A broad definition of career guidance :

'range of processes designed to enable individuals to make informed choices and transitions relating to learning and work' (Bartlett et al, 2000: 17). 'set of skills, techniques and attitudes used in an interpersonal communication to help people manage their own careers using their own resources' Arnold (1997: 67).

Career Development

Career Development involves ones whole life, not just occupationit concerns him or her in the ever-changing

contexts of his or her lifeself and circumstances

evolving, changing, unfolding in mutual interaction. (Wolfe and Kolb (1980)

A job is a defined work role with a specific organization (paid or unpaid) Example: biologist at XYZ Biotice Company. An occupation is a wide category of jobs with similar characteristics. Example: physician, engineer, educator, or scientist. A career is a lifetime journey of building and making good use of your skills, knowledge and experiences. It is the total of all events and relationships in our lives: family, friends, education, work, and leisure activities.

What Employers Want in Employees

Can communicate, solve problems and continue to learn Have positive attitudes and behaviors Are responsible and adaptable Who can work with others as a team Have strong educational and career exploration and planning skills

Oft cited is the list of seven activities developed by UDACE in 1986. Informing Counseling Enabling Feeding back Advising Assessing Advocating and

SCAGES (1993) revisited and expanded list to include: Teaching Managing and change. Networking Innovating/systems

(Unit for the Development of Adult Continuing Education)

Career Planning
Elements:

Exploring Careers Choosing Interest Assessments and Checklists Understanding Career Clusters/Pathways

SODI MODEL
(Self-assessment, Opportunity, Decision-making,Implementation)

The model encapsulates four concepts :

Self-awareness the individual having knowledge about and understanding of their own personal development. Self-awareness in careers context involves an understanding of the kind of personal resources (both actual and potential) they bring to the world.
Opportunity awareness an understanding of the general structures of the world of work, including career possibilities and alternative pathways.

Decision making and planning an understanding of how to make career decisions, and being aware of pressures, influences, styles, consequences and goal setting.

Implementing plans having the appropriate skill level in a range of areas to be able to translate job and career planning into reality.

Career Planning and Development Model

Self-assessment, is concerned with identifying and understanding personal characteristics that influence choices in both learning and work contexts develop an understanding of yourself as an individual by exploring the personal skills that you bring to learning and work. Identifying and understanding personal characteristics can be a difficult process

a feeling of embarrassment or unease, or lack of life experience, but self-assessment is a critical component of career development

Other Self-awareness Issues

achievements, coping strategies, goals and performance www.careersonline.com.au/disc/goals.html

www.myfuture.edu.au
most people may have a few blind spots perception of how others react to them may not be accurate.

Personal characteristics include:

abilities, aptitudes, cognitive styles, generic/transferable skills, specific/technical skills, personal values, work values, interests, personality, physical attributes and needs.

prepare employees to meet the challenges of the workplace employee career growth employees to develop skills necessary for the organization to succeed provide employees with opportunities for lifelong learning and continuous self-improvement.

encourages growth and commitment from employees and increases job satisfaction, productivity

Tools for self-assessment, setting career goals, and identifying learning & development opportunities. Employee-centric career paths based on the development of employee capabilities Stages within a career path define levels of capability Progressive acquisition of knowledge, skills and abilities.

Progression within career path is based on development of capabilities (i.e. knowledge, skills, and abilities), performance, and changes in position.

Career paths group similar functions within a career cluster Information Technology career cluster

Database Administration Instructional Design IT Support Network Engineering Software Engineering and Development Systems Engineering Training

who decides to seek employment in an environment where he or she perhaps can learn new things and be more intellectually challenged. Being able to list competencies on resumes and address this area with potential employers may help secure more satisfying work.

Realism is often identified as being a worthwhile goal of careers guidance. The FIRST framework is regarded as a useful tool in evaluating the success of a VGI, (Kidd et al, 1993: x). Focus, Information, Realism Scope Tactic
http://www.guidance-research.org/EG/impprac/ImpP1/defining/ImpP1i