Summit, improved relations with Myanmar can be beneficial in many respects. Besides, Myanmar and India are members of other sub regional groupings such as the BIMST-EC and the Mekong Ganga Cooperation. The recent planned infrastructure development of road, rail and waterways from Indian side are all steps in the direction of establishing economic and business connections with Myanmar. In 1992, following the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Indian government launched its Look East Policy, which in the words of the then prime minister was a strategic shift in Indias vision of the world and Indias place in the evolving global economy.   Since that time, a number of initiatives have been pursued to increase ties, largely in trade relations, between India, members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other Asian states.   As Indias gateway to East Asia, the Burmese military regime has found itself in a key geo-strategic position, giving it a strong hand in negotiations with India. In 2000, relations between India and Myanmar improved with the formation of the Mekong Ganga Cooperation and also by becoming the biggest purchasing player of the exports of Myanmar. Though the Indo Myanmar Friendship Road was completed in 2001, India has not been able to exploit its potential by reaching the markets of Southeast Asia. Indian companies have been involved in negotiations with Myanmar in the fields of onshore and offshore explorations of oil and gas and hydropower projects. Kaladan Multi Modal Transport Project .The construction of the Kaladan Multi Modal Transport Project commenced in 2010 and is likely to be completed by 2015. This would facilitate Indias North Eastern Region to be linked to the Bay of Bengal through Myanmar using the road and waterway of the Kaladan River through the Arakan State. The ports on the route at Kaletwa, Paletwa and Sittwe will be constructed by the Indian Government, while the highway linking Paletwa and Myeikwaon on the Indian side will be constructed by the Myanmar Ministry of Construction. The distance between Sittwe Port and Haldia is approximately 12 hours sail and with Vishakhapatnam it is 36 hours sail.  [11]   The cargo vessels will travel along the Kaladan River in Sittwes eastern bank to berth at Sitpyitpyin in Paletwa, where a port will be built. From the port, a highway will be constructed to the border area of Myeikwa to facilitate the flow of commodities to Mizoram, which is located about 160 km from the port. Kalewa in Myanmar will be linked with Moreh in Manipur covering a distance of 160 Km and there will also be an up gradation of the Roads Rhi-Tidim and Rhi-Falam, as part of the project. With this project the entire North East will have direct access to the South East Asia for direct trading. This will facilitate the North East region, an access to the sea route. Moreh on the NH 39 and the Indo Myanmar border is an important post where border trade is carried out. Tamu is the border town of Myanmar, which has better infrastructure facilities than at Moreh. The Chinese have benefitted from the trade as their cheap electronics, silk goods and a wide range of goods have been smuggled to the Indian market through this area. This is something which should become a cause of worry for India. Due to the location of the Sittwe port not very far from Kyakpiu port of Myanmar and Chittagong Port of Bangladesh it gains a serious geo -strategic importance with Indias presence. China is providing support to Myanmar in developing the Kyakpiu port and constructing a road and oil-gas pipeline connecting Kunming. China has also proposed to develop Chittagong port and Sonadia deep sea port located seven kms off the Cox Bazaar. The construction of Sittwe incidentally comes close on the heels of Myanmars elections and release of Aung Sun Swu Kyi. India, in spite of the international pressure has remained engaged with Burmese military junta since 1993 keeping in mind its strategic importance. Visit of Than Shwe. During Than Shwes visit to India in July 2010, the two nations resolved to increase trade by up to $1 billion per annum. Than Shwe expressed his satisfaction on the construction, maintenance and repair work of the Road Tamu- Kalaywa- Kalemyo connecting Moreh in Manipur to Myanmar by the Border Roads Organisation of India and thereafter handing over most of the segments to the Government of Myanmar. It will commence construction and revamping of the Road Rhi -Tiddim with financial grants from India. India agreed to give a grant of $ 10 Million for agricultural machinery and also give technical assistance to manufacture the same in Myanmar. India had agreed to provide assistance in the implementation of the Tamanthi and Shwezaye power projects on the Chindwin River Basin in Myanmar. A third Border Trading point will be made