an investigative analysis of the psychological characteristics and job ...

change over time and that employers have the perception that co-op providers need to be flexible.
2.3.18 Friendly
The GEL should be sociable and interact with students and employers in a kind and congenial
manner.
A friendly GEL will be able to get better co-operation from the students as well as the student
employers. People are always more willing to work with and help afriendly and congenial person.
2.3.19 Helpful
Being helpful can be defined as sharing the work, cost or burden of something. The GEL should
always be willing to help students and employers with their problems. He should respond positively
to arequest for help from faculty members, colleagues, students and employers.
Counselling is a very important part of the GEL's duties. By taking the role of counselor, the GEL
can help students in many ways. According to Graharn and Bennet {1998:236}, counselling is the
process of helping people recognise their feelings about problems, define those problems
accurately, find solutions, or learn to 6ve with a situation. Clack (1991:65) also concludes that
counselling is about helping people understand more clearly how they are managing a situation,
how they make things easy or difficult for themselves and how they restrict their ability to solve
problems.
The GEL must also be able to help the students make decisions about their careers and futures.
He must be able to help them find placement positions that will give them the appropriate
experience according to their career choice. The CEl must also be helpful if the student
experiences any lflfficulties during his experiential learning period.
The student employers will also often need assistance form the GEL. He must help the student
employers with any facet of the co-operative education process that may be problematic for them.
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