Promoting Curriculum based Lifelong Career Management Competences

Raimo Vuorinen, Ph.D.

ELGPN Co-ordinator

The Finnish Institute for Educational Reseach, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Presentation at the conference entitled: Cross Boarder Career, Lifelong learning

16 December 2010, Vilnius, Lithuania

Definition of Lifelong Guidance?

• What? Activities: e.g.information giving, advice, counselling, assessment, teaching, advocacy

• For whom/With who? All citizens• When? Any age and point in their lives• Focus? Making meaningful life choices on learning and work.

Empowerment to manage learning and career• Career? Individual lifepaths in learning, work and in others

settings in which these capcities and competences are learned and/or used

• Where? Education, training, employment, community, private

– EU Council of Ministries Resolution on lifelong guidance 2004

Career?

• Individual lifepaths in learning, work and in others settings in which these capcities and competences are learned and/or used

– From testing to tasting (Delgado 4.5.2010)– Career is constructed rather than chosen

• Lifelong guidance Career Management Skills a competence as such which can be learned in different settings

EU Council: Resolution on better integrating lifelong guidance into lifelong learning strategies 21.11.2008

• Career management skills play a decisive role in empowering people to become involved in shaping their learning, training and integration pathways and their careers. Such skills, which should be maintained throughout life, are based on key competences, in particular 'learning to learn', social and civic competences - including intercultural competences - and a sense of initiative and entrepreneurship. Career management skills include the following, particularly during periods of transition:

– learning about the economic environment, businesses and occupations;

– being able to evaluate oneself, knowing oneself and being able to describe the competences

one has acquired in formal, informal and non-formal education settings;

– understanding education, training and qualifications systems.

Member states should consider (2008)– including teaching and learning activities which foster the

development of career management skills in general, vocational and higher education programmes;

– preparing teachers and trainers to conduct such activities and support them in this task;

– encouraging parents to become involved in guidance issues;

– involving civil society organisations and the social partners more closely in this area;

–

Member states should consider (2008)– facilitating access to information about training

opportunities and their links to the professions, and about the skills needs anticipated in a given locality;

– developing career management skills in adult training programmes;

– making guidance one of the objectives of schools, VET providers and higher education establishments. Integration into working life and the operation of the local, national and European labour markets are aspects, in particular, that should be taken into account.

WHY? ...Justifying CMS

• General emphasis on the need to prepare for the world of work, and for entrepreneurship

• Right of citizens to have transversal competences to participate in Knowledge Based Society

• Part of the discourse on competence-based learning• Emphasis on self-development, and hence on self-

guidance

(Sultana, R. 2009/ELGPN/WP1)

Personal Management• positive self-image• interaction with others• change and grow

Exploring learning / work• participate in LLL• locate/use information• understand work

Life/work building• secure, create, keep work• make good decisions• life – work balance• understand life/work roles• manage life/work building process

Filtered through:• national cultures / structures

• national curricular traditions: - encyclopaedic tradition (content oriented)

- Humboldt tradition (humanist, process oriented)

- Anglo-saxon tradition (outcome oriented)

These cultures determine:• view of citizen• role of the state• style of learning / assessment• pedagogic approach• type of curriculum (de/centralised)• view of learner (tabula rasa?)

‘BLUEPRINT’?(Sultana, R. 2009/ELGPN/WP1)

Clarity (and realism) about the value of Career Management Skills

Enhancing ‘employability’:

1. Understanding (broader and deeper than knowledge)2. Skills (or ‘skilful practices’, which includes deployment

of skills)3. Efficacy beliefs (including students’ views of

themselves and personal qualities)4. Metacognition (self-awareness regarding learning,

and capacity to reflect on it).

Taught (or caught?) in a myriad of ways[Gap: issue of transferability]

(Sultana, R. 2009/ELGPN/WP1)

Curriculum development principles:e.g. Centralised decentralisation, school-led, partnership, holistic, integrated (vertical / horizontal), customised, progression, relevance, coherence, flexible, resourced...

• Infusion model

• Separate subject

• Outside the curriculum

• Mixed model

Policy options for education sector:

Shared responsibility – overall coordination – curriculum mapping – joint curriculum development – captured by system logic

Shared responsibility – overall coordination – curriculum mapping – joint curriculum development – captured by system logic

Responsibility delegated (no ownership) – often part of lifeskills (elbowed out) – generic or customised

Responsibility delegated (no ownership) – often part of lifeskills (elbowed out) – generic or customised

Band-aid approach – often too little, too late – targeted, rather than LLBand-aid approach – often too little, too late – targeted, rather than LL

Best of both worlds? – ensures coverage – requires careful planningBest of both worlds? – ensures coverage – requires careful planning

(Sultana, R. 2009/ELGPN/WP1)

Personalcompetences

Socialcompetences

Professionalcompetences

Key and TranversalCompetences

Rethinking of:

Lifelong Career Management Skills(Soler 4.5.2010)

Definition of CMS

• “Career management skills refer to a whole range of competences which provide structured ways for individuals and groups to gather, analyse, synthesise and organise self, educational and occupational information, as well as the skills to make and implement decisions and transitions.” – ELGPN WP1 reflection note (Sultana 2009)

CMS in curricula

Case: Finland

Educational and vocational guidance as change agent in Finnish school reforms

• Careers education was integrated national curricula as a compulsory subject for students during school reforms in the 1970’s (comprehensive education) and in the 1980’s (secondary education)

• Training of the first full time school counsellors

• Support for the implementation of the new system

• Interpretation of the new system to students, parents and also to other teachers

• Information to the about the new opportunities in the labour market

• A strong political consensus on the added value of school counselling

Guidance in legislation

Acts for comprehensive, upper secondary and vocational education:

• Pupils and students are entitled to have educational and vocational guidance during every working day at school

15RV/20/05/2010

Guidance in legislation (2)

Decrees for comprehensive education, upper secondary and vocational

education :• student counsellors take care of vocational

and educational guidance (CE)• cooperation with working life – possibility

to have time for work experience (CE)• guidance and counselling in classrooms,

possibility to have personal counselling

16RV/20/05/2010

EXAMPLE: Comprehensive EducationDistribution of learning hours (2,5 hours during grades 7-9.)