functional at Avankhug- Somra( Nagaland). India will provide fast inshore and offshore boats and interceptors to patrol rivers and deltas. Treat y on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters to combat transnational organized crime, terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering and smuggling of arms and explosives was signed. Both, Oil and Natural Gas Commission Videsh and GAIL have a 30 percent stake in two gas producing blocks in Myanmar as part of consortium which is supplying the hydro carbon gas to China. They also are a part of the pipeline project which will link the two blocks to China. Than Shwe reiterated Myanmars support for Indias bid for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council. He also conveyed his support for Indias candidature for a non-permanent seat in the UNSC for the term 2011-2012. A strategy of increased security cooperation and a strengthened collective effort to fight the insurgents and combat terrorism along the border of the two countries was agreed upon .There is a global arms embargo on Myanmar, but India is not part of it. However there are worries that the Myanmar military may use the weapons and other military equipment, such as helicopters, sold or donated by India for the crackdown on insurgents, against ethnic civilians. Insurgency. There is close social and cultural affinity between the tribal population on both sides of the Indo- Myanmar border, particularly in Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. The area on the Myanmar side is infested with insurgent groups camps and due to logistics and hostile terrain, the Myanmar Government has not been able to exercise sovereignty and is a constraint for anti -terror operations. There are rebel militias in the Shan State. Some of the insurgent groups have been active against Yangon for over four decades. This was the reason why the Naga and the Assamese groups have been finding refuge on the Myanmar side. For many years India has faced an insurgency in the remote north-east of the country, with insurgent groups frequently operating from bases inside Myanmar. Myanmars military co-operation with the Indian Government in dealing with these groups has been reportedly linked with an Indian government offer to supply a variety of military hardware such as tanks, aircraft, artillery guns, radar, small arms and advanced light helicopters. In April 2007 it was reported that Indian and Myanmar security forces were conducting joint military operations along the 1,643-km Indo-Myanmar border to neutralise insurgent groups. Any military operations in this region must be undertaken along with a social uplift programme,  otherwise, it would be only a police action. It is doubtful whether the military regime is ready for such social action. India has been engaged in peace parleys with both factions of NSCN for some time now.   Carrying out joint or closely coordinated operations in areas of their proximity without jeopardizing the peace talks will require a lot of finesse. The area of operations is astride the routes of flourishing drug trade and traffic as well as arms traffic. Vested interests, including those from the Myanmar Army and criminal elements involved in such traffic will also have to be tackled. In the month of January 2010, an agreement was signed between India and Myanmar to conduct joint military operations in North East and Myanmar against the Indian insurgents hiding in the dense jungles of Myanmar. The aim was to ensure that no insurgent can escape to the other side when facing the heat on one side. The security forces were also to be more vigilant on the border against smuggling of drugs, arms and other goods. China has always been a staunch supporter of the military junta  [12]  . Myanmar gave China an assurance over an important crude oil pipeline and promised to maintain stability along the border after unrest in August 2009 pushed thousands of refugees into Yunnan. Indias concern over the transit, permanent and training camps and other support by Myanmar on their soil to the Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs) including ULFA has made an affect. They have endeavored to launch counter-insurgency operations. Besides ULFA, NSCN (Khaplang), Peoples Liberation Army and United National Liberation Front from Manipur too have their camps within Myanmar territory. Some of these camps are in the Kachin province bordering China; the other outfits have been operating from areas bordering India. Cross border smuggling of small arms from South East Asia and Chinas Yunnan also exists.NSCN(K) and the Myanmar Government have signed a bilateral cease fire agreement on 9April 2012. While China has long maintained a friendly relationship with Myanmar, India appears to have changed its position on the regime over the last decade. Indias