Career guidance in the new career era Towards a career perspective in career guidance for the unemployed Marijke Verbruggen Research Center for Organization Studies Faculty of Business & Economics K.U.Leuven

This presentation Changing nature of careers Career guidance in the new career era Career guidance and public policy Cases CASE 1: Guidance for workers in Flanders CASE 2: Bilan de Compétence in France

Changing nature of careers Traditional careers (Baird & Kram) Maintenance Exploration Trial Establishment Decline 20 25 35 45 55 65 Performance High Low

Changing nature of careers Traditional life careers Model of age differentiation Study Work Retirement

At organizational level Changing nature of careers Increasing need for flexibility and its impact on careers (1) At organizational level Drivers: globalization, technological innovations, knowledge economy, etc. E.g. Less employment security, less possibilities for hierarchical career steps, increased importance of training Impact on careers More transitions Inter-organizational Lateral Importance of employability Individual career management and psychological success

At macro-level: towards a transitional labour market Changing nature of careers Increasing need for flexibility and its impact on careers (2) At individual level Drivers: increased labour market participation of women, new family arrangements, increased individualism, etc. E.g. part-time work, career breaks At macro-level: towards a transitional labour market Public goals Decreasing unemployment rate Stimulating lifelong learning, Improving work-life balance, Prolonging careers Impact on life careers: more transitions in and out of the labour market

Changing nature of careers Contemporary careers (Hall & Kahn) Ex Exploration T Trial Es Establishment M Mastery Ex T Es M Ex T Es M Psychological success Ex Es M T 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6

Changing nature of careers Contemporary life careers Model of age-integration Work Study Family Retirement Unem-ployment

Changing nature of careers Traditional versus contemporary careers Traditional career Contemporary career Employment relationship Job security for loyalty Employability for performance and flexibility Transitions Within the firm Within and between firms; in and out of the labour market Skills Firm specific Transferable Success Pay, promotion Psychological Responsible for career management Organization Individual

Careers are changing – or aren’t they? Changing jobs Job mobility anno 2005 (Source: Eurobarometer) 42% of the European workers agrees that changing jobs every few years is good for people Belgium EU25 Annual job mobility 6,3% 8,4% % of employees who worked with 1 employer 30% 26%

Careers are changing – or aren’t they? Age integration Employment rate per age group anno 2006 (1996) (Source: Steunpunt WSE) Belgium EU27 15-24 year 27,6% (26,9%) 36,3% 25-49 year 80,2% (77,6%) 79,0% 50-64 year 45,7% (35,1%) 54,4%

Careers are changing – or aren’t they? Transitional labour markets Some transition indices anno 2006 (1996 or 1999) (Source: Steunpunt WSE) Belgium EU27 Training participation rate among 25-64 year olds 7,6% (6,2%) 9,4% % career breakers (full-time) 0,8% (0,7%) Not known % career breakers (part-time 5,7% (1,0%) % long-term unemployed among unemployed 54% (59,7%) 46%

So, are careers changing? Traditional careers are not dead But contemporary ≠ traditional careers Overall, they are less predictable and more dynamic Work security is no longer a guarantee, but now comes from career competences

Career guidance in the new career era Definition (OECD, 2004) Range of services e.g. one-to-one interviews, group discussions, telephone advice, on-line self-help tools Intended to assist people of any age with Educational, training and occupational choices Developing the competencies to self-manage their careers

Career competences (Hall, 2004) Career guidance in the new career era Activity to enhance career competences (1) Career competences (Hall, 2004) Low Self-awareness High Adaptability Paralysed Blocked Reactive Chameleon behaviour Rigid Performing orders Protean Pro-active

Career competences (DeFillippi & Arthur, 1996) Career guidance in the new career era Activity to enhance career competences (2) Career competences (DeFillippi & Arthur, 1996) KNOWING HOW KNOWING WHY KNOWING WHOM Preferences, interests, values, etc. Social network Professional competences, strengths, weaknesses

Educational and training institutions Organizations Policy makers Career guidance in the new career era Beneficiaries of contemporary career guidance Individuals Educational and training institutions Organizations Policy makers Employability of the labour force Transitional labour market Social inclusion …

Correct for market failures Career guidance and public policy Key roles for public policy (Watts & Kidd, 2000) Correct for market failures Risk of unequal access and partiality in career guidance in schools and organizations E.g. entitlement to impartial career guidance Ensure the quality of the career guidance Competent staff, appropriate guidance methods, etc. E.g. career counsellor training, quality schemes

Career guidance and public policy Guidelines of CEDEFOP (1) Centrality of the citizen Independence Impartiality Confidentiality Equal opportunities Holistic approach Enabling citizens

Career guidance and public policy Guidelines of CEDEFOP (2) Improving access for citizens Availability Accessibility Continuity Responsiveness Assuring quality of provision

Entitlement to career guidance since January 2005 CASE 1: Guidance for workers in Flanders Flemish entitlement to career guidance for adult workers Entitlement to career guidance since January 2005 For adult workers Access at low cost for the participant Once every 6 years Subsidies for qualified career centres For trajectories of min. 6 hours individual counselling Guarantee of impartiality and confidentiality Focus: helping clients with career self-management

Adapted to the counselee's personal needs CASE 1: Guidance for workers in Flanders Guidance methods (empirical findings) Past – Present – Future Self-analysis Analysis of career possibilities Goals and action plan Holistic approach Adapted to the counselee's personal needs

CASE 1: Guidance for workers in Flanders Guidance effectiveness (empirical findings) (1) Reaction Satisfaction: 8,7/10 Usefulness: 8,4/10 Learning effects Sustainable improvement in career competences Self-awareness Adaptability Clients feel more responsible for own career

Learning => Behaviour CASE 1: Guidance for workers in Flanders Guidance effectiveness (empirical findings) (2) Behavioural effects Transitions 40% has changed employer (39% of the low-educated) 10% is unemployed (14% of the low-educated) 37% started a training (50% of the low-educated) Learning => Behaviour

Career focus in career guidance seems to work CASE 1: Guidance for workers in Flanders Lessons for guiding the unemployed Career focus in career guidance seems to work Career management competences can be improved Career management competences help to realize one’s goals Remarks Is a minimum level of career self-management necessary for a career focus to work? Attention to the low-educated (Self-)reflection seems less attractive to low-educated More external barriers after the counselling

CASE 2: Competence assessment in France Droit du bilan de compétence Entitlement to competence assessment since 1991 For job seekers and employees Three phases Preliminary phase (assessing the individual’s needs) Investigation phase (analyzing client’s competences & determining possibilities in career evolution) Final phase (written synthesis with results and recommendations) Through personal interviews and evaluations, tests, diagnosis and individual research

CASE 2: Competence assessment in France In practice Anno 1998 900 skill audit providers 78.000 audits (30% employed, 70% job seekers) Effectiveness (Bernaud, Gaudron & Lemoine, 2006) Durable increase in self-awareness and self-esteem Transitions among the initial unemployed 47% started a training course 27% found a job

Some remaining questions Career competences can be improved through career guidance – but... how (exactly)? Are different forms of guidance equally effective? Self-help techniques Telephone help Group guidance What after the guidance? How can career counsellors help people to deal with barriers?