Page 5 - euroguidance-insight-newsletter-2016-autumn

effective transitions. From this, we we encourage people to learn about their place in the world can
can then follow through to identify about themselves and the world provide a space within which we
the impacts on the education and around them and to use this learn- can raise some political issues. I
employment system, but also a ing to inform their career develop- think that we should be comfort-
range of secondary impacts on ment, we are encouraging people able talking to people about their
things like people’s health, their to think about who they are, what values, about the tensions that
likelihood of committing crimes and they want to contribute and how they perceive between their career
a wide range of other social bene- they can be happy and maximise aspirations and an unfair world. I
fits. their wellbeing. think that we also need to be more
comfortable about suggesting
The evidence base that we have The problem is that when you start collective solutions to the career
drawn on for this paper is inter- to think about career guidance in problems that they perceive along-
national and I think that we can these terms it starts to very quickly side more individual solutions.
be reasonably certain that guid- become clear that everyone does So if someone wants to increase
ance has the potential to make an not have the same opportunity to their wages we should be talking
economic contribution wherever it access the ‘good life’. Depending about collective bargaining through
exists. on the country you are born in, a trade union as well as about
your race, class and gender, you personal advancement through
In your lecture “Emancipate are likely to experience different promotion or a new job.
yourselves from mental slavery: barriers in achieving your potential.
self-actualisation, social justice and What I’ve been starting to think Some of this is fairly new for career
the politics of career guidance” you and talk about is the idea that ca- guidance professionals, but I think
mentioned that our careers should reer guidance might have a role in that it is an area that we need to
be characterised by autonomy, op- starting to actually challenge those all work on together. We need to
timism and fulfilment and also that barriers. rework our models of practice to
more people should have the op- address the current global context
portunity to self-actualise and have So the question is can career guid- and to help us to play a part in
a better career whilst recognising ance actually do something other bringing about a new and better
that in order to achieve this we are than just help people to cope with world.
going to need to change the way an unfair world? Can career guid-
in which we organise society. How ance actually contribute to bringing You are the Head of the Interna-
can career guidance support this? about a new and better world? tional Centre for Guidance Studies
at the University of Derby, you are
I tried to make the argument that I think that it can. I think that the university teacher, you are also
career guidance was essential conversations that we have with a researcher and also involved
about providing people with the people during career guidance, also in the Erasmus+ project
opportunity to self-actualise. When which encourage them to think L.E.A.D.E.R., part of which is

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