past calls for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi as well as for a national political reconciliation process seem to have been replaced by a policy of engagement rather than sanctions as a means to exert influence over the military administration, and a new pragmatic stance  which allows it to take advantage of new investment opportunities wherever they appear. Shift of USA Stance. United States Secretary of State Hillary Clintons two day visit in December 2011, the first of its kind after the 1950s to Myanmar has been a welcome step as compared to imposing sanctions on the Military Junta Rule. This step is primarily to shift the focus of Myanmar from China which was gaining an excessive grip over the country.USA has now shifted its focus to Asia Pacific where most countries were getting concerned about the rise of China and it assertiveness. She had discussions with the President Thein Sein and Ms Aung San Suu Kyi , leader of the National League for Democracy Party.USA has lifted sanctions against Myanmar. The change in trend in Myanmar of liberalization and to have good relations with the countries of the world will have a major impact in Asia. By taking initiatives to open talks with the USA and other neighbouring countries it will be able to develop into an energy and natural resources base in the sub-continent, China and the South East Asia. Kunming, which is an important place in the Yunnan Province of China, will play an important role in South East Asia as it can become the hub of the rail and the river routes. Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy has joined the parliamentary system which has been crafted by the Generals. It is a quasi -civilian government in which a quarter of the seats are reserved for serving military soldiers. The government under President Thein Sein is being seen as a government which will bring reforms and this can be viewed by his actions of freeing political prisoners, relaxation of the media control, the trade unions being legalized and the most important one being of dialogue with the ethnic minority rebels. Nepal Geo Strategic Location. Nepal shares a close geographic proximity with India and China, the two acknowledged nuclear weapons states and major powers in Asia. Nepal is closer to Tibet, which is a disputed area between India and China, and is home for 12,000 Tibetans refugees. India and Nepal have signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1950 which guarantees the open border. Nepals open frontier with the heartland states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal makes India extremely vulnerable. Nepals geo-strategic location is beneficial for China and India but it is a threat for Nepal, because Nepal lies between two powerful rivals. Nepal is most unlikely to face direct foreign military invasion because of its geopolitical location but its potential to become a safe haven to hostile groups is possible. Nepal has energy resources; due to which it also gains importance. India Nepal Map Maoist Insurgency. Nepal has undergone major crisis since the commencement of the Maoist insurgency in 1966. This had resulted in the country being taken hostage by some state and non state actors. The effect of this has been that the agricultural production is declining, the unemployment rate has soared up to 60 percent, most of the industries are closing and there have been regular bandhs and strikes. The law and order situation has deteriorated and the common man feels unsafe, more so in the eastern hill regions of the country. In November 2006, a Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Communist Party of Nepal -Maoists (Later called UCPN- Maoists) was signed, resulting in constitution assembly election in 2008.The politico -economic state of Nepal has worsened after 2006.It has affected the balance of trade, Indian currency is not available, banking and financial institutions have failed, poor supply of electricity and supply of petroleum products is undependable. The Governmen t has not been able to find a solution for integrating and rehabilitating the 19000 odd Maoist insurgents. The Unified CPN- Maoists have finally joined the Government.  [13]  The United Nations Mission (UNMIN) ended their term in January 2011.They had played an important role in ensuring the ceasefire agreement with the Maoists and also supported in the conduct of the elections in 2008. China is becoming more assertive in demanding equal treatment with India in terms of the latters respective treaties with Nepal. With the Maoists now becoming a strong political force in Nepal, and given their ideological compulsion to be seen as drawing Nepal closer to China, coupled with their periodic ranting calculated to inflame public opinion against India, the political terrain has become more favourable for China.

