Career Edge 19 (May 2008)

In this issue of Career Edge we explore the theme of green guidance – providing career guidance and advice that contributes to positive social and environmental outcomes. Danish careers expert Dr Peter Plant has been writing about these issues for several decades, but it has taken until now for the world to catch up. The publication of the UK Treasury’s Stern Report outlining the potentially devastating economic impact of climate change and Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth have helped bring these issues to the fore as never before.

It is an opportunity for everyone in the careers profession to examine their own practice and discuss what contribution career guidance can and should be making to addressing environmental issues.

From Career Services’ point of view it certainly sharpens our focus on how we engage with our customers. New technology is already providing worthwhile alternatives. Over the last decade we have moved away from providing a service where people must physically travel to receive our services to one that is based much more on the internet and phone. Most readers will already be aware of Career Services’ website. This continues to evolve as an important first point of contact.

Career Services has also been trialling a new phone guidance service where clients can receive independent career advice when and where it suits them. The results have been very positive. It is not simply the convenience of access for those who don’t live near one of our regional offices, it is also the fact that phone contact removes some of the barriers for those who may have been too shy to go and visit someone in person.

We are also looking at our own business practices to achieve greater environmental sustainability. We intend to cut down our energy and paper use significantly. As a government agency we accept that all of us have a responsibility to examine our practice and make a difference where we can. There is a need for change and the challenge is to adapt in a way that provides for an even better outcome than before.To make a virtue out of the necessity for change.

The call for alternative thinking is also at the heart of American Carol Christen’s work. Carol is the author of the best selling What Color’s Your Parachute for Teens. As she reveals in her interview there are close parallels between the situation in America and that facing teens in this country. In the absence of enough self-awareness, knowledge and independent career advice, too many young people are heading off to university on ‘autopilot’, failing to graduate and incurring a large debt along the way. Not an ideal start to any working life. This debate is not about the value of a university education, which for many provides the finest possible start. It’s about helping each individual find the right path for them. This means starting comprehensive career education a lot earlier in their secondary schooling.

The government has just launched the Schools Plus initiative which will see every young person in some form of education and training, until they are aged 18. Schools Plus is also about ensuring students identify their interests and know their options before they leave school, and offering a wider range of learning opportunities in partnership withother tertiary providers and employers. Schools Plus means ensuring young people are connected to the next steps in their learning before they leave school.

Schools Plus and the introduction of a new curriculum could transform how schools can use career education and advice. Career Services will be working closely with other government agencies to ensure New Zealand schools meet this challenge. There is no doubt we have a way to go yet – many careers advisers in schools do not have professional careers qualifications.

Furthermore, few occupy a careers role full-time and juggle careers with a raft of other teaching responsibilities. These are the issues we must confront if schools are to make meaningful progress and provide young people with the guidance they need to succeed.

We have good reason to be optimistic. The ‘CreatingPathways and Building Lives’ (CPaBL) project described elsewhere in this issue shows what is possible. This Ministry of Education-led careers education initiative, running in 100 schools throughout the country, is now in its second year. Schools on the project are building stronger links with employers and industry, providing professional development for staff and lifting career assistance for students up to another level.

Lester Oakes
Chief Executive - Career Services