Why is career development important for Australia's future?
Career development assists people to gain the knowledge, skills, and behaviours to manage learning and work throughout a productive and engaging working life ...
This lifelong perspective on career development that has career self management skills at its heart is now widely accepted in OECD countries as a necessary foundation for labour market flexibility and lifelong learning. ...Both individual needs and national productivity benefit from career development
The benefits of a lifelong career path (through school; from school to further education, training and employment; throughout a working life) for individuals with timely, quality career development support, have long been understood. ...
What is career development?
Career development is the term that best describes the complex process of managing life, learning and work over the lifespan.
Career development helps people throughout their lives to plan and to make decisions about education, training, and career choices, and provides the right skills to do this. Support for career development (through education providers, governments, employers, career industry) includes collection, organisation and provision of information needed to make these decisions; advice and guidance about education, training and work at key points in people's lives. ...
Career development support is provided to people whose life circumstances differ widely. ...
Career development support is provided in many different ways ...
Career development support is provided by a very wide variety of groups, e.g., schools, vocational education and training institutions, universities, parents, peers, community groups, employment service providers; private career development consultants, recruitment firms and private enterprises.
Career development services are provided by a wide variety of people. ...
Why does Australia need a National Career Development Strategy?
At present career development education, information, advice, support and services are provided across a multitude of organisations and individuals, through various avenues, with differences in content and quality. A national career development strategy, which promotes the development of career management skills, the provision of high quality career education, information and services that meet recognised quality standards, and equitable access could benefit all Australians.
Such a strategy could bring together all key stakeholders and promote high-quality career development education, information, advice, support and services that will bring Australia into line with recent international developments. This would lead to a future where all Australians at any stage of their life have the skills to manage their careers, enabling them to engage more effectively in the workforce, contributing to increased national productivity as well as their own well-being.
Substantial progress has been made
... At a national level the Australian Government has focused on three major policy priorities:
- professionalisation of the career industry ...
- development of a Certificate IV in Career Development
- establishment of the Career Industry Council of Australia
- development of the Professional Standards for Australian Career Development Practitioners
- annual scholarships to enable teachers and career practitioners to gain career development qualifications
- development of frameworks to guide effort:
- the Australian Blueprint for Career Development provides teachers, parents, career practitioners, employment service providers, employers or others who are in a position to support people's careers and transitions with a nationally consistent framework
- the Career and Transition Services Framework, developed in 2003 with state and territory governments, presents a range of options to support young people in making effective transitions through school and between school and post school destinations
- access to national career information:
- myfuture.edu.au (with state and territory governments)
- Job Guide and Australian Jobs publications
- Job Outlook and Skills Info websites.
At the state and territory level progress has also occurred in a number of ways, for example:
- Many states and territories are making pathway planning compulsory including the Northern Territory, Victoria, Queensland and South Australian public schools.
- In New South Wales, the School-to-Work Program in government schools supports students to develop their skills, understandings and capacities to self manage their transition through and from school to further education, training and employment.
- Victoria has developed a Careers Curriculum Framework based on the Australian Blueprint for Career Development, to support teachers, trainees and practitioners in preparing young people to make successful first transitions from school to further education, training or employment, in addition to the Regional Career Development Officers and Local Learning and Employment Networks programs.
- In Queensland, "My Future My Plan" translates the work in schools from Year 5 to Year 12 to the four phases of career development from the Australian Blueprint for Career Development. In Queensland there are a number of Indigenous specific programs targeting employment and training, e.g., Positive Dreaming, Solid Futures; Dare to Dream.
- South Australia has included career development as part of the curriculum and it is assessed as part of the South Australian Curriculum Standards and Accountability Framework, South Australian Certificate of Education and national training packages. Programs in South Australia include the Industry Pathways Program, Mentoring and Youth Development Program and Trade Schools for the Future. Seventeen career development services have been established across the state through the South Australia Works initiative, and the appointment of a number of career development practitioners as well as the Skills for All website.