Paper on Career Skills Essay

1. Career direction It starts with five articles which help you think about career direction. These tools help you uncover what you do best and identify the types of work that you’ll enjoy doing most. From this, you can figure out how to make the most of your skills and preferences, whether in your current role or in a new one. a. Personal SWOT Analysis shows you how you can apply the well-known SWOT strategy tool to your life and career, helping you identify your strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities open to you and the threats you face. This leads naturally into the idea of job crafting. This is something that many of us do subconsciously to some extent, but our article gives you a rigorous approach that you can use to craft your ideal job. b. Develop your career in various ways. We show you what you can be doing now to future proof your career and to get ready for promotion. And if you’re frustrated because your hard work and abilities are going unnoticed, find out how to get the recognition you deserve. we show you how to live with a lack of job security and how to cope with life after job loss. Yet even when the economy’s booming, you can still face challenging career situations such as hitting a â€Å"glass ceiling†. We round off this section with two articles that will help you transition through significant events in your career. First, we look at what you can do when you get a new boss, and then we see how to wrap up in one role before moving on. Finding Career Direction Discover Yourself and Your Purpose How long has it been since you asked yourself what you want to be when you grow up? If you haven’t considered the idea since high school, then you may have settled into a job that is not fulfilling your professional aspirations, or your purpose. Each of us has particular talents that, when expressed or exercised, make the world a better place. Most likely you enjoy doing these things, and you find that people respond well to you when you do them. Perhaps they’re things you gravitate towards during out-of-hours activities, and that people respect you for. When you develop these talents as far as you can, you can make your greatest possible contribution to the world, and enjoy personal and professional satisfaction that goes along with this. Your Career Direction Journey The process of uncovering what you are meant to do, that is finding career direction, is a journey. It starts with discovering the essential â€Å"you†: the person who truly resides behind the facades, defenses, and stresses of everyday life. Once unmasked, your journey continues with specific career exploration and identification of a career that allows you to make good use of your talents. And it moves on with a focused job or career move, in which you identify the jobs you want and put yourself in the best possible position to get them. In fact, this journey never really ends because work itself is all about change, growth, development, and reinvention. By taking a talent-based approach to your career search right from the start, you keep yourself heading toward the right career even when the actual direction shifts over time. This approach consists of sequentially answering three questions: 1. Who Am I? 2. What Do I Want to Do? 3. How Do I Get Hired? 1. Discovering Who You Really Are The first question to answer is â€Å"Who am I?† We’ll take two approaches to answering this – firstly asking you to explore your talents, and secondly using psychometric tests to explore your preferences. Exploring Your Talents First of all, consider your answers to the following questions: * When have you been most committed, passionate and enthusiastic? * When have you been most creative? * When have you been most sure of yourself and your decisions? * What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment? * When have other people considered you to be most successful? * When have you enjoyed your work most? * What talents were you relying on, and using, in these situations? * For what would you take a very strong stand? * What about the world puzzles or disturbs you that you could make an impact on? * What jobs do you like to do at work when you have a choice? * What activities are you drawn towards out of work? * If money were no concern, what would you be doing? Brainstorm each of these questions, and then use your answers to identify the top three talents that you most use when you’re successful. Rank these in order. Tip:If you’re having problems choosing, use a technique like paired comparison analysis to rank things in order. | Personality Inventories Next, we’ll look at using personality inventories as a way of looking at your preferred way of working relative to other people. There are many typologies available including Myers-Briggs, DISC (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness) and the strength finder evaluation in â€Å"Now Discover Your Strengths†. Tip 1: Some of these cost quite a lot of money, however considering the importance of what you’re doing, it is probably worth investing in them if you haven’t