Research interests

Many research projects on which Jenny has worked have focused on the area of the theory and practice of career counselling and guidance and on the career development of women. Ongoing research interests include supporting career guidance practitioners in their use of labour market information (LMI) in career guidance, together with ICT; the theory and practice of careers guidance; the decision-making styles and career trajectories of individuals across Europe; the implications for career guidance of women's career development; the application of career adaptability in careers practice; examining knowledge maturing processes within and between organisations; and exploring ways of supporting Public Employment Service (PES) Practitioners in their ongoing professional identity transformation through the use of ICT.

Academic profile

With over forty years' experience in higher education, researching, managing and teaching at post-graduate level, Jenny also has extensive experience of external project management and consultancy, both in the UK and Europe. She is a Legacy Fellow of the Career Development Institute, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and was a Research Associate at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa. She was a member of the Career Profession Task Force, convened by Government (2010-2012), Principal Investigator for an ESRC seminar series on the careers profession (2010 - 2012), Co Editor for the British Journal for Guidance and Counselling (2011 - 2015) and is a member of the Boards of both the Journal for Vocational Behavior and the International Journal of Vocational & Educational Guidance. One ongoing research strand relates to the effective use of labour market information (LMI) in career guidance practice. Another strand relates to supporting the use of ICT in careers practice. For example, through the EU FP7 funded four year MATURE project and through the development of a website (the National Guidance Research Forum website), funded by the Department for Education and Skills (2003 - 2009), designed to support and facilitate the integration of careers guidance research with practice. A particular feature of this website is the high quality, impartial labour market information, produced in collaboration with Sector Skills Councils. Related research in this area relates to a second EU FP7 funded four year project looking at ways in which ICT can support the professional identity transformation of Pubic Employment Service practitioners across Europe (2014 - 2018).

Research interests and activities also relate to the role of careers guidance in the career biographies of young people and adults making transitions into and through the labour market, across Europe. Projects in this area include: a qualitative, five year longitudinal case study, which evaluated the effectiveness of careers guidance for adults, undertaken for the [then] Department of Education and Skills; research undertaken for the European Commission into the career trajectories of adults across Europe; a qualitative evaluation of a career adaptability framework developed from a research study, funded by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills; and an international comparative study of the career trajectories of older women across six countries. She represented the UK on an International Career Adaptability Research Project, led by Professor Mark Savickas. Other research includes an investigation into information, advice and guidance offered by Sector Skills Councils; a feasibility study into the provision of local labour market information (LMI) for guidance for Ufi learndirect; a national evaluation of the skills coaching pilot in England for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP); the development of an on-line module to support guidance practitioners' use LMI in practice (LMI online learning module); a literature review for DWP on skills diagnostics and screening tools; and qualitative research into careers education and guidance provision within Connexions Kent & Medway. Most recently, she has been involved in research funded by the EU into lifelong guidance policies and practice; and parental engagement and integration in careers education and guidance (2019-2020).

Current projects

• The role of parents in providing careers guidance and how they can be better supported. With Sally-Anne Barnes, Michael Orton, Sally Wright, Alan Brown, John Gough (Centre for Lifelong Learning). Funded by The Gatsby Foundation. Project Start Date 01/08/2019 - Project End Date: 31/12/2020 [details]
• LMI for All: Lot 2 Stakeholder engagement services. With Sally-Anne Barnes, Deirdre Hughes and Graham Attwell, Funded by: UKCES. Project Start Date 01/05/15 - Project End Date 30/04/2016 [details]
• LMI for All: Lot 3 Data Development. With Nick Sofroniou , Rob Wilson, David Owen and Yuxin Li. Funded by UKCES. Project Start Date: 01/05/2015 - Project End Date: 30/04/16 [details]
• Overall project management of 'LMI for All'. With Nick Sofroniou, Rob Wilson, David Owen and Yuxin Li. Funded by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, to create an open source web portal containing high quality, reliable labour market information to support labour market transitions into and through the labour market. Project Start Date 01/02/2012 - Project End Date October, 2018.

