bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the helping skills used by careers advisers: Application of the Hill Counsellor Verbal Response Mode Category System
Authors: Govan Douglas
Published: May 2022

This article reports on a study that explores the use of the Hill Counsellor Verbal Response Mode Category System as a framework for investigating and categorising the helping skills used by career advisers. Audio-recordings of 13 career guidance interviews undertaken by six careers advisers were transcribed and then coded using the HCVRMCS. At the time that data were collected career advisers participating in the study worked for Careers Scotland and used Careers Scotland’s ‘Approach to Guidance’ (Allen and Paine, 2006) in their interviews with clients.
Defining advanced professional practice in telephone guidance
Authors: Christopoulos Margaret , Blyth Sue , Burney Oliver , Hamilton Jenny , Taylor Alison , Warrington Hayley
Published: May 2022

This paper is co-written by a team of five Quality Coaches from the Careers Advice Service (CAS) and a tutor from the University of Derby. Its purpose is to examine CAS processes and determine how these contribute to defining Advanced Professional Practice (APP) in telephone guidance. Quality coaches, together with CAS coordinators and managers, support the use of quality tools and approaches to recognise and enhance good practice in the CAS. This paper considers these.
The social web and careers work
Authors: Larbalestier Michael
Published: May 2022

Not available
Destinations® and Beyond the PhD
Authors: March Jessica , Stanbury David , Reynolds Catherine
Published: May 2022

The Centre for Career Management Skills (CCMS) at the University of Reading CETL has created two different web resources for two different audiences – taking two different approaches. Destinations® is a teaching and learning website addressing generic careers themes and is licensed to universities and colleges. Beyond the PhD, on the other hand, is a non-didactic resource tailored specifically for arts and humanities PhDs, and is open access.
An analysis of the design and use of information and communication technology in career guidance from 1990 to 2009
Authors: Sampson James P. , Shy Jon D. , Offer Marcus , Dozier V. Casey
Published: May 2022

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) in career guidance is an important element in the provision of career resources and services offered face-to-face or at a distance (Harris-Bowlsbey & Sampson, 2005; Offer & Chiru, 2005; Offer, Sampson, & Watts, 2001; Sampson, 2008; Vuorinen, 2006). The professional literature on the design and use of ICT in career guidance is at least a partial reflection of the applications available in schools, agencies, and originations, as well as applications available on a self-help basis. Given the widespread use of ICT in career guidance, it is important to periodically evaluate the current state-of the-art as indicated in the professional literature. By conducting a content analysis of the literature on ICT and career guidance it will be possible to examine the nature of applications available, how the applications are used, issues with the technology, the extent to which the effectiveness of the technology has been evaluated. Implications for the future design and use of ICT in career guidance can then be drawn from the analysis.
Developing e-guidance competences: The outcomes of a two-year European project to transform the professional development of career guidance practitioners
Authors: Barnes Anthony , La Gro Nelica , Watts A.G.
Published: May 2022

Not available
Career education in Scotland – who’s minding the store?
Authors: Allan Graham
Published: May 2022

Not available
Scotland: Developing a postgraduate qualification in career guidance and development for the 21st century
Authors: Pugh Pat , Sadler Jackie
Published: May 2022

Not available
Training the career counselling workforce in Bulgaria: Introducing a bottom-up approach for bridging the gap between education and labour market
Authors: Rakovska Nevena
Published: May 2022

Not available
Competence development for counselling practitioners – The Masters programme M.A. bob in Germany
Authors: Weber Peter
Published: May 2022

In this article I describe the development and situation of guidance/counselling in recent years in Germany, some actual tasks on thenational agenda and the goals and structure of our Masters programme ‘M.A. bob’ (M.A. in Career Counselling and OrganisationalDevelopment) within this context.
What can careers workers learn from the study of narrative?
Authors: Hooley Tristram , Rawlinson Mark
Published: May 2022

Not available
Reinventing careers: creating space for students to get a life
Authors: Frigerio Gill
Published: May 2022

Not available
Sharing experience of careers work in different settings
Authors: Collin Audrey , Hirsh Wendy , Watts A.G.
Published: May 2022

