Bhubaneswar, Dec 24 (IANS): The Odisha government on Thursday launched a career portal for students aiming to pursue professional courses and also get advice from experts in various fields on potential careers.

The School and Mass Education Department in collaboration with UNICEF launched the www.odishacareerportal.com portal, available in Odia language, for the benefit of secondary and higher secondary students.

School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash said that the portal has come at a very pertinent time to ensure all children acquire knowledge on wide-ranging career options and make informed choices amid unprecedented emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The portal includes information on more than 550 career paths. Students will be able to access more than 2,62,000 colleges and vocational institutes on the portal, with information on over 17,000 undergraduate and postgraduate colleges and vocational institutes in the country.

Detailed information is available on 1,150 entrance exams, including the application procedure, and more than 1120 scholarships, competitions and fellowships for higher education in India and abroad.

Department Secretary Satyabrat Sahoo said: "We hope that the career portal reaches all secondary and higher secondary students with its services and information. The portal will enable young persons to choose career paths in tune with their aspirations and aptitudes and thus help to connect them with suitable work opportunities."

The portal will also provide them opportunities to interact with great personalities and mentors from reputed professional and vocational institutes, enabling them to understand more about potential learning and career opportunities, Sahoo added.

UNICEF Field Office chief Dr Monika Nielsen said that the portal was a significant step to equip young students for a smooth transition from schools to work situations through higher education.