Abstract. This article compares and contrasts counsellor training programmes of two institutions (University of Reading, United Kingdom and University of Ilorin, Nigeria) from two different cultures. Areas of differences as reflected in the objectives and curricular contents of the two programmes are observed to be dictated by the needs of the two societies.
It is frequently argued that work relating to key areas of pupils’ personal and social education starts too late, that it takes place after crucial attitudes, perceptions and understandings have already been developed by pupils. Generally the problem is that work does not start until the secondary stage. This paper describes an evaluation of careers work undertaken with Year 4 pupils in a primary school. In this school, a yearly careers week was held when structured activities were organized around talks about their work given by parents. The researcher found that 5 months after the careers work, the Year 4 pupils remembered much of significance. These findings are then related to a number of theories of career development which support such work early in pupils’ careers. The paper concludes by outlining the benefits that careers work in the primary school offers.
The careers interview, a structured discussion between a careers counsellor and a client lasting between 30 minutes and an hour, still remains the focal point of careers guidance in the U.K. (Killeen and Kidd 1996). However, it is a time consuming and expensive activity, so in a period of cost cutting, the effectiveness of the careers interview will inevitably come under close scrutiny. Therefore, it is appropriate to examine what factors make for an effective careers interview. This will depend to a considerable extent on the particular orientation and approach to interviewing adopted (Kidd 1996). However, increasing attention has been given to the importance of the contract in the British Counselling and careers guidance literature (Culley 1991, Ali and Graham 1996, Kidd 1996, 1997 and this aspect of the interview will be examined to establish its significance in the overall process of careers counselling.The contract can be defined as &dquo;a specific commitment from both counsellor and client to a clearly defined course of action&dquo; (Culley 1991). It requires negotiation, is a two way process and entails the
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