What do the practices of career support given to individuals in various settings have in common? Whether labelled career advice, career education, career guidance, career counselling, career coaching or career development, what are the differences between them? The answers to these questions could throw new light on practice in the career field and suggest ways to enrich it. However, the relative lack of contact between career professionals working in different settings – such as schools, colleges, higher education, public employment services, the voluntary sector, private-sector career services and the workplace – gives little opportunity to address these questions. We therefore propose that practitioners from a variety of settings should engage in dialogue; and, importantly, that researchers should also take part in this dialogue, and help to stimulate and disseminate learning widely across the whole career field.
Quality criteria for group work
Authors: Hawthorn Ruth
Published: May 2022

This paper reports on a practical rather than a scholarly exploration of how quality assurance in career learning for groups is approached across the different sectors of career guidance largely in the UK. In some sectors (career education in schools is an obvious example) group work is a main mode of delivery and we would expect all quality criteria to address it. In others, where the one-to-one interview is seen as the professional’s key contribution to client progression, we could expect that group work would be sufficiently different to require its own set of quality criteria. With these expectations I conducted a small exploration across the spectrum of career help that was available in early 2010.
Career decision-making strategies of Korean boys and implications for career guidance practice in England, UK
Authors: Fitzgerald Anthony
Published: May 2022

Not available
Using metaphors in theory and teaching: As useful as a chocolate teapot?
Authors: Dean Laura
Published: May 2022

Not available
The Careers Profession Task Force: Vice Chair’s perspective
Authors: Mulvey Rachel
Published: May 2022

The article gives an account of the Careers Profession Task Force, from the perspective of its Vice Chair, and considers its mission, methods, processes and challenges. This independent group was asked firstly; to articulate the vision for high quality careers provision, and secondly; to advise the government on what actions would be needed to equip careers professionals to deliver high quality services. In particular the group was asked to consider whether careers professionals should be required to hold a specialist qualification in careers, and whether there is a need for a professional specialism in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). The Task Force was convened by the Labour administration, but reported to the coalition government, formed of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties. All fourteen of the formal recommendations are presented. The article concludes that with the work of the taskforce now completed, the challenge for career professionals gathers apace.
Professionalism in turbulent times: Challenges to and oportunities for professionalism as an occupational value
Authors: Evetts Julia
Published: May 2022

The sociological analysis of professional work has differentiated professionalism as a special means of organizing work and controlling workers. After clarifying the three concepts of profession, professionalization and professionalism, the paper continues with a section on professionalism, its history and current developments. The second section considers the main challenges to, and the third section the opportunities for, professionalism as an occupational value and for this category of professional practitioners and employees in the labour market.
The future of careers-work professionalism: Fears and hopes
Authors: Law Bill
Published: May 2022

Careers work professionalism is a personal commitment framed by an institutional policy. Without the institutional, the commitment is unsupported; without the commitment, the policy is futile. But no professionalism is given once-and-for-all. It is an attribution: meaning what different people say it means – at different times, in different settings, and from different perspectives. The meanings attributed to careers-work professionalism are all contestable. The article probes those dissonances, examining the issues they raise for our credibility, expertise, connectedness and independence. Their resolution has consequences for the public face of careers work, the partnerships we make, stakeholders we consult, research we undertake, developments we create, funding we negotiate and colleagues we attract. We have had too many temporary postponements of fear, we need a sustainable basis for hope.
The emerging policy model for career guidance in England: some lessons from international examples
Authors: Watts A.G.
Published: May 2022

The existing international evidence is reviewed in relation to four aspects of the emerging policy model for career guidance in England: an all-age service; revitalising the professionalism of career guidance; the partnership model between schools and an external service; and introducing school commissioning. It is concluded that the first three are supported by the international evidence; but that on the fourth, the evidence is more negative. Evidence is also reviewed in relation to six high-performing countries in terms of school performance. It is concluded that there is no common pattern that characterises the career guidance provision in these countries, but that any devolution of responsibility to schools needs to be accompanied by strong policy levers. These might include measures to assure professional standards, support for school planning and self-evaluation, and in-service training for school heads.
A careers adviser? So what do you do exactly?
Authors: Neary Siobhan
Published: May 2022

This paper aims to explore and examine how professional identity is defined within career guidance in England in the wake of ongoing change. It considers the components and the factors that contribute to the formation of professional identity, and the relationship with postgraduate continuing professional development (CPD). The study draws on the perceptions of a group of England-based practitioners broadly representing the sector, but bounded by one common factor; they have all undertaken a postgraduate qualification focusing on CPD within a guidance related discipline.
Beyond words: An exploration of the use of ‘visual tools’ within career guidance practice
Authors: Cregeen-Cook Samantha
Published: May 2022

