Identifying Priorities and Developing Program Relevance

Many needs may emerge for the different strategies utilized for surfacing them. Because
resources may be limited, or attending to too many needs can produce disastrous results, it is
better to establish priorities for developing programs that are relevant and significant to the target
population and setting.
From the findings of the need assessment, one can identify what is most important to the
stakeholders, particularly the target population. This can be followed by a listing of priorities. It
would be wise to disregard or refer needs that may not be the within the purview of the
professional responsibility of the Guidance and Counseling Program or that may require
resources beyond the capability of the institution. Priorities must then be arranged in a
hierarchical order specifying when and how they will be addressed.

Goals and Objectives

The prioritized needs should consequently be translated into written goals and objectives.
While the program goals are typically described in broad, general, non-time bound terms, the
program objectives must be stated in specific, pertinent, attainable, measurable, observable and
time-bound terms.
They are formulated to describe desired performances related to the meeting of expressly
identified needs and relevant to the achievement of a program goal. In other words, the
objectives must be couched in behavioral terms.

Example:

Goal:
To ensure that students pursue the most appropriate occupational field.

Objectives
By the end of the year, 95% of the Junior High School students will be able to:

1. identify at least three occupational fields they would like to pursue

2. describe for each of these fields the
a. nature of tasks performed
b. schedule of work activities
c. opportunities
3. enumerate at least three requirements of each occupational field related to each of the
following: