Career Development in New Zealand: A Scoping Paper The Career Development Association of New Zealand

CDANZ has commissioned this scoping paper to: Stimulate discussions among New Zealand career development stakeholders from government, business, education and non-profit sectors. Argue for a common language to articulate career development issues, goals and strategies Assist stakeholders in career development to formulate mutually beneficial policies and strategies to support career development for New Zealanders

Definitions Career is a holistic concept. It spans all the life roles that a person holds(i.e., not only worker, but also parent, partner, volunteer, son/daughter, community member, etc.). Career means the totality of work (i.e., conscious effort aimed at producing benefits for oneself and/or others) that one does over a lifetime Jobs are a group of similar, paid, positions requiring some similar attributes; jobs are task-, outcome-, and organisation- centred Occupations are a group of similar jobs found in various organisations and are task-, economy-, and society-oriented (Sears, 1982)

Definitions Career development is the process to: “Gain the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours to manage their life, learning and work in self-directed ways” (Canadian Career Development Foundation, 2002).

Lifelong guidance provision contributes to a range of public policy goals Education and training: participation and engagement with learning; retention and course completion; performance and achievement; progress to further learning and work; mobility; lifelong learning Labour market: participation in work; employability and job retention; income and salary potential; better balancing of labour market demand and supply; reduced time on unemployment benefit; engagement, work performance, and productivity; employer investment in employee skills development; mobility and employment transitions; workplace learning; workforce development Social inclusion: social and economic integration of individual and groups; reduction in long-term unemployment and poverty cycles; overcoming barriers to accessing learning and work; active ageing; gender and social equity Economic development: returns from higher workforce participation, productivity, and development; addressing skills mismatches

Career development is fundamental for establishing the quality of New Zealand’s contemporary social, political and economic environments. considerations are widespread and transcend demographics and geography. contributes to New Zealand’s advancement towards its domestic and international objectives and commitments, which require sound career development for the entire population.

NZ lacks an encompassing career development policy & strategy The absence of a national New Zealand career development policy contrasts with Australia, the United States and many OECD countries and many OECD countries

European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network A lifelong and progressive system. As career is built across the life-course, guidance services need to support this process rather than simply focusing on a single life-stage. Career guidance should connect to the wider experience and life of individuals. For example, career guidance in schools should connect to the curriculum. It should also be aware of a host of other contextual factors (community, family, hobbies and interests). Career guidance should recognise the diversity of individuals. We need to recognise that individuals bring a range of resources, interests, barriers and concerns to guidance processes. Career guidance should involve employers and working people, and provide experiences of workplaces. Understanding the world of work is central to the purpose of lifelong guidance. The involvement of employers and working people helps to inform programmes and inspire clients. Work experience and work-related learning are also critical.

European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network Career guidance is not one intervention, but many, and works best when a range of interventions are combined. A diverse range of strategies can be used to support individuals to develop their careers (e.g., face-to-face, online, group work, experiential learning). There are also benefits where these interventions are combined and sequenced programmatically. Career guidance programmes should help individuals to acquire career management skills. Individuals who take part in guidance should enhance their capability to manage their own careers. Career guidance needs to be holistic and well-integrated into other support services. A wide range of life issues have the potential to impact on individuals’ capacity to build effective careers. Services need to be able, where appropriate, to refer clients to services where their other needs can be met.

European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network Careers professionals matter! The success of guidance processes is strongly influenced by the initial training, continuing professional development, competencies and personal capacities of the professionals that deliver it. Career information needs to be available and of good quality. Individuals need a reliable information base to make decisions about participation in learning and the labour market. Career guidance should be quality-assured and evaluated. Effective services can learn from customer feedback, the observation of outcomes and the wider evidence base.

New Zealand Accomplishments* New Zealand has had a long involvement in providing career development services Careers New Zealand (CNZ) has been innovative in developing a number of online career resources including information, tools and support The New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has co-produced with CNZ the 2015 Occupational Outlook

New Zealand Accomplishments* A number of private online services advertise job openings and are used for employment recruiting Career development support is provided in secondary schools by designated career advisers CNZ has produced Career Education Benchmarks for Year 7 and 8, Secondary Schools, and Tertiary institutions

New Zealand Accomplishments* A number of associations focused on career development issues have been established in New Zealand The Career Development Association of New Zealand (CDANZ) The Career and Transition Educators Association (CATE) The Human Resources Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ) The New Zealand Association of Training and Development (NZATD The Advisors for Supported Employment in New Zealand (ASENZ )

New Zealand Accomplishments* Research on career development issues in New Zealand has been conducted from a number of perspectives AUT Career Development AUT Work Research Institute Massey University’s Industrial/Organisational Psychology Auckland University and Victoria University (among others) Schools of Management The New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER)

New Zealand Accomplishments* Qualifications for New Zealand career practitioners have been developed AUT Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) Otago Polytechnic Career resources developed by New Zealand government ministries and agencies are offered in Te Reo

The Way Forward: strategy and policy NZ needs a unified career development strategy NZ needs national policies to direct career development NZ needs government-supported leadership The Government should support CNZ in holistic and universal career development services

The Way Forward: lifelong provision New Zealanders need access to lifelong career development support Targeted and specialised career development support is required by New Zealanders with greater career development needs

The Way Forward: qualified practitioners Providers of career development services need to possess relevant qualifications and competencies. NZ career development professionals should hold specialised graduate and postgraduate qualifications The NZ career profession needs to collaborate with academic institutions to ensure that appropriate and accessible education is available for those who work or wish to work in the career development field Increased numbers of Māori and Pasifika career development professionals are needed

The Way Forward: intermediate, secondary and tertiary education Specific and ring-fenced funding for career development in schools is needed Review and revision of career development strategies in middle schools and secondary schools Better utilisation of the New Zealand Career Benchmarks to direct career development programmes

Thank you for your attention Questions?