By means of shared best practice, this article explores 360° feedback on the use of ‘visual tools’ for career guidance practice. Developed through data obtained during interviews with guidance practitioners, young people and their drawings, innovative thinking for practice is promoted at this ‘crossroads’ in time for the careers profession. The study observes practitioners’ commitment to continuing professional development (CPD) and research despite the current issues they face, along with the need for more inspiring engagement with young people. Evident in the data produced, is the variety of responses from individual participants to the same questions and to the visual tools themselves, demonstrating the interpretative nature of the research and the individual meanings constructed from it. This study argues that as we move towards a National Career Service for England, resourceful and inventive practice is crucial for future development.
Creative writing practices in career guidance: An autoethnographical approach
Authors: Simpson Laurie
Published: May 2022

Today’s careers practitioners are tasked with offering assistance to a populace becoming increasingly culturally diverse, whilst facing ever growing professional insecurity. Uncertainty besets not just the seeker but also the helper. There is a need to develop creative practice to meet the needs of individuals but also to motivate practitioners to, tentatively, venture forward. This article will consider creative written practices referring to case studies and my own MA autoethnographical experience, offering both a reflective and reflexive account. Some feel unable to voice their thoughts and feelings. Writing their narrative could heighten self awareness and become a catalyst for career development. My intention is to encourage career professionals to consider possible creative writing processes to facilitate clients to tell their unique stories, but also as better assisting others to understand the changing nature of career.
Innovation in theory and practice
Authors: McCash Phil
Published: May 2022

Not available
The systems approach to career
Authors: Collin Audrey
Published: May 2022

Although systems theory has considerable potential to give new understanding of career, it has been given little attention. Its underpinning assumptions about how to interpret the world differ from our everyday linear, cause-and-effect approaches, and so we need to use systems thinking. Rather than taking career to be a system, the concept of system is used as a tool to examine career. This systems model gives views of individual and environmental factors and their dynamic interplay in career which are not open to other theories. I shall show how such a model would contribute to theory, research, and practice.
The chaos theory of careers in career education
Authors: Bright Jim E.H. , Pryor Robert G.L.
Published: May 2022

Approaches to career education in schools continue to be dominated by a focus on school to work or further or higher education transition planning. It is argued that as a consequence of this, the emphasis is on identifying relatively stable and singular vocational goals or outcomes. Furthermore the theories, techniques and models that support this focus characterise the world as largely stable and predictable. It is argued that these assumptions about the world and careers are increasingly questionable and this calls into question the theories and models used to support the short-term vision of transition. The Chaos Theory of Careers is introduced as a dynamical systems theory alternative and contemporary model of career development that emphasises continual, uncertain and non-linear change, complexity of influences, and emergent fractal patterns in career. The application of this approach to career education is adumbrated challenging traditional notions of career planning and goal setting, and highlighting the importance of creativity, reinvention and resilience as important outcomes of contemporary career education.
Narrative techniques in reflective practice
Authors: Winter David
Published: May 2022

This article explores approaches from a number of disciplines which allow for the incorporation of various forms of narrative analysis within reflective practice. For careers practitioners, structured narrative techniques can allow for creative applications of career theory to interactions with clients. In addition, the strong link between narrative and meaning making has the potential to extend the impact of reflective practice beyond the development of practical skills and knowledge into a deeper examination of professional purpose and identity.
Guidance in communities – a way forward?
Authors: Thomsen Rie
Published: May 2022

Qualitative research in career guidance has largely focused on how participants in guidance change due to their participation in different guidance or counselling interventions or activities. This article, conversely, describes how young people and adults seek to change and modify the guidance, and consequently how this changes the possibilities for participating in guidance for themselves and for others. This article presents data from a qualitative and explorative study of guidance in communities. One case study about career guidance in a factory setting is presented. The interplay between the participants’ (non-) participating and the career guidance practitioners response is analysed. The article describes how new opportunities for guidance emerge through changing the practice. The study suggests that participants try to change the delivery of guidance from individual interventions to more collective forms/modes of delivery.
Community asset-based career guidance: Using evaluation to assist the development of emerging practices
Authors: Davies Paul , Minnitt Mason , Vernon Caroline
Published: May 2022