already done so. Tip 2: It can be hard initially to see how to apply these tests. One trick is to turn things around, and as you identify possible careers, think about what personality type is most likely to be successful in these careers. Is there a match or a mismatch? We’ll do this later. Tip 3: Treat these tests as advisory only – you can’t capture the whole complexity of your personality and experience with only a few questions. That said, you’ll probably find the tests quite insightful! | With personality testing you learn what you have in common with other people. You also discover potential points of friction with people of other personality types. While no personality type is good or bad, it does help you discover what motivates and energizes you. This in turn empowers you to seek those elements in the work you choose to do, and avoid the things that frustrate and demotivate you. As you explore your personality you come to realize that who you are is really determined by the choices you make. You choose to react one way over another, or to prefer one thing to another. You can take this self-awareness one step further by examining why you make the choices you do. In psychological terms, what is your payoff for making the choices you make? When you know the â€Å"why† it is easier to see how you can become fulfilled through the work you do. Write a â€Å"Who I Am† Statement Now draw this together into a simple written statement of who you are. This is an important step toward self-discovery and defining your purpose. Use it to answer the following questions: * What your talents and strengths are. * The talents you achieve most with. * The activities you get most satisfaction from. * The type of activity the psychometrics you’ve completed guide you towards. Tip: When you’re doing this, be careful not just to look back nostalgically at simple jobs where you performed well – after all, many different people could perform well in these situations, and this gives you little information. Focus instead on more difficult areas where you made a positive difference, and where others didn’t. 2. Finding Out What You Want to Do Now that you know who you are, the next stage is to think about what you want to do. For your life to be balanced and fulfilled, your career must be aligned with who you are: Otherwise you’ll be unhappy with work, and you’ll probably underachieve. After all, ill-fitting jobs demand different talents from the ones that you have. If you try to pursue a career path that is at odds with your values, your beliefs, and your way of seeing the world, then you’ll struggle constantly and be under a great deal of stress and pressure. The starting point is to do some brainstorming on the jobs that you think would suit who you are. We’ll then confirm this with some different psychometric tests, and then extend this list with some more brainstorming. You then need to spend some time researching the top careers you’ve identified. i. Exploring the Options You Know About Starting with your â€Å"Who I Am† statement, start thinking about all of the jobs you can see that would suit you someone with the talents and interests in that statement (by depersonalizing it in this way, you help to avoid â€Å"being too close to the issue.†) Starting here is particularly important if you’re already established in a career: It’s important to capitalize where you can on the experience and contacts you’ve already built up, compared with ditching everything and starting completely afresh (while this sounds glamorous and enticing, it puts you in the position of competing equally with other career starters, who may be much younger than you. On the other hand, if you’re profoundly unhappy with your company, industry and profession, a radical career change may be the best thing†¦) So start by asking yourself if your current role can be adapted to suit you much better; if there are other roles within your existing company that would be worth trying; or whether similar roles in other organizations might be more rewarding. Once you’ve done this, extend out and brainstorm the other options available. ii. Using Career Tests The next stage is to use online career tests to explore options that you might have missed. Useful ones are: Free, but limited career selection advice: Princeton Review Career Quiz Chargeable (but inexpensive, and with good selections of possible careers): http://www.self-directed-search.com http://www.assessment.com iii. Thinking Further The unavoidable flaw with these career tests is that they’re based on backward-looking data, and can only cope with the major career types. Because of this, they can’t recommend new careers, nor do they know about less well-known careers. Using the test results as a starting point, do some brainstorming to see if there are new technology careers which demand similar personality types, or if there are more obscure careers that may also be open. iv. Pulling This Together. You’ll now have identifies a wide range of possible careers open to you. Now’s the time to cut these down and prioritize them. We’re not asking you to choose one