The Role of Facilitation in Technology-Enhanced Learning for Public Employment Services

Abstract

Public Employment Services (PES) in Europe are authorities that attempt to match supply and demand on the labor market. Rising unemployment in times of crisis and demographic change are among the main challenges with which PES practitioners, as a direct interface between jobseekers and employers, have to deal. They have to support career adaptability of their clients as well as to enhance and transform their own individual and collective professional identities in order to cope successfully with the challenges of a changing labor market. As part of the research project EmployID, we are exploring how to facilitate the learning process of PES practitioners in their professional identity development. The aim of the project is to empower individual PES practitioners, their community and organizations, to engage in transformative practices, using a holistic tool suite combining e-coaching, reflection, MOOCs, networking, analytical and learning support tools. Key to successful professional identity transformation is continuous learning. Individuals may take on the role of facilitators for the learning of others as well as being facilitated by peers, technology and environment.

Transforming identities and co-constructing careers of career counselors

“…The online professional development support for the changing world of work reported in this article was based upon end-user participatory design (Bimrose et al, 2014). This underlying philosophy for the technological design of the online course complemented the interpretivist/constructivist paradigm adopted by the researchers studying participants' views of their context and recognising the impact on the research of their own background and experiences through the online dialogue of career counselors.…”

“…This underlying philosophy for the technological design of the online course complemented the interpretivist/constructivist paradigm adopted by the researchers studying participants' views of their context and recognising the impact on the research of their own background and experiences through the online dialogue of career counselors. After designing and delivering a series of pilot blended learning programs in different operational contexts, aimed at supporting the identity transformation of career and employment practitioners (Bimrose, et al, 2014), the learning from these pilots was applied to the development of a separate, on an open access basis, attracting international interest and participation.…”

“…Dourish (2006) argued that design of a space for computer-supported collaborative learning could itself be an important social practice. Our methodology for developing continuing professional development support for an online program on the changing world of work comprised end-user participatory design (Bimrose et al, 2014) with counselors being jointly involved in the selection of topics and how best they could be delivered. The space itself could therefore already include aspects and concerns directly related to counseling practice.…”

Working in Increasing Isolation? How an International MOOC for Career Professionals Supports Peer Learning across Distance

“…Approximately five years ago, an international research team set out to facilitate the learning processes of career guidance professionals, who are challenged enormously in their service delivery due to demographic change, rising unemployment, digitalization and a series of other global factors changing the world of work. A main hypothesis of this research team, which worked within the framework of the EmployID 1 project, funded by the European Union, was that career professionals, and especially those working in public employment services (PES), are constantly undergoing a transformation process of their professional identity, which can be seen as a learning and personal development process that can be supported by appropriate means of facilitation [1]. 1 https://employid.eu/ After three years of experimentation and piloting in different organizational settings [2], the gained experiences were transferred into an open learning environment in the form of a MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses).…”

“…A main hypothesis of this research team, which worked within the framework of the EmployID 1 project, funded by the European Union, was that career professionals, and especially those working in public employment services (PES), are constantly undergoing a transformation process of their professional identity, which can be seen as a learning and personal development process that can be supported by appropriate means of facilitation [1]. 1 https://employid.eu/ After three years of experimentation and piloting in different organizational settings [2], the gained experiences were transferred into an open learning environment in the form of a MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses). The aim of this online learning was to address the most important aspects of the changing world of work, to discuss how these changes affect career guidance professionals and to present them with tools and strategies on how to deal with these challenges in a professional workplace setting.…”