An evaluation of a community learning programme targeting young people found that people within local organisations (hereafter Community Assets) who were primarily responsible for providing learning opportunities, were also offering career guidance, although they did not wish to describe their activities as such. Through discussions with these Assets, it became clear that their career guidance practices could be related to the theory of identity capital. Although the programme finished at a time when the future of career guidance in England was uncertain, the Community Assets’ enthusiasm for this practice, and the support of local schools, indicated that this was an approach which could be developed further
Asperger’s/autistic spectrum disorder project: Transition from higher education to the workplace
Authors: Walker Dawn-Marie
Published: May 2022

The main diagnostic criteria for autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are communication and social interaction difficulties, which can make the transition from education to the workplace traumatic. A course was organised to help with this transition; with four learning outcomes: i) Knowing oneself: ASD inherent traits and the work setting; ii) Career research: mapping ASD traits onto careers; iii) Workplace issues; and iv) Developing an action plan. Qualitative interviews were conducted. All respondents agreed that the course was useful with two main themes arising: confidence building and identifying with having ASD.
Digital technologies in career education and guidance
Authors: Reid Hazel
Published: May 2022

Not available
How the internet changed career: Framing the relationship between career development and online technologies
Authors: Hooley Tristram
Published: May 2022

This article examines the inter-relationship between the internet and career development. It asks three inter-linked questions: How does the internet reshape the context within which individuals pursue their career? What skills and knowledge do people need in order to pursue their careers effectively using the internet? How can careers workers use the internet as a medium for the delivery of career support? The article develops conceptual architecture for answering these questions and in particular highlights the importance of the concept of digital career literacy.
On-line careers work – hit and myth
Authors: Law Bill
Published: May 2022

Much of careers work is located on-line and this article examines what on-line careers work does well. That makes the internet a careers-work hit; but there are also internet myths. And the article identifies them as camouflaging what is at times no worse than a shortfall, but which can also do actual damage. So there are issues. The article sets out evidence to show how careers work is well-equipped to deal with them. The conclusion illustrates the need for what it calls ‘grasp’, ‘reach’ and ‘embodiment’:

grasp enables critical thinking in an on-line search for reliable learning
reach connects on-line learning to off-line usefulness
embodiment internalises on-line experience as off-line identity.

All require direct-and-personal conversation between careers workers and their clients-and-students. The article therefore significantly repositions careers work in relation to the net. And in relation to policy.
Using career learning theory to inform the design and evaluation of ICT based CEIG services
Authors: Innes Tracey
Published: May 2022

Careers professionals are increasingly making decisions about whether and how to use the volume of new technologies available in the services they offer. This article is derived from a project which asks how theories about how people learn about careers, can be used to provide a theoretical underpinning to the design and evaluation of ICT based careers interventions. A critical comparison of career learning theories is used to propose a framework for careers professionals designing ICT-based careers interventions. With such a range of ICT-based services already on offer, an approach to evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions using learning outcomes is also proposed.
Face-to-Facebook: A blended approach to careers work
Authors: Dyson Elle
Published: May 2022

With youth unemployment rising and government cuts across the country impacting on support services for young people, the Youth Employability Service in Brighton and Hove has adopted a broad approach to engagement, offering services to young people in both an online and offline context. This article uses the Youth Employability Service as a case study, demonstrating the success that integrating face-to-face work with online engagement opportunities has had on the service, and arguing that a blended approach to delivering services for young people is vital for the future of careers work.
E-learning for the careers profession: What are the lessons for the use of IT in the delivery of IAG?
Authors: Chant Anne
Published: May 2022

The increased use of online services for Information, Advice and Guidance has been paralleled by changes in the ways in which careers practitioners access their own continuing professional development. This article offers an evaluation of e-learning and blended learning experiences, which reinforces the importance of socialisation in learning. This paper concludes that such enhancement in learning may be limited in online advice and guidance services, reducing the opportunities for challenge, motivation and broadening of aspirations in some cases.
An experiment in blended career development: The University of Derby’s social media internship programme
Authors: Longbridge Debra , Hooley Tristram
Published: May 2022

It is possible to describe the capability of an individual to use the online environment to pursue their career as their digital career literacy. It is comprised of a range of different skills including the ability to: search; evaluate resources; communicate; network with other people; develop your reputation; and utilise an ever growing range of tools and environments as part of your career building. In another article in this edition of the NICEC journal Hooley (2012) has defined digital career literacy as encompassing changing, collecting, critiquing, connecting, communicating, creating and curating. This requires both the translation of offline skills and the development of new online ones. This article sets out the experience of running the social media internship programme (SMIP), an intervention to develop students’ digital career literacy at the University of Derby.
A developer’s perspective on CEIAG
Authors: Manson Andrew
Published: May 2022

