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Webinar Number 24: Lifelong Careers Development: A Swiss Perspective

Introduction
In Switzerland, as in most Western countries, career development has taken on a lifelong dimension, leading to the diversification of career guidance and counselling practices to meet people’s needs throughout their “active” life. Beyond the need for the practitioners to renew their paradigms and methods, such a shift also implies efforts and adjustment from both individuals – to manage multiple vocational tasks and transitions – and public institutions – to support people facing such challenges. In this webinar, we will introduce the specifics of lifelong career development in the Swiss context, outlining the challenges for the school system to help pupils prepare for the school-to-work transition and beyond, and for adult workers to manage involuntary and unexpected career change. These challenges will be illustrated through ongoing studies and their implications for career interventions.

Learning outcomes

Participants gained an understanding of (1) how the principles of lifelong career development unfold in a specific national context, (2) how research can help capture the complexity of contemporary career challenges, and (3) how individual and institutional efforts and strategies may help tackle such challenges.

A special tribute was made in recognition of Professor Ronald Sultana’s legacy and contributions to international career development policies, research, and practice.

Associate Professor Jonas Masdonati

Jonas Masdonati is an associate professor of vocational psychology at the University of Lausanne. He is director of the Research Centre for Vocational Psychology and Career Counseling (CePCO) and president of the European Society for Vocational Designing and Career Counseling (ESVDC). He is associate editor of the journal L’Orientation Scolaire et Professionnelle and consulting editor of the Journal of Career Assessment. His teaching and research activities focus on career transitions, decent and dignified work, meaning in work, occupational identity, and vocational education and training.

Associate Professor Koorosh Massoudi

Koorosh Massoudi is an associate professor of lifelong career development at the University of Lausanne. He is director of the Master’s teaching program in career counselling and vocational psychology, and a senior researcher in the Swiss Centre of Expertise in Life Course Research (LIVES). His activities focus on the study of the challenges of contemporary careers and their impact on workers’ health and employability. Moreover, he collaborates with public institutions and private organizations, aiming at the dissemination and implementation of scientific knowledge at the workplace.

WHAT DRIVES YOUNG PEOPLE’S CAREER AMBITIONS?

This event was hosted by Associate Professor, Deirdre Hughes OBE – Warwick University (IER) and Director of dmh associates and CareerChat (UK) Ltd.

Background:

Young people face increasingly challenging post-school transitions. Understanding young people’s experience of this transition, their career ambitions, and their influences can help career practitioners to deliver person-centred career services for young people. This will support young people to build the skills, habits, and experiences required to negotiate the rapidly changing labour market.

A large-scale study by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) focused on the post-school transitions, career choices, influences and motivations of school leavers across Scotland. The results from this study indicated that almost half of Scotland’s school leavers say a lack of confidence and a lack of work experience are key barriers to their future careers. However, young people felt supported and encouraged by the career services they received in school, and this was particularly true for those from the most disadvantaged groups, who reported a wide range of benefits.

This session will present the headline findings from the research and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the research implications.

About the research:

The Young People’s Career Ambitions (YPCA) research was carried out in 2022, with international academic expert in careers, education and skills policy Associate Professor Deirdre Hughes contributing to the design.

All young people in Scotland who left school in 2020/2021 were sent a link to a questionnaire in October 2022. A total of 1,414 young people responded, with results weighted to ensure they were representative of the Scottish school leaver population. The YPCA research covered the following areas:

Post-school transitions
Key career influencers
Views on CIAG services
Career Management Skills
Future aspirations
Perceived career barriers

By the end of this session attendees were able to:

increase their knowledge and understanding of the factors that can impact on young people making career decisions
learn about further analysis currently being conducted from this research on young people’s career ambitions
contribute to the discussion around how career practitioners can support young people making the transition from school into the labour market.

Presenters: Dr. Graeme Smith, Dr. Patrick Watt, and Debbie Pavia

Dr. Graeme Smith

Dr Graeme Smith is an Evaluation and Research Executive at Skills Development Scotland. Graeme’s main area of work involves conducting research and evaluations within the Careers Informaion, Advice and Guidance (CIAG) services in Scotland. Graeme has worked on a range of projects investigating how young people, partners and stakeholders, and those from equality groups perceive Scotland’s careers services. With a background in psychological research, Graeme is particularly interested in understanding the factors that influence young people’s decisions around career pathways.

