The Changing Context of Career Practice: Guidance, Counselling or Coaching?

Confession time: my memory has let me down. I don’t think that I’ve told you about this paper from Jenny Bimrose but …

On the basis that twice is better than not at all here are the details.

Checking the publication details I discover that this was published some time ago so you’re almost certainly being reminded of its existence. And how it came to be in something that I read only last week I know not – I may be a hoarder but not to that extent!

Introduction

Over the past decade or so, career guidance services have undergone fundamental and rapid change. Much has been led by policy, with the rate of change demanded often resulting in training support for practitioners lagging behind implementation. The effect of this on practitioners working in different sectors of the guidance industry remains largely a matter of speculation, with only anecdotal evidence available to assist our understanding. The effect on practice in England is, however, beginning to emerge, with evidence becoming available from an on-going longitudinal case study.

The focus of this paper is on the consequences of constant policy change on the training, continuing professional development and occupational identity of the practitioners who deliver services in England. It begins with an overview of labour market changes and review of the careers industry as part of this broader context. The concept of occupational identity is then considered, together with the ways its formation interacts with the training and continuing professional development of practitioners. Finally, research evidence from an on-going qualitative, longitudinal case study of effective guidance is examined, since this provides rich and deep insights into ‘practice in action’.

Full paper (PDF 12pp)

Published by Centre for Guidance Studies
ISBN: 090143759X
© CeGS, 2006

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