This article is an exploration of the role online Labour Market Experience (LME) plays in challenging stereotypes and the construction of personal narrative in YR 7 and 8 students at school. Classroom and small group debate provides an invaluable opportunity to develop career related thinking in young people ahead of more focused one to one guidance and refined skills exploration work.
New perspectives on career coaching
Authors: McCash Phil
Published: May 2022

Not available
The changing shape of the career profession in the UK
Authors: Jackson Charles
Published: May 2022

This paper summarises the main findings of a survey of career professionals in the UK working in independent/private practice and of members of the National Association of Educational Guidance for Adults (NAEGA). These two groups represent the majority of career professionals working with adults and include both those working mainly in the private sector and those working in the public, education and voluntary sectors. The survey highlights similarities and differences in the background and working practices of these two groups but also shows the diversity in terms of experience and backgrounds of career professionals working in this sector. As the provision of career support for adults becomes more significant, implications for the career profession are discussed.
Career coaching in private practice – a personal view
Authors: Taylor Denise
Published: May 2022

This is a personal account of how career coaching is undertaken by a career coach with a psychology background, drawing on a range of assessments. It includes establishing an effective working relationship based on agreed objectives and expectations and how assessments add depth to the counselling process. The approach taken is more than just a review of assessments; other activities are included such as values elicitation and creative exercises. Client examples are included to show some of the changes made following this career coaching process.
Lost in translation: Career coaching deaf students
Authors: Barnes Lynne , Bradley Elizabeth F.
Published: May 2022

Understanding employability skills creates numerous challenges for deaf students who use British Sign Language. Graduates need to possess an array of employability skills and career coaching is one way in which careers advisers can support students and graduates. This process helps to identity their skills, define their career goals and translate their experiences into a format that employers anticipate. Careers guidance may not assist deaf graduates unless appropriate changes to methodology and approach are implemented. An example of good practice that could serve as a template for use within the sector is offered.
Developing sustainable career coaching in the workplace
Authors: Nathan Rob , Hirsh Wendy
Published: May 2022

This article is based on a conversation and so presented in the form of questions posed by Wendy Hirsh (W), NICEC Fellow, and answered by Rob Nathan (R), Managing Director of Career Counselling Services. We look at some of the particular tensions and opportunities in working with employers and how to anticipate some of the pitfalls in setting up services and also in framing individual career conversations. Rob also reflects on the theories and ideas which inform his practice as a career coach/counsellor.
The education and training of career coaches: A psychological model
Authors: Sheath Janet
Published: May 2022

The educational and professional development needs of career coaches are changing. These changes are discussed within a psychologically and contextually informed model. The model identifies a spectrum of career activities in which coaches work. The skills which career coaches need to support them in these range of roles is also presented. An argument is made that the changing nature of careers and career provision demands a broader and deeper range of career coaching skills. This view is supported by a psychological and contextual approach to career coach education.
A positive approach to career coaching
Authors: Yates Julia
Published: May 2022

Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi took the psychology research community by storm in 2000 with their paper on positive psychology, introducing it as an academically rigorous antidote to the pathology driven paradigm that had dominated the discipline for nearly a century. The growing body of evidence around both theory and practice is making the links between positive psychology, career development and career coaching, increasingly clear. This paper will describe the contribution that positive psychology research makes to our understanding of the career context, and will explore how positive psychology can inform and enhance both the process and content of career coaching interventions.
Creating career coaching
Authors: Frigerio Gill , McCash Phil
Published: May 2022

In this article, a series of general propositions are made concerning the nature and purpose of career coaching. These statements are designed in response to debates within the formal and informal literature and to flesh out the authors’ distinctive approach to career coaching. The activities and settings in which career coaching can take place are described and it is proposed that the design of career coaching should be linked to career-related learning, career literacy and contracting. The importance of calling and career development is highlighted and a critical understanding of opportunity systems encouraged. Overall, a view of career coaching as a creative art is foregrounded. Constructive engagement with the wider community is welcomed in order to discuss and debate these claims.
Career, community, place and locality
Authors: Hooley Tristram
Published: May 2022

