Page 313 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Contemporary European Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 313
the role of career guidance in esl
to make the right choices relative to their educational and work opportuni-
ties; b) helps students identify their own interests, strengths and weakness-
es, develop their individual skills and aptitudes and thereby enables them
to manage their future educational and career choices; and c) provides stu-
dents with sufficient information about educational and career pathways
to make informed choices. It is crucially important that all three dimen-
sions are equally pursued and provide a holistic approach to supporting in-
dividuals on their educational/career path (European Commission, 2013;
Eurydice, 2014).
Although career guidance is recognised as a prevention, intervention
and compensation measure in tackling ESL (Eurydice, 2014), various re-
search findings highlight the importance of its early introduction and pro-
vision throughout the entire educational path. For example, a review of the-
ory and recent research related to educational and occupational aspirations
reveals that important career development processes may occur well be-
fore adolescence. In fact, tentative educational plans may be formed in ear-
ly elementary school (Wallace, 2007), with career preferences being evident
as early as kindergarten (Trice & King, 1991). Nguyen and Blomberg (2014)
even realised that educational (and career) aspirations measured at age 15
do not change markedly as students grow older, suggesting they are formed
early and that interventions later in the senior secondary school years may
be too late to influence educational (and career) aspirations. Berthet (2013)
claims the career decision is not a one-off event and represents a string of
events making up a sequence within a series of career-decision cycles dur-
ing the entire educational path. It is therefore crucial that career guidance
is not only concentrated at the (critical) transition points (from primary to
secondary, from secondary to tertiary education), which is currently a gen-
eral practice in most EU countries (Eurydice, 2014) but is organised as a de-
velopmental process on all education system levels.
Understanding career guidance as a developmental process (and
not the once-off provision of information about further educational/ca-
reer options) requires the cooperation and coordination of various stake-
holders in its delivery. Here the role played by various actors within the
school context is particularly important. Although career counsellors in
most EU countries are recognised as the key persons responsible for pro-
viding career guidance in schools (Eurydice, 2014), they cannot cover all
of the above-mentioned important (developmental) activities and contents
(Carr & Galassi, 2012; Knight, 2015). As important adults in students’ lives,
313
to make the right choices relative to their educational and work opportuni-
ties; b) helps students identify their own interests, strengths and weakness-
es, develop their individual skills and aptitudes and thereby enables them
to manage their future educational and career choices; and c) provides stu-
dents with sufficient information about educational and career pathways
to make informed choices. It is crucially important that all three dimen-
sions are equally pursued and provide a holistic approach to supporting in-
dividuals on their educational/career path (European Commission, 2013;
Eurydice, 2014).
Although career guidance is recognised as a prevention, intervention
and compensation measure in tackling ESL (Eurydice, 2014), various re-
search findings highlight the importance of its early introduction and pro-
vision throughout the entire educational path. For example, a review of the-
ory and recent research related to educational and occupational aspirations
reveals that important career development processes may occur well be-
fore adolescence. In fact, tentative educational plans may be formed in ear-
ly elementary school (Wallace, 2007), with career preferences being evident
as early as kindergarten (Trice & King, 1991). Nguyen and Blomberg (2014)
even realised that educational (and career) aspirations measured at age 15
do not change markedly as students grow older, suggesting they are formed
early and that interventions later in the senior secondary school years may
be too late to influence educational (and career) aspirations. Berthet (2013)
claims the career decision is not a one-off event and represents a string of
events making up a sequence within a series of career-decision cycles dur-
ing the entire educational path. It is therefore crucial that career guidance
is not only concentrated at the (critical) transition points (from primary to
secondary, from secondary to tertiary education), which is currently a gen-
eral practice in most EU countries (Eurydice, 2014) but is organised as a de-
velopmental process on all education system levels.
Understanding career guidance as a developmental process (and
not the once-off provision of information about further educational/ca-
reer options) requires the cooperation and coordination of various stake-
holders in its delivery. Here the role played by various actors within the
school context is particularly important. Although career counsellors in
most EU countries are recognised as the key persons responsible for pro-
viding career guidance in schools (Eurydice, 2014), they cannot cover all
of the above-mentioned important (developmental) activities and contents
(Carr & Galassi, 2012; Knight, 2015). As important adults in students’ lives,
313
