2. Emma Bolger and Dr Marjorie McCrory
Professional Education in Career Guidance and Development: placing equality and diversity activity at the forefront of curriculum design and programme delivery
Emma Bolger and Dr Marjorie McCrory
ABSTRACT
Career Guidance and Development (CGD) is an established, if small, academic discipline. Aspects of equality, diversity and inclusive practice are often overlooked in critiques of career decision-making theory. The proactivity and visible dedication to progressing equality and diversity in training and practice in the CGD sector is the responsibility of its academics, offering contemporary evidence for advocacy of a discipline that continuously offers innovative and at times radical approaches to progressing equality and diversity.
In taking over the long-standing MSc Career Guidance and Development programme at UWS in January 2017, the authors brought broad expertise from HE research and teaching and in equality and diversity policy development and practice. They aimed to “make the medium the message” by taking a career development approach to all activity, transforming the programme in just 12 months. The authors will discuss how they enacted their intention, profiling equality and diversity practice, leading in to the presentation of how they will be showcasing their best practice approach in the forthcoming Embedding Equality and Diversity in the Curriculum Practice Guide, commissioned by the Higher Education Academy.

3. MSc Career Guidance and Development: Training contemporary career development professionals
We deliver a postgraduate programme to full-time, campus based students and part-time distance learners. Our students come to us from different routes: direct from undergraduate study, from employment (either within or outside of the sector) or because they are employer sponsored. While our students are primarily Scottish, we also train careers professionals from across the whole of the United Kingdom, Europe and worldwide. Our students may have previously studied for vocational qualifications within the field of career development or not, but will have shown some commitment working in the sector.

4. MSc Career Guidance and Development: Programme Structure
Programme overview – Postgraduate Diploma:
One year full-time campus based (Paisley)
2 years part-time, work-based (Global)
Postgraduate diploma: 6 modules
Plus the Career Development Institute (CDI) professional Qualification in Career Development (QCD)
With embedded practice learning, work based and work related learning requirements
This is the programme we primarily refer to as it is our most popular study route and the qualification widely held by most careers practitioners across the UK. We also offer:
Postgraduate Certificate:
3 modules only, provides eligibility to join the CDI professional register, Popular with those who either do not undertake direct guidance practice, and/or who work outside of the UK
Masters (MSc):
Completion of a 7th research module by dissertation

5. Teaching, with a career development approach
Our pedagogical approach is to continuously question how we as programme lecturers utilise our (broad) career development/guidance expertise to inform our approach as professional practice educators and researchers.
We question how our existing skills as practitioners feed into and direct the research we produce.
We structure our teaching and programme delivery so that it meets the best practice values we aim for as professionals.
Handout: Copies of the article

6. Curriculum delivery Delivery methods Ethos Family friendly Inclusive
Full-time Campus-based students attend timetabled lectures, seminars and practice learning sessions
Supported by resources on the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle)
Distance Learners work through modules independently on Moodle using a wide range of tailored resources
Distance Learners also attend a two-day workshop for each module delivered by us and funded by our partners at Skills Development Scotland
Family friendly
Inclusive
Proactive
Expert input
Partnership delivery

7. Actions and example activity
Onboarding: bringing students (and their families) onto campus before induction, comprehensive materials before start
Extended induction: focus on students’ prior learning and motivation
Family friendly timetable: teaching between 9.45am and 2.45pm, avoiding school holidays
Inclusive language: review of all language used in every module resource
Reimagining personal tutoring: Individual feedback/ coaching sessions
Accessibility: Proactive use of the VLE to support all learners and enhance accessibility., common format across modules, A/V materials and move towards subtitling
Practice learning review: operational equality impact assessment of all practice based learning opportunities, hosting by equality organisations
Disability disclosure: improved emphasis
Visiting expert input and partnership delivery: equality organisations, open seminar programme, focusing on equality of opportunity in the labour market and in careers practice.
Institutional level: Athena SWAN, gender action plan, equality projects
Partnership projects: IGBS unconscious bias resource, domestic violence and employability project
Public image: overall promotion of the programme’s focus on equality and diversity

8. HEA Practice Guide
Partnership with the HEA to produce a new practice guide for equality, diversity and inclusion in programme design for HEI’s based on programme developments
forthcoming summer 2018

9. Examples of challenges, future aims and objectives
More diverse cohorts, reflecting sector-wide issues – this is our main challenge!
Continuous improvement in relation to accessibility and student experience

10. Beyond the MSc Programme
Our role is not merely to train practitioners and then send them off into the world of work. Academics and employers all have a duty to commit to enhancing the professionalism of those working in our sector and to advocate for its value on a broad scale.
Examples:
Masters students leading practitioner research – the only programme in Scotland
Building a community of practitioners
Open seminar programme
Alumni networks
LinkedIn Group
Twitter feed
Delivery of training for professional bodies and external stakeholders
Guest lectures, conference presentations and keynotes
Publications
Knowledge exchange partnerships
Consultancy

11. Contact Details
Emma Bolger Dr Marjorie McCrory