Not available
Career guidance on the move: Developing guidance in new places
Authors: Thomsen Rie
Published: May 2022

This article is about how the notion of place can be used in an analysis of career guidance practices and their development. It is about how a focus on the context of career guidance can develop an awareness of the place where guidance is practiced and support the development of career guidance in new places. In this article I introduce an analytical perspective on place; I give the example of the guidance café a practice development that took place into serious consideration because it was an attempt to develop career guidance practice through relocating it.
Variation in local career trajectories of young people sharing a similar low socio-economic background in one geographic community
Authors: Slack Kim , Vigurs Katy
Published: May 2022

This paper uses a life history approach to examine the decision making of six young people around what to do when leaving compulsory education. They all share similar social backgrounds and are located in one geographic place – a deprived, working class, urban area in the English midlands – but the six individuals have opted to follow three different post-16 pathways, even though they all achieved GCSE qualifications that would have enabled them to enter further education, and therefore potentially higher education. These different post-16 routes include employment without formal training (the workers), employment with formal training (the apprentices) and studying in higher education (the students). All the participants (and their families) are historically ‘rooted’ in the local area and this paper explores the influence of the social learning that takes place within local communities of practice – in the form of friendship groups, families and school communities – on the young people’s different, yet all resolutely local, early career trajectories.
From outsider to insider status: Constructing an authentic social self
Authors: Morgan Shaun T.
Published: May 2022

This article explores community based modes of engagement employed by a variety of support workers providing, amongst other things, employment advice and guidance to marginalised youth living within a small rural community setting. The paper sets out to demonstrate that such key workers are better able to promote understanding, transmit social norms and act as a positive role model, when they set-aside their applied disciplinary knowledge and objectives. However, since social inclusion is essentially performed, I will argue that role modelling and strong relationships with key workers, though important pre-cursors for change, are insufficient to sustain transitions to independent living, employment or training for marginalised youth. As such, key workers need to use their relationships with young people to help build social and cultural capital and, moreover, identify activities that make a meaningful contribution to identifiable social group objectives, since this leads to peer recognition and the development of an authentic social self.
Supporting international students with careers provision: A review of UK higher education careers service provision and a case study based on the University of Exeter
Authors: Coombes Rachel
Published: May 2022

As part of my role as a Careers Consultant at the University of Exeter I decided to undertake some research in to the careers provision offered to international students. I wanted to review provision across the UK higher education sector and then focus on the University of Exeter, my employer, which has a growing international student body of over 4000 students and ambitious growth plans. With growing numbers of international students, from a variety of different countries, come different needs and expectations along with increasing pressure on University support services as a whole. Through surveying a number of universities, this report explores how UK universities have been dealing with this challenge and looks at the expectations international students have of careers services. Itbecame clear that this was a topic high on the agenda of a number of institutions, and whilst this report focuses in detail on Exeter, the information obtained and recommendations made may provide useful insights for other universities.
The evolution of NICEC: A historical review
Authors: Watts A.G.
Published: May 2022

Since its establishment in 1975, NICEC has adopted three different organisational forms. From 1975 to 1992, it was a research and development organisation jointly sponsored by the Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) in Cambridge and by The Hatfield Polytechnic (later the University of Hertfordshire). Then, from 1992 to 2010, it wasa research and development organisation operating as a network, initially supported by CRAC and later becoming autonomous. Finally, since 2010, it has become a learned society. This article describes in detail the first of these stages, and then outlines the organisation’s subsequent evolution.
Rousseau’s chains: Striving for greater social justice through emancipatory career guidance
Authors: Sultana Ronald G.
Published: May 2022

Drawing on a typology proposed by social philosopher Jürgen Habermas, this article outlines the way career theory, practice and research can be informed by technocratic, hermeneutic, and emancipatory rationalities. The paper builds on this typology by considering Tony Watts’ analysis of the socio-political ideologies underpinning career guidance, showing how, despite the in-built tendency for some models to be more socially reproductive in scope, all approaches can engage with emancipatory forms of practice. The paper echoes Watts’ observation that career practitioners cannot avoid the inherently normative and political nature of their interventions in people’s lives, a fact that calls for a fundamental commitment to promoting social justice.
Policy and practice in career guidance: The perspectives of Professor Tony Watts
Authors: Vuorinen Raimo , Sampson Jr. James P.
Published: May 2022

