Education Minister Randolph Horton brought the public's attention to the work of school counsellors yesterday when he signed a proclamation for Counsellors Week 2007.

The Education Ministry employs 36 school counsellors who are spread throughout the education system from pre-school up to the senior high school level.

Their work covers a wide variety of areas including academic direction, college counselling, and career paths.

For example, the Berkeley Institute sent 60 of its students outside of the classroom and into the workplace this past Friday.

S3 students shadowed professionals in career fields in which the children have already shown interest.

School counsellors led the planning operation for the programme, working with a long list of local companies to make it happen.

There's a similar plan in the pipeline for middle school kids.

"Sometimes we hear that we are not doing enough to prepare for their futures, but we are, everyday of the school year," said LeeAnn Simmons, the Education Officer for Counselling.

It's the efforts of her team that Minister Horton hoped to highlight with the proclamation which said: "School counsellors are employed in our schools to help students reach their full potential.

"Comprehensive developmental school counselling programmes are considered an integral part of the educational process that enables all students to achieve success in school."

According to Ms Simmons, the recommended counsellor to student ratio in the United States is one counsellor for every 250 students.

She said Bermuda meets those recommended levels in primary and middle schools, but not at the high school level.

"We're making good strides in that. We're looking to move it to the senior level ? that's a work in progress," Ms Simmons said.

School Counsellors Week began yesterday and will last until Friday.