www.careers.qut.edu.au
QUT Careers and Employment
Career Development Learning
Whose responsibility is it? Practitioners or academics?
Alan McAlpine
(Manager, Careers & Employment)
Career Development Learning
• Theoretical approaches• National• Local• Specifics (QUT Career Development Programs)• Discussion
Career development learning … learning about the content and process of career development or life/career management.
• The content of career development learning …. learning about self and learning about the world of work.
• Process learning … the development of the skills necessary to navigate a successful and satisfying life/career
“Career development learning places the student at the heart of the learning process and enhances the quality of workplace learning”
Professor Tony Watts, National Symposium, 2008
DOTS Model
Watts (1977, 2006)
Systems Theory Framework (Patton & McMahon, 1999)
Career Planning and International Career Counselling Models
McAlpine et al. 2006 Gibson et al. 2006
National Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (NAGCAS)
Project Team
University of WollongongRMIT UniversityUniversity of Southern QueenslandFlinders UniversityMonash University
Career Development Learning:maximising the contribution of work integrated learning to the student experience
Developing graduate careers from workplace experiences
Project Purpose & Deliverables• A scoping study to explore the contribution of
career development learning to work-integrated learning in higher education
• Produce a set of learning resources, principles, guidelines, models, and examples of practice: – how, when, where, and why career development
contributes to work integrated learning
Career Development Learning
Four facets of the DOTS model:Learning about SelfLearning about OpportunitiesLearning about Decision makingLearning about Transitions (Watts, 2006)
CDL Interventions
Specific modulesCurriculum integrationOutside the curriculum
• CDL questions:
• Why am I doing this degree?• How can I make the most of my
studies?• How can I determine the best
pathway for me?• How can I achieve my career
goals?• How can I exploit my talent in the
workforce?
CDL and the literature…its value• To the individual (contributions to transitions, retention
and completion rates and graduate outcomes)• To their university experience (contributions to student
engagement and student satisfaction)• To lifelong learning (contributions to managing lifelong
and lifewide transitions)• To the workplace (contributions to retention, satisfaction
and workplace productivity)• To the nation (contributions to inclusion, participation
and productivity)
Principles• Flexible partnerships support effective career development learning.• Workplace experiences can provide genuine career development learning
opportunities for all students. Multiple experiences and contexts enrich this learning.
• Career Development Learning is student centred, and designed to actively engage students in the workplace experience.
• Career development learning supports quality student centred learning opportunities across all aspects of students’ lives.
• Universities encourage students’ career development and workplace learning by supporting their capacity to systematically reflect, record, and articulate the acquired skills and experience.
• Quality assurance across the experience contributes to better outcomes.
CDL findings• For workplaces to obtain the best outcomes, explicit
career development support needs to be articulated in the workplace for students and employees.
• Disconnection between career development practice in education and in workplace settings
• Dual role for human resources staff as career development practitioners?
• Strengthen the industry/university nexus : university career development practitioners providing a stronger consultancy role to industry?
Further DetailsProject Website
www.nagcas.org.au/ALTC
• All project reports, papers and evolving resources available
• Join the community of practice on the website, to share practice and keep up to date with other practitioners
QUT - context
• 40,000 Students• 2 main campuses plus satellite campuses• 7 Faculties
– Built Environment and Engineering– Business– Creative Industries– Education– Health– Law– Science & Technology
Objectives
Core• Systems• Continuous Improvement• Professional Development & ResearchDirect• Information• Enquiries• Career CounsellingIndirect• Programs• Outreach• Graduate Destinations• Employers• External Activities
BA Modules
IT Coop
Eng Coop
Education
Nursing
Law SEP
Career Development Programs
Prospective
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
International
Schools Overseas Linkages
Industry Groups DEST Contracts
Professional Associations Research
Conference Presentations
Open Day
Orientation
Parents Evening
Student e-Portfolio
Graduate Destinations/CEQ
Career Mentor Scheme
First Year Experience
Information Seminars
Employer Liaison
Employer Presentations
Employer of Choice Breakfast
Careers Fair
Work Experience Scheme
International Placements
Job Vacancies
Faculty Booklets
Generic Handout
Newsletters
Career Development Programs
Website• Prospective• International• Postgraduate• Career Planning
Enquiries
Resume feedback
Interview Coaching
Generic Workshops
Industry Expert Workshops
Elite Athletes
Ways we interact (CDL-WIL)
• General– Raising awareness of service– Providing generalist preparation workshops
• Introducing reflective tool(s)– Introduction to, and use of ePortfolio
• Preparation for WIL experience– Direct preparation for applying for WIL placement– Preparing to get best from experience
• Providing WIL experience– Hosting students
Student Lifecycle
Project Description
A Careers & Employment and TALSS initiative for QUT-wide impact
Supports other major strategic projects Transitions In (FYE), Work Integrated Learning, Transitions Out
Develop a number of online/blended co-curricular programs
Students may receive formal recognition via a statement to appear on their Australian Graduate Statement
Project Description
Can be embedded into course curriculum or completed by students at own will
Each program is split into individual modules
Students complete 5 modules plus one elective to complete a ‘program'
Students may swap programs at any time and still be accredited for modules completed
Background
• Readiness, preparation, orientation…critical through entire degree
• Major focus on linking Curriculum / PDP & Employability
• Strong push for a co-curricular approach
• QUT’s Real World philosophy - fostering Work Placements
• Visually interactive – maintain student interest - activities
Career Development Modules
Suite of Career Development Programs
Work Placement Program
Programs Matrix
Feedback - academic
• I wanted to share with you some positive feedback we got from an INB 103 student who completed the new Self Understanding 1 module this semester. He said (see below) "I am just emailing to give you positive feedback on the self understanding module. I never thought the module would impact me as much as it did. It made me really think about what I was really interested in and now"
• • Inspired by reflections the module generated, he saw his interests
also in tourism and is now also looking at getting qualifications in this aspects as well...
• • I think it is great that we see how these modules are helping our
students to "find themselves" ...• Many thanks for your help in integrating them to our curricula
Feedback - student
• I am just emailing to give you positive feedback on the self understanding module. I never thought the module would impact me as much as it did. It made me really think about what I was really interested in and now I’m currently talking to TAFE to do a Certificate III in Tourism, business and a Diploma of Information Technology (Web Development). "TAFE Open Learning" offers courses externally and you can enrol anytime, so I’m thinking I may start one during the uni holidays.
• I think the inspirational one impacted me the most as it made me realise how I got into uni today and the challenges I had to reach this.
Review Process Questions
• What would a cycle of ongoing quality improvement involve?
• What general feedback do you have on the content? • How would you go about integrating into your
curriculum? • What if any content is missing and could potentially be
added?
Career Development Learning
• Whose responsibility is it? Practitioners or academics?
• Everyone's… and we must include the student