now, but to cut down to your top 5 or 6 choices (the reason being that when you start researching these careers, some of them may turn out to be quite bad!) Again, if you’re having trouble prioritizing, use paired comparison analysis to rank your choices. v. Perform Career Research Armed with a solid understanding of how you can participate in fulfilling work, you now need to research the various options you have to make money doing so. Career research is not something many people relish, but it is necessary in order to eliminate choices that seem to be great fits on the surface but really won’t align with your mission and purpose. Yes, this is quite tedious. But think about the consequences of getting things wrong! Surely it’s worth spending time exploring your options, rather than a lifetime kicking yourself for making a bad choice! Methods for researching careers include: * Researching the career using sites like Acinet.org, so that you can understand industry trends, job pay levels, qualifications needed, job availability, etc. * Conducting your own PEST Analysis to confirm your own view of likely career trends. * Reading industry/career magazines and get a sense of how â€Å"happy† the industry is, who the major players in it are, and what the issues and problems within it are. Also, looking at job vacancies to see if the career is in demand. * Understanding what talents and personalities make people successful in the career, and mapping these back against your own talents and personality. * Attending professional and trade shows. * Participating in job fairs; * Visiting company websites, and keep an eye on how companies are talked about in the press. * Understanding where organizations are based, and deciding if you’re prepared to travel to interviews, and perhaps to move. * Volunteering. * Working part time and/or seasonally in the industry. Tip: Be careful when using career trends to identify career possibilities: The desire to pursue an up and coming career may overshadow your mission and purpose. This will only lead to dissatisfaction down the road. Also be aware that there’s a natural desire from people within an industry to inflate its prospects (to ensure a good supply of new recruits in the future.) Take official figures with a pinch of salt! | By the end of all of this research, you may have rejected several possible careers. Now’s the time to narrow down to one! Again, Paired Comparison Analysis may be useful here, however so can Grid Analysis which helps you make comparisons where many variables are involved. 3. Answering â€Å"How do I Get Hired?† In this last phase you answer, â€Å"What am I going to do to get hired?† With your â€Å"Who I Am† statement and your research as your compass, now you need to actually map your progress. Many people tend to move from their purpose right into job search mode. This is a mistake because unless you have a plan, it is far too easy to get derailed by a lucrative job offer, an opening that Uncle Vinny has, a job that sounds really glamorous, or a whole host of other distractions. Develop your plan first and you’re more likely to get where you want to go, faster. * Start by writing down the career you want. What is your long-term vision for yourself in terms of your career? * Write down the steps you need to take or the things you need to accomplish, in order to get there. What qualifications should you get? What experience should you build? Which organization will give you the best start? * For each of these steps create a detailed implementation plan. * These are your short term goals. * Be sure to express as SMART objectives. * Go back and identify contingency plans * Do a â€Å"what if† analysis on your goals â€Å"If you don’t get accepted to grad school this year, what will you do?† Tip: The more contingency plans you have the more likely you will be able to survive the inevitable setbacks. You will also have much more confidence in yourself despite the bumps in the road. Tip 2: Recognize that the more opportunities you have, the better the job that you’ll be able to choose. Concentrate on creating as many opportunities as possible! | Now you are free to pursue your dream career with confidence. There are certainly no guarantees but with the right amount of planning and a sufficient dose of reality, the career that you are meant for will materialize. Signs a career direction evaluation may be in order: * Your job lacks challenge and excitement for you. * You are feeling unappreciated. * Your promotional and/or development opportunities are limited. * You are no longer having fun. * Learning is replaced with routine. * You sense that your skills and talents are being wasted. * You are suffering from stress or depression. Finding career direction is a process. The more effort you put into the planning stages the better your results. Uncovering your true self and your purpose is heavy, emotional work and you may have to go through this process a few times in the span of your working life. The effort however, is certainly worth it when you end up with a clear sense of the direction your career should be taking.

Taqa Level 3 in Assessing Candidates Vocational Essay

TAQA Level 3 in Assessing Candidates Vocational Competence: Assignment 2 Unit 301: Understanding the principles and practices of assessment.Unit 302: Assess occupational competence in the work environment.Unit 303: Assess vocational skills, knowledge and understanding. | Trainee Assessor Name | Assessor Trainer Name | | | In this evidence you will need to explain your understanding of the principles and requirements of your assessment practices. 1. Explain how peer and self assessment can be used to promote effective learner involvement in the assessment process, what are the benefits of learners taking ownership and responsibility for their learning journey:It is important to involve learners†¦show more content†¦I also have communication with the employer to inform them of my visits and actions, this is good courtesy and also helps develop relationships with the work placement. This has great advantages when working together. I would write a plan out with the learner to be signed by both of us, this evidences the communication we have had and shows we are both aware of what is expected of us. I communicate this verbally and written. When preparing for the assessment I would look at the best methods for assessing the particular criteria whether this be QA, Observation, Oral or test papers. Often a mixture of a couple. This evidence will be referenced to Unit 303 Assessment Criteria 1.2 | 6. Explain how you prepare the required resources needed to assess your candidate’s knowledge and prepare and maintain conditions that support the effective assessment of your candidate’s knowledge and understanding.I always prepare my resources needed prior to assessing. I ensure I have the standards I need, any worksheets or handouts needed, Planning forms, feedback forms and addition support handouts. I also take care of the learners portfolio keeping this locked up in a cupboard.I ensure that the envir onment is easy to work in and somewhere the learner can write or take notes. I try to avoid any distractions that may affect the learning.This evidence will be referenced to Unit 303 AssessmentShow MoreRelatedCG Assessor Award Handbook Essay20565 Words   |  83 PagesLevel 3 4 Awards Certificates in Assessment and Quality Assurance Qualification handbook for centres 6317 6317-30, 6317-31, 6317-32, 6317-33, 6317-40, 6317-41, 6317-42 February www.cityandguilds.com February 2011 Version 1.3 ( February 2011) About City Guilds City Guilds is the UK’s leading provider of vocational qualifications, offering over 500 awards across a wide range of industries, and progressing from entry level to the highest levels of professional achievement. With over 8500

School-age children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders...

School-age children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) have complex clinical profiles and often struggle to socially communicate in effective and successful ways (Coggins, Olswang, Carmichael Olson, Timler, 2003). It has been estimated that elementary school–age students may spend up to one-quarter to one-half of their school day engaged in paper-and-pencil tasks, which include handwriting (McHale Cermak, 1992). Difficulties with handwriting can affect many aspects of a child’s participation in class. For example, poor handwriting can increase frustration with and avoidance of classroom tasks, thereby negatively influencing behavior (Kern Bambara, 2002). Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) often exhibit†¦show more content†¦Childbearing-aged women in substance abuse treatment have also identified the judgmental attitudes of staff as a primary obstacle in their own prior attempts in seeking help to stop drinking (Schober Annis, 1996; Texas Office for the Prevention of Developmental Disabilities [TOPDD], 2005). Furthermore, most physicians lack training on alcohol-related problems (Kennedy, 2005); few feel secure in diagnosing alcohol-related problems; significant numbers misdiagnose alcohol problems; and most do not believe that treatment is effective (Kennedy, 2005). In contrast, social workers have been trained to work with clients in an empathetic style and in a recent survey, over 80% reported having received training or education on substance abuse treatment (National Association of Social Workers, Practice Research Network, 2001). This combination of skills makes many social workers uniquely qualified to screen childbearing and pregnant women for current drinking. This is not to suggest that social workers are the only ones qualified to conduct screenings, but certainly viable members of the multidisciplinary team to do so. For those that do undertake such responsibilities, there are several tools that are available to assist in these efforts. For childbearing-aged women, the CAGE (Ewing, 1984), a four-item measure designed to detect alcoholism in individuals 16 years and older, may be useful. Answering yes to two or more of the following items is considered clinicallyShow MoreRelatedA Research Study On Research1173 Words   |  5 PagesThe research topic is selected, the testable research question is developed, research on the topic is found, the literature review is completed, and a decision is made on the research design. Now, one of the most important steps in the research process to accomplish is the collection of