Dr. Patrick Watt

Dr Patrick Watt is Head of Evaluation & Research at Skills Development Scotland, the national skills agency. He has overall responsibility for customer research and evaluation work within SDS. This includes the delivery of SDS’s sponsored PhD programme, co-funded with the Economic and Social Research Council. Patrick has previously worked in the Futureskills Scotland unit, in Scottish local government and as an Operational Research consultant for British Steel. He was formerly a Director of Hall Aitken, a leading Scottish economic development consultancy. Patrick has an honours degree in mathematics with statistics, a master’s degree in urban and regional planning, and a PhD in labour economics.

Debbie Pavia

Debbie Pavia is Research manager at Skills Development Scotland. She leads on the Corporate and Careers Information and Guidance Research strands in SDS. Starting her career in economic development consultancy, she has a 20-year track record of working on research and evaluation studies for public sector bodies, third sector and local, regional, and national government organisations. She has a particular knowledge and skills in evaluation, employability, and the career pathways of young people. Debbie has an honours degree in Economics & Finance, a master’s degree in Local Economic Development and is a Member of the UK Evaluation Society (UKES).

Navigating Educational and Occupational Decisions and Work/Life Traumas

Speakers:

Dr. Kevin Glavin, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Educator – Founder and CEO of Create Your Why (CYW), adjunct faculty member at Nova Southeastern University, Florida.

Hon. Associate Professor, Deirdre Hughes OBE – Warwick University and Director of dmh associates and CareerChat (UK) Ltd.

Use Your Story to Navigate Educational and Occupational Decisions and Work/Life Traumas

Are you supporting others who may feel lost in transition? Join us for a live demonstration of the Career Construction Interview to learn new techniques. Factors like automation, AI, and a global pandemic have given rise to a new world of work often described as VUCA: Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous. The Career Construction Interview (CCI; Savickas, 2005) is a transformational intervention that helps individuals explore educational and vocational options, navigate occupational transitions, and write the next chapter of their career or life story. Kevin Glavin, PhD, LPC, will demonstrate how to utilize the CCI to engage individuals in Life Designing Dialogs, empowering them to overcome challenges and navigate transitions.

Dr. Kevin Glavin, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Educator with over 20 years of experience, is the Founder and CEO of Create Your Why (CYW), a company he created to provide career coaching, training, and consulting. He serves as an adjunct faculty member at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, where he has taught Career Counseling since 2009. Kevin has served as President of the Ohio Career Development Association and Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Employment Counseling. His most recent initiative, the Career Construction Academy, provides online Career Construction Masterclasses. These masterclasses seamlessly integrate theory, cutting-edge technology, and immersive practicum experiences to equip career practitioners with the skills to proficiently administer and process the Career Construction Interview.

[email protected]
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwglavin/

The Critical Ingredients of a Successful Career Intervention

Speakers:

Professor James P. Sampson Jnr Emeritus Professor, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University., USA

Mark Franklin MEd, PEng, CMF, CareerCycles Practice Leader and President of OnLifeTools, Canada

Hon. Associate Professor, Deirdre Hughes OBE – Warwick University and Director of dmh associates and CareerChat (UK) Ltd.

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

1. Understand the critical ingredients for a successful career intervention and be able to apply strategies to career practice with diverse students, clients/customers, and in various career development settings.

2. Draw on at least two specific evidence-based careers theories specifically linked to research and practice.

3. Consider an overview of outcomes in how to help individuals make inspired and well-informed decisions.

4. Extend their toolkit of resources to further develop and improve career development practice.

Speakers

Professor James P. Sampson Jnr Emeritus Professor, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University., USA

Jim Sampson is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems and a Senior Research Associate at the Center for the Study of Technology in Counseling and Career Development at Florida State University. He writes and speaks on the appropriate use of computer technology in counseling, on the use of cognitive strategies in the design and delivery of career interventions, and on the integration of theory, research, and practice. Jim is currently a Visiting Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. He is also an Overseas Fellow of the National Institute for Careers Education and Counselling in Cambridge England, and a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Adult Learning of the Singapore Workforce Development Agency. Prior to joining the faculty at Florida State University, Jim was a Senior Counselor at the Student Counseling and Career Planning Center, Georgia Institute of Technology.

