What do we know about effective career education?
- Dale Bailey
Highlights from the presentation
Dale Bailey, from Career Services, and Ivan Hodgetts, from Southern Directionz (and formerly of Career Services), presented 'What do we know about effective career education?' at the Transforming Careers, Unleashing Potential International Careers Conference, which was held in Wellington on 19-21 November 2009.
What do we know about effective career education?
The presentation focused on:
- the challenges for career education in New Zealand
- a career education framework
- implications for career education in schools.
Dale Bailey explained how the 'Rethinking Career Education in Schools' report (given out to all attendees) was compiled through drawing on personal practice knowledge and external evaluations from:
- Designing Careers (2005-06)
- Creating Pathways and Building Lives (CPaBL) (2007-08)
- Education Review Office (ERO) recommendations.
The rationale for career education – how does career education fit within our society?
- Students who are better informed about "self".
- Make more informed choices.
- Become more engaged in their learning.
- Are more motivated and productive; achieving more highly.
- Contribute positively to our economy and society.
Student perception of career
- Doing well and getting promoted within one workplace is the norm.
- Having a qualification but one that you can keep building on in the same vocational area.
- A one-workplace approach.
- Some students recognise the trends in career ideas eg work-life balance and transferable skills.
- Not all students make the connection between what they are learning and it being about them.
Ideas for building effective career education
- Ensure career education is at the heart of teaching and learning within the key competency driven curriculum.
- Create a whole-school approach to career education that involves engaging all teachers, parents, communities and the Board of Trustees.
- Know what is of relevance to students and make career lessons more than information giving.
- Help students better describe their skills, attributes and ideas about themselves.
Career Services is currently working on developing programmes of delivery based on the results of the 'Rethinking Career Education in Schools' research and findings.