- Western Australia has embraced new technology by establishing a career website. The website includes specific information for Western Australians and links to Australian Government resources, interactive career tools to assist all to manage their careers and social media. Western Australia has established 14 workforce development centres and five Aboriginal Workforce Development Centres.
- In Tasmania schools and Guaranteeing Futures initiatives support students with pathway planning and with access to a range of career development support staff and activities. A requirement of the Tasmanian Certificate of Education is for students to have a Pathway Plan that is developed and reviewed to support their education and training.
- The Australian Capital Territory is strengthening career education in schools and colleges through its Excellence and Enterprise Framework. The ACT has implemented a cross sectoral pathways planning initiative for all young people under the age of 17 which is aligned with the Australian Blueprint for Career Development. A website for the ACT Career and Transition Framework is under development, which will be a resource for all stakeholders.
- Northern Territory initiatives include "Try a Trade" events for Year 9 students; Work ready programs to increase School Based Apprenticeships; VET in Schools and VET in the Middle. Senior school students must pass with a confirmed 'C' standard the Personal Learning Plan subject as a completion requirement for their Northern Territory Certificate of Education & Training; eight Indigenous teacher and teacher assistants are training to provide career development services in remote Arnhem schools. Career Expos are run throughout the Northern Territory offering pathway and further education options to students and the wider community.
...
Major challenges remain
...
- Gaps in access to services remain, particularly for groups such as the unemployed (both adults and youth), early school leavers, those on the margins of the labour market, and older Australians ...
- Services are provided by a diverse range of public and private organisations ...
- National processes for leadership and priority setting that involve governments, those who receive career development support, practitioners and other key stakeholders are unclear. ...
- The knowledge base needed to inform policy development remains inadequate. ...
A national leadership body for career development
...
The leadership body could consist of representatives from key stakeholder groups and could develop advice on projects, which might include:
Involving industry more actively in career development
Australian industry needs a highly skilled workforce that is able to adapt and innovate in a rapidly changing economy while both increasing Australia's productivity and responding to a shrinking workforce and ongoing skills shortages.
It is also recognised that the ongoing employability of individuals is dependent on their set of relevant personal attributes and skills that will prepare them for both employment and further learning.
Career information and industry expectations need to be clearly articulated for all Australians. Closer alignment with industry will ensure that career information and advice is up to date and relevant.
Building career development skills in individuals
Career development skills, including the life skills and general competencies that are important for managing a career, are needed throughout life. A better understanding of the personal attributes and skills that will prepare people for employment and further learning, and of how these can be developed, can help to ensure that career development support and assistance are provided appropriately at different stages of people's lives. This approach may lead to linking career development skills with the curriculum through general capabilities and potentially lead to a less ad hoc approach to the development of these skills.
Improving the quality of advice and professionalism of the industry
The quality of career advice in Australia can be variable and patchy, and that while tools like the Australian Blueprint for Career Development and the Professional Standards for Career Practitioners exist, it is not clear how widely they are utilised. Parents expect career practitioners to be appropriately qualified so that users can be confident that the information, advice and services they receive is of the highest quality. The establishment of benchmarks and the continuous improvement of standards for delivery of services, regardless of setting, and the regulation of strong national professional standards would provide this assurance. This approach could include a national pre-service and in-service teacher training program that includes career development.
This work could be progressed in collaboration with other countries who are addressing similar issues.
Improving access to relevant work experience and vocational learning experiences
Research shows that young people want more exposure to the world of work through work experience to develop their skills and employability and make decisions on their career paths. The research also showed young people and their parents value such experiences over and above many other career development activities.
Parents also noted that 'young people have the preference to speak to someone who has done the type of work they are interested in'.
Targeted support needs to be provided for all young people including those at school, those not in school and those already in the workforce.
