THE ABCD OF DELIVERING CAREER EDUCATION IN A CROWDED UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM

THE ABCD OF DELIVERING CAREER EDUCATION IN A CROWDED UNIVERSITY CURRICULUMJason Brown, La Trobe UniversityCDAA Conference 24 May 2013

Setting the scene

3CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE | La Trobe University

ABCD of Career Education

Workshop objectives

Develop an understanding of the careers environment in a university

Appreciate how the ABCD framework can be applied to career development of university students

Learn about one approach to embedding careers into the curriculum


About La Trobe University


About the Career Development Centre

• Team within the Student Enrichment division(Transition, Engagement, Enrichment, Industry & Community Engagement, Career Development Centre)

• 1 Careers Consultant per 10,000 students

• Individual consultations: approx 1700 pa

• Workshops: 150 pa | approx 3000 students

• Online engagement: 12,000 students (headcount)


Challenges

• < 40% university students are ‘career ready’ (Radloff & Coates, 2009)

• Increasingly difficult to engage students outside curriculum

• Raising awareness of services

• Limited, if any, space in the curriculum

Australian Blueprint for Career Development


Australian Blueprint for Career Development (ABCD)

“…is a framework that can be used to design, implement and evaluate career development

programs for young people and adults.”- MCEEDYA (2010)

www.blueprint.edu.au


ABCD 11 Career Competencies

3 Areas of Competencies

4 Development phases

Performance indicators

Local standards


11 Career Management Competencies

1. Build & maintain a positive self-concept

2. Interact positively & effectively with others

3. Change & grow throughout life

4. Participate in lifelong learning supportive of career goals

5. Locate & effectively use career information

6. Understand the relationship between work, society and the economy

7. Secure/create and maintain work

8. Make career-enhancing decisions

9. Maintain balanced life and work roles

10. Understand the changing nature of life and work roles

11. Understand, engage in and manage the career-building process


Three Areas of Competencies

A. Personal Management CompetenciesCompetencies 1-3

B. Learning & Work ExplorationCompetencies 4-6

C. Career Building CompetenciesCompetencies 7-11


Four Development Phases

Adults

Phase 4

Senior / Post-compulsory school

Phase 3

Middle school

Phase 2

Kindergarten – primary school

Phase 1


Four Stage Learning Taxonomy

• Acquire

• Apply

• Personalise

• Act


Performance Indicators

• A statement indicating how an individual may demonstrate competence at each of the development stages

• Uses a 3 digit code which identifies the competency; phase; and performance indicator

Examples

1.1.1 Build and maintain a positive self-concept

11.4.12 Adapt your preferred future in order to always reflect your true needs, desires and aspirations


Local Standards

Essentially the learning objectives / outcomes

A local standard would specify:

• What individuals will do to demonstrate skill

• The conditions to perform the task

• How well the task should be performed


Group Activity: Pros & Cons of the ABCD

Small group discussion

• How do you use the ABCD in your practice?

• 3 Pros & 3 Cons


Pros and Cons

Pros

• Flexibility to develop local standards

• Linked to Bloom’s learning taxonomy

• Useful to compare programs for ‘completeness’

Cons

• Does it really cover the lifespan?

• Would you use this framework with senior managers?

• Empirically based or designed by committee?


Alternative Career Competencies

Akkermans et al., (2012)

• Reflection on motivation

• Reflection on qualities

• Networking

• Self-profiling

• Work Exploration

• Career control

Defillipi & Arthur (1994)

• Knowing why

• Knowing how

• Knowing whom

La Trobe’s Approach to Embedding Careers into the Curriculum


Strategy to Embed Careers into the Curriculum

• Network with academics / champions

• Link to strategic policies / initiatives

• Evidenced-based design of programs

• Research and evaluate your work … and talk about it

Photo by Julia Tenney / Flickr


Embedding Careers into the Curriculum

Structured career program

• Sits outside the curriculum, but designed to easily be incorporated in the future

Career development subjects

• One currently being taught

• Two new subjects in development


Career Ready Program


Career Ready Program

• Self-paced program

• 5 modules covering all ABCD competencies

• Activities completed in an ePortfolio workbook – serves as an ongoing career planning guide

• Sustainable & scalable



• Work Ready Skills & Planning Your Career (2012-)

• Career Management and Contemporary Workplace Issues (starts 2014)

• Work Ready Skills for Health Science Professionals (starts 2015)



Work Ready Skills & Planning Your Career

• 110 students across 5 campuses, 4 faculties

• Fully online subject

• Use of Webinars, Forums & ePortfolios to increase engagement

• Learning activities personalise the content for each student



HUM2WRS - Content

• Future of work

• Employability skills

• Career decision making and career development theories

• Practical information around seeking, applying and obtaining work



HUM2WRS - Assessment

• Job application

• Interview performance and reflection

• Portfolio, including informational interview report, LMI analysis, self-reflection / career plan


ABCD Competencies & Performance Indicators

Program 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Career Ready 1.4.3 2.3.9 3.4.10 4.3.84.3.9

5.4.5 6.3.11 7.3.77.4.97.4.107.4.17

8.3.128.4.108.4.12

9.4.8 10.3.7 11.4.11

HLT2WRS 1.4.3 2.4.3 3.4.8 5.4.7 6.4.7 7.4.10

HUM2WRS 5.4.8 6.3.9 7.4.15 11.3.11

HUM3CMC 7.4.17 8.4.10 9.4.6 11.4.11


Reflection

• What are options are available to you to embed careers in your context (schools, university/TAFE, workplace)?

• Where are the gaps in your careers programs in relation to the the ABCD framework or alternative career competencies?

Thank you

latrobe.edu.au/students/careers CRICOS Provider 00115M

To continue the discussion:

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @onejasonbrown

LinkedIn: http://au.linkedin.com/in/brownjasonl/

SlideShare: www.slideshare.net/jason_brown

THE ABCD OF DELIVERING CAREER EDUCATION IN A CROWDED UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM

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