Periods 1 2 3 4 5 6

7th

grade

1 in week

GC (GA)

1 1 1 1 1

8th

grade

1

GC (GA)

1 1

9th

grade

1

GC

1 1 1 1 1

GC = guidance counsellor GA = group adviser

Goals of the current curriculum guidelines

• Guidance and counselling activities are to constitute a continuum lasting the duration of basic education.

• It is the joint task of all teachers and a trained student counsellor

• The parent or other guardian must be given opportunities to confer (discuss) about issues related to pupil’s studies and choices by meeting collectively with the teacher, study counsellor, and pupil.

• In addition to preventive activities, guidance and counselling implemented at the school should especially support those pupils who have difficulties with studies or who are in danger of dropping out.

Goals of the curriculum guidelines

• The principles and division of labour among the different players in guidance and counselling activities are to be defined in the local curriculum.

• The curriculum must include a description of how cooperation with the local labour market and business community is implemented at the level of the entire school’s activity.

• Classroom visits by labour market representatives, visits to workplaces, project work, the use of different sectors’ informational materials, and an introduction-to-working-life periods make up the central part of this cooperation.

• The instruction in the different subjects is to include modules that connect the knowledge and skills provided the subject to the demands and possibilities of working life.

Basic goals of the curriculum guidelines related to CMS

• support personal growth and development

• promote the development of study skills and to help in learning difficulties

• counsel and guide students in educational and vocational and professional orientation

Support on personal and social issues

Psycho-social support

- life situation and life history of the student

- self knowledge and self-esteem of the student

- life management experiences

- student welfare services

- multi-professional cooperation

Educational guidance

- learning and study process

- individual study plans

- counselling and support when planning studies and choosing courses

- learning methods and strategies

- students are aware of their strengths and weaknesses as students

Career guidance

• educational and occupational plans • career development• plans for the future• knowledge of working life • studying and working abroad• promote students’ skills for planning and

realising life long learning• skills to use different tools to search information

OBJECTIVES OF COUNSELLING (Kasurinen 2006)

INDIVIDUAL

self esteem study skills

skills to use informationsources

skills to makechoices anddecisions

skills ininteraction

workingin groups

communicationskills

culturalcompetence

life managementskills

surviving ineveryday life

EMPOWERMENT

participation

READINESS SKILLS FOR WORKING LIFE

Methods

• lessons

• individual counselling sessions

• small-group counselling

• ICT in counselling

• distant counselling

• practice in working life

• visits, etc.

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Guidance provision at universities of applied sciences

• COMPREHENSIVE GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING SYSTEM e.g. planning of studies, international exchange opportunities, student financial aid issues,

• CAREER SERVICES in all universities of applied sciences offering services to students and employers

• INFORMATION about careers, recruitment and job exchange at http://www.jobstep.net

Guidance provision at universities

• GENERAL GUIDANCE for students at universities and for those seeking admittance to them

• SPECIAL OFFICE FOR STUDENT GUIDANCE: information about studies, practical training, open university courses, …

• FACULTIES/INSTITUTES: student affairs secretary, academic and other staff members responsible for tutoring and advising

• CAREER AND RECRUITMENT SERVICES: meeting point for students and employers -> job opportunities after graduation

• MORE INFORMATION at http://www.aarresaari.net

The potential benefits of a portfolio in promoting CMS?

• Support for individual learning process

• Monitoring indivudual progress

• Assessment and definition of individual competences and expertise– A learning process– An evaluation process– A selection process– A production process

Framework for guidance within the individual learning process (Auer 2006)

Working lifeWorking life

Professional requirements

Individual learning plan

Competences

Course planning and management

D e

g r e

e s

DisciplineDiscipline

Portfolio

LegislationLegislation

PSP should be constructed ’backwards’Professional competence profiles will be needed

PSP and Curricula are ’interacting’: supply is led by demandPSP and ePortfolio are based onElectronic Study Guide

ePortfolio makes learning and

competence visible – both for the learner

him-/herself and external assessment Situation in life

Implications

• Design of the training provision – ”Curriculum is a tool rather than a rule”

• Training of teachers– Competences to support individual learning paths

• Training of career practitioners– Competences both for service delivery and service design– Opportunity for individual learning programme which could be

elaborated to a practitioner competence to support indivudal learning paths for their clients

• Training of educational leaders and managers– Leadership for cross-sectora networks

Thank you!

For further information, please contact:

Raimo Vuorinen, Senior researcher, Ph.D.Co-ordinator of the ELGPNFinnish Institute for Educational ResearchP.O. Box 35FI-40014 University of Jyväskylätel. +358-14-2603271, Mobile +358-50-3611909Fax +358-14-2603201email: raimo.vuorinen@jyu.fiwww: http://elgpn.eu/Skype: vuorai