The seminar series entitled Re-framing service delivery, professional practices and professional identities in UK careers work is being funded by the ESRC and being organised by Professor Jenny Bimrose and Dr Sally-Anne Barnes from the Institute for Employment Research in partnership with Professors Laurie Cohen and John Arnold from Loughborough University.  The aim of the series is to contribute to and integrate knowledge in relation to three major policy agendas that all have careers guidance as a key strand: the Europe-wide lifelong learning agenda; social equity agenda; and the up-skilling agenda. The series will comprise 6 one-day seminars; the first of which was held at the University of East London on 1 December.  It was successful in attracting key stakeholders in the field of careers guidance.  More information on the seminar series is available.

The NGRF website has moved to a new home on the University of Warwick website.  As part of the move we are reviewing and updating the content.  25 sectors have been updated in LMI Future Trends using the latest labour market information from the Sector Skills Councils and key resources such as Working Futures 2007-2017 (which takes into account the recent economic climate), the latest Employer Skills Survey 2009 and the 2009 UK Employment and Skills Almanac.  This LMI is now available to use.  The Making Guidance More Effective section is currently under review and will reflect new policy and practice.  As part of the redevelopment, the LMI learning module is being revised and revamped to not only include new data sources that are available, but to also take advantage of new technologies.  Watch out as new content will be coming online shortly. 

If you would like more information or would like to contribute to the NGRF, please contact us at: guidance.research@warwick.ac.uk

Since February 2010, Jenny Bimrose, Professorial Fellow at IER, has been a member of the Careers Profession Task Force, convened by the [then] Department for Children and Families and continued by the Department of Education.  The Department of Education published the final report, Towards a Strong Careers Profession on 15th October, 2010.  The establishment of this Task Force into the Careers Profession was a direct result of a commitment contained in The Children’s Plan’ and subsequent strategy for young people’s information advice and guidance, entitled: ‘Quality, Choice and Aspiration (2009).  The key objective of the Task Force was to provide the vision for high-quality delivery of CEIAG and make recommendations on the actions needed to ensure careers professionals in England have the knowledge and skills required to enable young people to: make informed decisions about learning and work pathways; and have the ability to manage and plan their own careers and personal development.  The Task Force was Chaired by Dame Ruth Silver, the Learning and Skills Improvement Service.

The new publication ‘Stories of careers, learning and identity across the lifespan: Considering the future narrative of career theory’ by Professorial Fellow, Jenny Bimrose and two IER Associate Fellows, Dr Mary McMahon (The University of Queensland) and Professor Mark Watson (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) is now available.  The paper has been published by the Institute for Career Guidance with the support of the ICG Research Committee.

 

The paper is located within the context of the present debate about modern and post-modern career research, theory and practice.  It considers the construction of career stories of individuals across the lifespan.  The stories told by the children, adolescents, adult women and men illustrate a range of theoretical constructs related to career development and career construction.  Importantly, these constructs are derived from both modern and postmodern career theories.  The paper demonstrates that individuals’ stories provide for a rich and inclusive narrative that crosses the divide between modern and postmodern career theory. In so doing, it illustrates a possible future direction for the development of career theory.

The report commissioned by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills was written by Jenny Bimrose and Sally-Anne Barnes. It analyses the interaction, roles and potential of three topics: the use and availability of Labour Market Information; the type and extent of ICT usage in relation to careers choices; and the availability, quality and usage of careers Information, Advice and Guidance.  This will help inform future UK Commission recommendations on these topics.