Supporting individuals to gain career development skills
Supporting individuals throughout their lives to make education, training and work choices, is a key to individuals' success and a key element in the growth of the national economy. Providing individuals with the right skills at the right time empowers them to manage their careers successfully. ...
Career information
The Australian Government believes that, central to this objective is the redevelopment of the myfuture.edu.au website, Australia's national career information service. The website could be redesigned with a more citizen-centric approach to improve ease of use and functionality, with further enhancements to consider its usability and the technological abilities of different age cohorts.
- Information could be tailored to support parents to provide career advice as the key influencers of their children.
- Through stronger connections with industry young people could have more of the information they want, presented in the format they want. Additionally, the same career information provided would be presented in a form relevant to workforce development needs, supporting individuals to make informed decisions about their careers.
- Through social technology networks young people may be able talk to someone working in the industry they are interested in.
- Through integration with the My Skills website more comprehensive information about course and training options could be made available in one place.
...
Victoria has embedded career development into their Curriculum
Victoria has created a Careers Curriculum Framework with career education embedded in the curriculum. The Framework provides a scaffold for a career education program for all young people from Year 7 to Year 12 and for young learners in the Adult and Community Education and Technical And Further Education sectors. The Framework is based on the eleven competencies identified in the Australian Blueprint for Career Development and links to the existing dimensions of learning in the Victorian Essential Learning Standards Strands and Domains.
Career development assistance in the labour market, including for those at risk
Support services available to jobseekers could be enhanced, to provide easier access for individuals to increase career development skills, and to improve career development information and advice. Some examples of current actions are provided below. Stronger links to these programs could be investigated.
Job Services Australia ...
Disability Employment Services ...
Australian Apprenticeships Advisers Program ...
Indigenous Youth Careers Pathways Program ...
Experience+: To assist mature age people to stay in the workforce, the Experience+ initiative is a suite of programs that provides information and support to mature age Australians. One component of Experience+ is access to professional career advice for people aged 45 years and over, delivered through a telephone and email based service.
Career Advice for Parents commenced 1 January 2012 as part of the Building Australia's Future Workforce package ...
A national policy-focused career development research agenda
... The models used for research conducted under the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth, and national vocational training and education research are possible models. If it is established, a national leadership body could advise on priorities for the research. ...Questions for Consideration
Do you have any comments on what you see as the key priorities and proposed direction for the National Career Development Strategy? ...
Do you have any comments on the possible direction for the Australian Government? ...
Do you have any comments on the ongoing and future role for the state and territory governments? ...
Do you have any suggestions for enhancing the role for industry? ...
Do you have any comments on the formation or proposed direction for a national leadership body? ...
Do you have any additional comments or suggestions? ...
Additional Information
... Reports from the research projects carried out for the Green paper are available at the Career Development page ...
Further information on resources referred to in the Green Paper is available at:
- Australian Apprenticeships Advisers Program ...
- Australian Blueprint for Career Development ...
- Australian Job Search ...
- Career Advice for Parents ...
- Career and Transition Services Framework ...
- Certificate IV in Career Development ...
- Disability Employment Services ...
- Experience + ...
- Indigenous Youth Careers Pathways Program ...
- Job Services Australia ...
- Myfuture ...
- Professional Standards for Career Practitioners ...
Further information on state and territory programs, developments and initiatives can be found on the following state and territory websites:
- NSW Department of Education and Training ...
- Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood ...
- Queensland Department of Education and Training ...
- South Australian Department for Education and Child Development ...
- South Australian Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology ...
- Western Australian Department of Education ...
- Tasmanian Department of Education ...
- Northern Territory Department of Education and Training ...
- ACT Education and Training Directorate ...
Further information on international approaches to career development and public policy is available from:
- European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network ...
- International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy ...
- International Labour Organisation career guidance resource handbook ...
- OECD career guidance policy review ...
From: National Career Development Strategy Green Paper, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, June 2012
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