Mark Franklin MEd, PEng, CMF, CareerCycles Practice Leader and President

I love to help people make well-informed & inspiring choices. After gaining over 10,000 hours of direct counselling experience, what I really want to do now is help society by helping the helpers influence their clients, students or employees more effectively with practical and inspiring storylistening tools. I enjoy using my strengths of creative collaboration, generating ideas, and storylistening. People often ask me about my career change from engineering to career development. Really I never left engineering! In my work leading CareerCycles and OneLifeTools I “redeployed” my systems thinking and structured problem solving skills to focus on the “wicked problems” of dissatisfaction and disengagement. I draw on my assets of a Masters in counselling psychology, my engineering background, and insights from thousands of stories from clients, Career Buzz guests, and the many helping professionals I’ve trained. Whether you’re a helping professional seeking new tools or a working professional seeking a better career, I look forward to helping you!

Hon. Associate Professor Deirdre Hughes OBE Warwick University IER, Director of dmh associates and CareerChat (UK) Ltd.

Over the last two years, Deirdre has led research and development programmes including the application of a careers chatbot, powered by AI and machine learning; career development and wellbeing: a practical toolkit for practitioners; career-related learning in primary schools; special educational needs and disabilities: an innovative approach to brokerage support for FE and employers in London; and effective practice in employability programmes supporting young people and adults.

Young Employment: Testing Times

This webinar is designed to stimulate ideas and action for innovation in education and career development support services. Topics covered within the session include:

– Is where you teach careers as important as what you teach?

– Post-Covid community workspaces- opportunities for peer-career learning?

– Is work exposure a better ‘way-in’ than work experience?

– The Gig economy – How do we revalue youth Gigs?

– Building youth-run Facework Chapters in schools and communities

– Improving skills and post-school transitions for under-represented young people.

Speakers

Stephen Carrick-Davies, Director of the Facework Group

Stephen Carrick-Davies is the Director of the Facework Group a non-profit company working directly with young people to run employability training and community work hubs. An experienced Chief Executive and Social Entrepreneur, Stephen has established education projects in India and Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka as well as grassroots community programmes here in the UK. The Hatch community workspaces in New Cross and Peckham are the latest examples of Facework’s pioneering employability programmes. See www.hatchhubs.com Stephen is the co-author of ‘Youth Employability: An Agenda for Change’ see: www.face.work/agenda

Lauren Roberts-Turner, Researcher and Youth Advocate

Lauren Roberts-Turner is researcher and youth advocate who is passionate about the welfare state and tax systems, the strengthening of communities and tackling inequalities and ensuring young people are supported to live the best possible lives. She is currently an Advisor to Facework, a young leader on the ChildFair State Inquiry and a member of Leaders Unlocked youth board. She is studying BA politics and Economics and Politics at UCL. She co-authored the Agenda for Change document with Stephen and speaks with real authority at what her generation have experienced from coming through the Covid pandemic and transitioning from education to employment.

Elisabeth Paulson, CEO, Envision, London.

Elisabeth is the current CEO of Envision, a charity that works to empower young people from less advantaged backgrounds, who are often underrepresented in the world of work, to develop the essential skills and confidence they need to succeed in later life. She was previously the Portfolio Director at Impetus, which funds, funds and builds the most promising UK charities looking to close the gap in employment and educational outcomes between disadvantaged young people and their better off peers, where she led the investment team, investment strategy and impact performance.

Dr Deirdre Hughes OBE - DIRECTOR, DMH ASSOCIATES

A freelance academic researcher, career development professional and government policy adviser. She has written over 125 articles and book chapters, and made over 200 presentations to international, national and regional professional groups dealing with all-age careers work, employment and skills issues. She is co-editor of the British Journal of Guidance and Counselling International Symposium Series. She is also a Cedefop appointed national expert in lifelong guidance and careers education (May 2017).

What Drives Young People’s Career Ambitions?

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