Are the effects of careers guidance worth having? Changes in practice and outcomes

Abstract

The evaluation of careers guidance for young people prior to their entry to the world of work has progressed through two phases. Each phase is associated with changes in guidance practice and changes in the nature of the underlying theories ofoccupational choice and career development. When the aim of guidance was to make recommendations to young people, evaluators used career outcomes as criteria by which to assess effectiveness. In the evaluation of developmental guidance interventions, however, learning outcomes are more appropriate. Most reviewers judge the effectiveness of these interventions to be only modest, but we suggest that when the realism of goals for the intervention, the appropriateness of criterion measures and cliencltreatment interactions are taken into account, the magnitude of effects may be greater than this. It is argued that evaluation needs to enter a third phase, in line with changes in labour market institutions, career patterns and consequent changes in the aims of guidance and a shift towards more dynamic, interactionist explanations of career development. The range of learning outcomes should, therefore, be elaborated to include the 'process' skills necessary for effective career management.Recent developments in education and training mean that careers and educational guidance is increasingly necessary. As education and training systems are made more responsive to the needs of individuals and employers, so guidance becomes more important in their aims and ultimate success. In Britain, guidance plays a major role in the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative (TVEI), the Confederation of British Industry's 'careership' proposals, the Department of Employment's Training Credits scheme, and the Credit Accumulation and Transfer system in Higher Education. A persistent trend away from job creation to training in thinking about unemployment counter-measures leads to a similar implication.As Watts (1990) has pointed out, guidance serves a range of different constituencies. It must respond to the needs of education and training providers, employers, and, indeed, governments, in making optimum use of the nation's human resources, while remaining faithful to its primary client, the individual. Pressure for evaluation of the effectiveness of

The Impact of Career Exploration on Career Development Among Hong Kong Chinese University Students

“…Outcomes of career exploration have been described by Kidd and Killeen (1992) as attitudes, skills, and knowledge facilitating educational and career decisions and their implementation. Intuitively, one would expect exploration of one's own skills and interests to reinforce an existing self-concept or redefine it somewhat.…”

The perceived importance of employment considerations in the decisions of students to enrol on undergraduate courses in Maritime Business in Britain

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Measuring the Outcomes of Career Guidance

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