data. Notwithstanding the research project and whether the method of research is whether qualitative or quantitative, data must be collected. Data collection is essential whether the method of choice is a mailRead MoreResearch Methodology For The Research1255 Words   |  6 PagesCHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Introduction In doing the research, the methodology must be appropriate so that the analysis findings could reach the objective. Research methodology proposed one procedure in order way to be follow to answer all the questions in the research that want to be made. Quoted by Denzin and Lincoln (1994), methodology is a process that related with research objective and data. In the others word, it is early research planning that include the research scope, data collectionRead MoreResearch Methods And Methods Of Research975 Words   |  4 PagesStudying research method was not a new experience since I have studied about it in my under graduate school. In comparison from the previous one I had, ULMS 515 Applied Research Methods Module has enhanced my understanding about how to conduct a research in an appropriate way to be implemented in the real world setting. I learned to appreciate the nature of research and the research process in academic and practical contexts. This module also enables me to dev elop my understanding in the differencesRead MoreA Research Study On Psychological Research1657 Words   |  7 Pages Psychological Research can range from being simple to very complex. Psychological research deals with the research that psychologist have conducted to research and analyze the behavior of individuals. When conducting these researches there are special guidelines which need to be taken. If the researcher fails to meet these guidelines the research may be classified as unethical. When conducting psychological research there are many important ethnical guidelines which need to be followed. The researcherRead MoreImplications Of Research On Research1872 Words   |  8 PagesImplications of research Authenticity; this is research carried out which aims to include new knowledge and understanding, produce new data or interpret knowledge which was already used in a new form. The researcher is required and must not alter observations made, questionnaires, interviews and focus groups done. The research must be carried out with integrity. However researchers may end up changing data as they may be pressurised or they need to be a deadline. (Srmo.sagepub.com, 2015).For exampleRead MoreResearch Questions On Research And Research Essay918 Words   |  4 PagesResearch Basics 1. Explain in order from 1 to 6 the steps in the process of research. 1. Identify the Research Problem – Specify a problem; justify a problem and suggest a need to study the problem for audiences (Creswell). 2. Review the literature- Locate resources, i.e.; books, journals, electronic resources; select resources-determine the relevant resources for the topic; organize; Summarize the resources in a literature review (Creswell). 3. Specify a Research Purpose – Identify the purpose statement-theRead MoreResearch Design For Criminological Research931 Words   |  4 PagesCritically assess the use of ‘triangulation’ in research design for criminological studies. There has been an emergence in the use of triangulation in criminological research, in a bid to combine two methods to ensure the validity of the research. As a result, the use of triangulation is recommended as good practice for any criminological research (Maruna 2009); as no single method can produce a comprehensive account of the study under research (Bryman 1988). In spite of its reported success, theRead MoreA Research Study On Experimental Research892 Words   |  4 PagesExperimental research is sometimes done with risk of harming the subjects under study. In a research study, participants could be physically and emotionally harmed. As nurses, we are advocates for our patients. Therefore, our goal is to protect them from any harm and discomfort when they participate in experimental treatment. Many dilemmas arise when trying to determine the level where an experimental treatment becomes harmful. In the past, researchers conducted unethical experiments without theRead MoreEval uation Of A Research And Qualitative Research852 Words   |  4 Pagesof a Research Designed Process and how researchers use this process. A research process is an iterative process which is complex, is always back and forth when it comes to a process, this process never ends. This process goes two ways there is a Quantitative research and a Qualitative Research. The first way that I will talk about will be the Quantitative Research. The way that Literature is defined in the research process is as an assessment of a body of research that addresses a research questionRead MoreA Research Paper On The Quality Research906 Words   |  4 PagesThe reason this book is being reviewed is because this was one of our textbook for our book review. This book was for our class to understand how to write a research paper in higher standard. The Quality Research Papers is written by Nancy Vyhmeister has forty-five years of experience in teaching future pastors and professors throughout the world. She continues to have a global ministry in her retirement years, mostly teaching and writing. She also has authored several books, both in Spanish and