This article examines the perspectives of Professor Tony Watts regarding policy and practice in career guidance from a UK and global perspective. The goal of this article is to synthesise key insights that Tony has gained in his career and then link these insights to current policy and practice initiatives. The method used to achieve the above goal included an interview with Tony and a literature review. 17 insights are presented, with thoughts on implications for career guidance policy and practice.
Careers education: Tony’s legacy
Authors: Andrews David
Published: May 2022

Tony Watts is probably best known for his role as Director of NICEC from 1975 to 2001, and for his work as an international policy expert on careers guidance, but in 1973, prior to establishing NICEC, Tony was Head of the Research and Development Unit at CRAC and he published one of the first articles setting out a suggested list of objectives for a careers education programme. This article examines his contribution to careers education policy, theory and practice over the 40 years that followed, from his work with Bill Law on the DOTS framework to his promotion of the Blueprint in several countries in the present century.
‘We wanted to change that particular part of the world’: The role of academics in the career development field, learning from the career of Tony Watts
Authors: Hooley Tristram
Published: May 2022

This article uses a career case-study with Tony Watts to explore the interface of an academic career with policy and practice. It finds that, in Tony’s case, public engagement was driven by a social and political mission. Such engagement is shaped by both the institutional arrangements within which the academic is situated and the political and organisational structures of the part of the world into which they try to intervene. While it is difficult to generalise from a single case, the article concludes by suggesting some key themes which academics may wish to attend to in navigating these issues of engagement and the nature of academic roles.
Careers 50/50 – reflecting on the past: Innovating for the future
Authors: Barham Lyn , Hirsh Wendy
Published: May 2022

This paper offers a summary of, and some reflections on, a conference titled Careers 50/50, held in Cambridge in July 2014 by the Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) and NICEC to mark the fiftieth anniversary of CRAC. It highlights some of the main themes from small group discussion sessions held at this event, as well as from the main speakers. The first day of the conference reflected on changes in work, society and career development over the past fifty years and the second day looked to the future. Key themes included the purposes of career guidance for individuals and as perceived by policy makers, and the dangers of the ‘commodification’ of guidance. To help individuals deal with continuing change and uncertainty, delegates were hoping to improve access to guidance and to combine personal, tailored career development support with much more creative use of technologically-based information and resources.
Adult guidance – where from, and where to?
Authors: McNair Stephen
Published: May 2022

This article is based on a presentation on adult guidance, made as part of the celebration of NICEC’s 50th Anniversary. It reflects on how the policy questions in England have changed over that period, from the perspective of someone who was involved in national policy for much of that time, having come to adult guidance, like many of its founders, from adult education, where you see vividly how learning can transform the lives of adults; and with qualifications in English literature, which provides a foundation of understanding of the diverse ways in which people understand themselves and the world. Adult guidance exists to help people address the questions: ‘Who am I’, ‘Who do I want to be’? and ‘How might I get there?’ Devising ways of addressing them remains a challenge for practitioners, and Government continues to be uncertain about how far it wants to engage. I suggest that four issues continue to concern us: our definition of ‘guidance’; the notion of ‘adultness’; the relationship between learning and career; and the nature of professionalism. Each is discussed, before some comments on implications for the future.
Celebrity culture and young people’s aspirations: A resource for careers education?
Authors: Allen Kim , Mendick Heather
Published: May 2022

This article presents findings from the research project ‘The role of celebrity in young people’s classed and gendered aspirations’ (funded by the Economic and Social Research Council). Drawing on interviews with 148 young people in England, the project addresses concerns about the impact of celebrity culture on youth aspirations. The article presents selected findings to demonstrate how celebrity culture variously informs the ways in which young people think and talk about their futures in work, and makes some suggestions about how careers education might engage critically and generatively with celebrity.
‘I’ve been astounded by some of the insights gleaned from this course’: Lessons learnt from the world’s first careers and employability MOOC by both instructors and participants
Authors: Brammar Laura , Winter David
Published: May 2022

This article examines the design and delivery of the world’s first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) focused specifically on career and employability skills. It explores the context of MOOCs and why a university, such as the University of London, may choose to provide an open access learning experience particularly aimed at career development skills. The article examines the content choices and pedagogical design of the MOOC and provides an insight into the key learning points for the authors who were co-instructors on the course. Finally, it outlines plans for future iterations of the Enhance Your Career and Employability Skills MOOC.
Towards a deeper understanding of employer engagement in the context of young people’s development of career management skills relevant for the 21st century
Authors: Walling Morag , Horton Chris , Rayment Nigel
Published: May 2022

