Careers 2.0: Scenarios and personas for technology enhanced educational transitions

T. Fischer, T. Schlimbach, G. Attwell, M. Balica, R. Preisinger-Kleine

About G8way project• G8WAY stands for ‘Web 2.0 Enhanced Gateway To Educational Transition’;• G8WAY is funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP), Key Action 3 ‘Information and Communication Technologies’ (ICT) of the European Commission;• G8WAY brings together 8 European Organisations from 7 European countries;• G8WAY combines the expertise of private R&D organisations, Higher Education institutions, innovation and local development agencies as well as educational research bodies.

About G8way project

• Deutsches Jugendinstitut (DJI); Halle, Germany;• P&W praxis und wissenschaft projekt (p&w), Ingolstadt, Germany;• Pontydysgu, Pontypridd, UK;• City Conversity AB (CCAB); Lund, Schweden;• Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovacao (SPI); Porto, Portugal; • Menon Network EEIG; Brussels, Belgium [commissioned to the Lambrakis Foundation, Athens, Greece];• Il Filo D´Arianna; Bologna, Italy;• Institute of Educational Sciences (ISE); Bucharest, Romania.

Basic Assumptions

1. Young people are facing today a growing differentiation of educational, vocational and occupational opportunities, pathways and biographies.

2. There is a wider recognition of the importance of providing support to young people on their way into employment.

3. There is an interest in the potential of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) to provide support for the challenges of transition.

1. High demands and increasing pressures on young people on their way to employment;2. Educational transitions are specific learning settings;3. Educational transitions are intensive learning periods: to orientate themselves; to identify realistic job scenarios; to further develop their abilities and competencies;

to meet the labour market requirements;

to place themselves on the labour market;

Project Background

Supporting young people

Utilising and exploiting the potentials of Web 2.0, Social Software and Learning 2.0 (or probably 3.0);

Developing ‘proto-typical ‘ transitional scenarios and ‘personas’ in transition (through story telling and analysis of ‘real’ life cases);

Setting up an online portal combining different methods and tools under a common pedagogy framework;

Allowing users to follow their preferred learning pathway

Project Objectives

45 cases from 6 countries

Learning in transitions as a process that largely depends on individual experiences and the construction of meaning of the young person;

Contextualising interactions in transitions (e.g. tools, objects, roles, community);

Looking at social as well as societal learning and the role of ‘more knowledgeable others’ in transitions;

Reading difficulties or negative transition experiences as challenging obstacles to improve

learning skills and competences.

Methods - Scenarios & ‘Personas’

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‘The Determined’ – Key Attributes(School to Work; HE to Work)

• Independent • Passionate • Confident • Motivated • Ambitious• Rich resources• Clear aims • (No Plan B)• Congruent steps

Motto: “I did it my way.” (Frank Sinatra)

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• Aware of the desired outcome but unsure of how to get there • Deal with problems as and when they occur • Unsystematic look for appropriate help • Nevertheless motivated • Open to suggestions • Active, experimenting with different strategies • Less resources than the ‘Determined’ • Many distractions • Extended/multiple transitions • Following complex pathways

‘Meandering’ I – Key Attributes(School to Work)

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‘Meandering’ II – Key Attributes(HE to Work)

• No straight forward pathway • No detailed plan, no Plan A • Not so determined on final destination • Positive outlook on opportunities • Open for change • Rather independent but influenced by circumstances • Experimental learning approach to the personal future• Stepwise and micro transitions

Motto: “Det är vägen som är mödan värd” (Karin Boye)(“It is the journey that is worth the effort, not the stay at a destination”)

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‘Stagnant’ – Key Attributes(School to Work; HE to Work)

• Few personal resources • Multiple family, social or financial issues • Need of support on a general social and personal level • Lack of enthusiasm • Difficulties to prioritise effectively • Late decisions for a field of interest • Low self esteem • Rather bad prognosis for life career

Motto: “We will always tend to fulfill our own expectation of ourselves.” (Brian Tracy)

1) Reflection and assessment e.g. interests, preferences, dreams: (not classical Competence/Skills/Abilities or Personality Assessment)a) Self-reflection; b) External-, mentor assisted

2) Information on options:a) Education and Training (E&T); b) Job profiles; c) Labour market data; d) European job opportunities/exchange/mobility; e) Legal structures (e.g. founding a company); f) Available jobs

3) Professional Orientation (especially School Work: which job?)Professional Adaptation (especially HE Work: adapt knowledge and skills to company needs)

4) Exchange with / Learning from Others:a) Experienced others; b) Peers (direct); c) Cases; d) Story telling (indirect); e) Mentors, guides, counsellors, G8keepers (incl. an intergenerational component) not prescribed, “cloud” of mentors, BUT required competence of mentors, legal aspects e.g. child protection

5) Presentation / Documentation (of 1 to 4): “Trans-folios” = personal, short term

6) Meeting & Matching Space e.g. visits, internships, trainee programmes, speed dating, job interviews, applications, CVs, job profiles

The G8WAY e-Portal

The G8WAY e-Portal

Germany Greece Italy Portugal

Competence Management

Educational gamesCV training

Job market management

Skills assessmentCV traininge-Portfolio

Knowledge Sharing

Digital storytellingLinks to existing services

Case studiesDigital storytellingCollective spaceCommunities of Practice

Collective spaceDigital storytelling

Case studiesDigital storytellingCollective spaceCommunities of Practice

Job/Training Information

Links to existing services

Links to existing servicesNews

List of job and E&T opportunities

List of job and E&T opportunities

Guidance Mentoring incl. training of mentors

MentoringLinks to existing services e.g. at university

Page on Facebook with multimedia content

The G8WAY e-Portal

Romania Sweden UK

Competence Management

Explorative toolsSelf-assessment tools

CV & contract negotiation trainingSelf-assessment toolsRecommendation system

Individual space for communication, reflection and presentation

Knowledge Sharing

Digital storytelling Collective spaceCommunities of PracticeEx-post evaluations

Digital storytellingCollective spaceCommunities of Practice

Job/Training Information

Access to labour market information

Guidance (Peer) support groups

G8WAY aims to support young people to “explore, dream and discover”

(Mark Twain)

G8WAY builds upon a positive development model (Jane Seale) and aims to support individual growth, enhancement and empowerment

To finish with ....

Join the G8WAY Community @ http://www.g8way-eu.net

Contact me @

magda.balica@ise.ro