Page 3 - euroguidance-insight-newsletter-2012-autumn

Professor Tony Watts: “The Essence of Career is the Interaction

between Learning and Work.”

“Economic Benefits of Career Gui- article are "self-awareness, opportu-
dance” is an article, published in nity awareness, decisionmaking
1992. It is based on J. Killeen’s, M. skills and transition skills". What in
White’s and your monograph “The your opinion are appropriate ap-
Economic Value of Career Guidan- proaches to develop these skills?
ce”. The article starts with the state- Good career counselling, based on
ment: “Career guidance services are facilitation rather than directive ad-
sometimes asked to justify their ac- vice-giving, can develop these skills.
tivities in terms of the economic be- However, there is also an important
nefits which their activities yield.” role for curriculum interventions:
Professor Watts, have you come ac- planned programmes within the
ross such a question during the last curriculum of schools, colleges and

years? universities, which include class-
Yes, this is an increasingly common It is also in principle accessible to all: room activities, linked to experien-
question in many countries. Most the task of career guidance is to cebased learning (e.g. work experi-
career guidance services are still free make it so. ence, work shadowing, work sim-
to the individual, and funded, directly ulations).
or indirectly, by the state as a public You are one of the leading experts in
good. With the growing pressures on the field of career guidance policies Up to now the European Commis-
public expenditure, such services are internationally. In 2001 - 2003 the sion has released two resolutions on
more and more required to demon- OECD, in cooperation with the life-long guidance, one in 2004 and
strate their “value for money”, in World Bank, and subsequently with one in 2008. Many countries are
economic terms. I do not see such the European Commission, the facing a problem of inadequate or
pressures going away. It is important European Training Foundation (ETF) inappropriate cooperation between
to respond to them, while also af- and Cedefop, conducted quite an the two key sectors – those of edu-
firming the value of career guidance extensive survey of career guidance cation and employment. Do you
as a citizen right, linked to affirming policies in OECD countries. The think that a third resolution might
human worth, dignity and hope. survey also included the ten be the joint initiative of DG Edu-
candidate countries for EU acces- cation and Culture and DG Employ-
In this article Career guidance is de- sion in 2004. Findings from this ment, Social Affairs and Equal Op-
fined as “a range of activities de- survey led to a variety of proposals portunities, showing that cooper-
signed to enable individuals to ma- and recommendations. How would ation of these two sectors is vital for
ke and implement informed decisi- you assess the progress these both sides?
ons related to their career develop- countries have made during the last There is certainly now greater inter-
ment. These decisions may include decade? est in career guidance in DG Employ-
choices of long- or short-term ca- There has been some progress, but it ment, which is very welcome. If the
reer goals. Careers have changed has been uneven. Certainly career two DGs can collaborate on a further
during the last 20 years. Has this guidance has been higher on the resolution on life-long guidance, this
definition changed as well? policy agenda than it used to be. This will significantly encourage collabor-
I think the definition remains valid. I has resulted in some innovation and ation between the relevant ministries
personally define career not in the improvements, often linked to har- at national level. Such collaboration
old sense of movement up an order- nesssing the potential of new techno- is essential for an effective lifelong
ed hierarchy in an organisation or logies; but it has also produced guidance system: since the essence
profession, but rather as the indivi- greater pressures to justify the public of career is the interaction between
dual’s life-long progression in learn- benefits from such services. learning and work, neither education
ing and in work. It is a definition authorities nor employment authori-
which takes account of instability and Some of the learning outcomes of ties can be fully effective in this field
change. career guidance mentioned in the on their own.