This article will explore the pedagogy and outcomes leading to findings which support the theoretical underpinning of an employer engagement programme with young people, Step Up for Success (SU4S). This was possible as a result of an evaluative case study of a programme that occurred in partnership with a secondary school, a third party facilitator, a large international employer, and a careers professional acting as researcher. Central to the theme covered here is how the impact of the programme might relate to the learning of career management skills by the young people, which could have implications beyond this individual case study.
Career development learning in higher education: how authentic work experiences and opportunities for career exploration can increase self-efficacy and inform career identity
Authors: Benton Paula
Published: May 2022

A recent study suggests that enhancing career development is a key motivator for students entering university (Kandiko & Mawer, 2013). This article discusses the place of career development learning within the ‘employability’ agenda. It draws upon social learning and constructivist theories of career development in a qualitative case study exploring undergraduate students’ experiences of placements in relation to their career development learning and employability. Findings suggest significant value in providing authentic work experiences and opportunities for career exploration (to ‘broaden their horizons’ rather than narrowing down choices) to inform career identities and increase self-efficacy and motivation.
The changing nature of the youth employment market and its impact upon the lives of young people on the economic margins of society
Authors: Naylor Gill
Published: May 2022

This article seeks to explore how the transitions of young people from formal education into employment have changed since the 1970s and to consider the impact these changes have had upon the lives of some of the most vulnerable young people in society. This discussion concludes that the consistent focus on education, training and addressing the perceived personal flaws of individuals, without an equally rigorous examination of the flaws within the structure and functioning of the youth employment market, means that as a society the UK is still consistently failing to address the needs of a tenth of its youth population as they approach adulthood.
Research update
Authors: Mieschbuehler Ruth , Vickers Rob
Published: May 2022

In this article we provide a brief update on some of the research papers and reports published in 2014 on career development, examining in particular some issues related to equality and employment, career adaptability and self-efficacy in career decision making. The research findings are presented and discussed with careers practitioners in mind. We also consider the validity of the findings and their relevance to careers practitioners.
Developing employability within a university engineering curriculum
Authors: Cole Jonathon , Turner Tamsin
Published: May 2022

ThiS article provides case studies for incorporating employability in a higher education setting. A professional studies module for a small class (30 students) of third-year aerospace engineers gave insight into industrial challenges while promoting career development. It was delivered mainly by industrial speakers and involved practical tasks and workshops.A more sustainable employability curriculum now supports students in all four years of the School's three degree programmes, offering a structured development of skills and sector understanding. A notable increase in students obtaining sandwich year placements has been observed.
Career trajectories for holding on and letting go
Authors: Law Bill
Published: May 2022

People are changing the ways they manage career. Careers work cannot afford to miss the opportunity this presents. And that calls for new thinking for a changing, challenging and crowded world. Seeing career management as a process of 'holding on' and 'letting go' is part of that thinking. It speaks of thoughts and feelings about what is and is not valued. The thinking is set out here as a search for new meaning in policy, professionalism and practicel. lt radically expands the careers-work repertoire. More importantly it positions clients and students as agents of change.
Career learning in schools in Scotland past, present and future
Authors: Allan Graham
Published: May 2022

Career education has never been statutory in Scotland but has nonetheless been subject to the ebb and flow of government policy. At times this has been helpful, generating funding, guidelines and advice. However, government engagement has also been characterised by short-termism and, often, wasteful repetition. In Scotland, by 20 IS, there will be a model that is underpinned by several new policy initiatives, one which locates learning about life and work within the curriculum, and one which provides more robust quality assurance arrangements. This could be the makings of a concerted national effort to improve career learning or yet another short-term initiative that eventually leaves us back where we started.
Further education learners' prior experience of career education and guidance: A case study of Chesterfield College
Authors: Woolley Amy , Hooley Tristram
Published: May 2022

This article explores further education (FE) students' prior experiences of careers education. The research draws on and extends the limited literature that exists around career support in further education.A mixed methods case study was used to explore students' experience of careers work prior to attending Chesterfield College and to examine the implications of this for the college's provision of career support. Findings indicate that the majority of students had limited contact with careers workers prior to their arrival at the college and, in instances when they had contact, often had a negative preconception of this contact. These findings are discussed with reference to the college's careers education provision and the wider implications for the sector.