All projects

Selected publications

• Kettunen, J., Barnes, S-A., Bimrose, J., Brown, A., & Vuorinen, R. (2023). Career experts' conceptions of systems development in lifelong guidance. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-023-09595-x
• Bimrose, J., & Goddard, T. (2021). The career development profession in Canada and the emergence of online/multi-modal practice delivery. Blueprint and Future Skills Centre.
• Barnes, S-A., Bimrose, J., Cárdenas Rubio, J., Wilson, R., Owen, D., Hogarth, T., Bosworth, L., Day, R., Attwell, G., & Rustemeier, P. (2021). Enhancing a labour market information database: LMI for All Stakeholder Engagement and Usage, Data and Technical Developments (2019-2020)(Research report RR1096). London: Department for Education.
• McMahon, M., Bimrose, J., Watson, M. et al. (2020). Integrating storytelling and quantitative career assessment. Int J Educ Vocal Guidance, 20, 523-542. https:dos.org/10.1007/s10775-019-09415-1

• Barnes, S-A., Bimrose, J., Brown, A., Kettunen, J., & Vuorinen, R. (2020). Lifelong guidance policy and practice in the EU: trends, challenges and opportunities. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. ISBN 978-92-76-17340-3.
• Bimrose, J. & Brown, A. (2020). The interplay between career support and career pathways. In Hedge, J., & Carter, G. (eds.). Career Pathways: From School to Retirement. New York:  Oxford University Press. I presume we are still listing publications of Professor Emeritus.
• Barnes, S-A., Bimrose, J., Brown, A., Gough, J. & Wright, S. (2020). The role of parents and carers in providing careers guidance and how they can be better supported: Evidence report. Coventry: University of Warwick.
• Barnes, S-A., Bimrose, J., Brown, A., Gough, J. and Wright, S. (2020). The role of parents and carers in providing careers guidance and how they can be better supported: Practice report. Coventry: University of Warwick.
• Barnes, S-A., Bimrose, J., Owen, D., Wilson, R., Luchinskaya, D., Attwell, G. and Rustemeier, P. (2020). Developing and enhancing a labour market information database: LMI for All Stakeholder Engagement and Usage, Data and Technical Developments (2018-2019) Research report. London: Department for Education.
• Bimrose, J., and Brown, A. (2019) Professional identity transformation: supporting career and employment practitioners at a distance, British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 47, 6, pp. 757-769.
• Bimrose,J. , Brown. A., Mulvey, R., Kieslinger, B. and Dewanti, R.T. (2019) Transforming identities and co-constructing careers of career counselors, Journal of Vocational Behaviour, Volume 111, April, pp 7-23.
• McMahon, M. Bimrose, J., Watson, M., & Abkhezr, P. (2019). Integrating storytelling and quantitative career assessment. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance. DOI 10.1007/s10775-019-09415-1.
• Newman, A., Bimrose, J., Nielsen, I., & Zacher, H. (2018). Vocational Behavior of Refugees: How do Refugees Seek Employment, Overcome Work-related Challenges, and Navigate Their Careers? Guest Editorial. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 105, 1–5. Doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2018.01.007
• Bimrose, J. (2017). Constructivism in online career counselling, in Career Counselling. Constructivist approaches, (210-222) Editor: M. McMahon, Oxford & New York: Routledge.ISBN-13: 978-0415385633.
• Reid, H., Bimrose, J., & Brown, A. (2016). Promoting reflection and learning in career construction counseling. In Journal of Vocational Behavior, 97, 51-59. PII: S0001-8791(16)30049-5; DOI: 10.1016/j.jvb.2016.07.013.
• Bimrose, J., McMahon, M. & Watson, M.. (2015) Women's career development throughout the lifespan: an international exploration Editors: Bimrose, J., McMahon, M. & Watson, M., London: Routledge
• Brown, A. & Bimrose, J. (2015)Bimrose, J. 'Identity Development' in APA handbook of career intervention, Volume 2: Applications. APA handbooks in psychology, 241 - 254, Editors: Hartung, P. J.; Savickas, M. L.; and Walsh, W. B., Washington DC, US: American Psychological Associat
• Bimrose, J., Wilson, R., Barnes, S-A., Owen, D., Li, Y., Green, A., Bosworth, L., Millar, P., Holden, A., Attwell, G., Rustemeier, P., Elferink, R. & Higginbottom, J. (2015). LMI for All: Developing a Careers Database (Final report)Link opens in a new window. London: UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
• Bimrose, J., Brown, A., Holocher-Ertl, T., Kieslinger, B., Kunzmann, C., Prilla, M., Schmidt, A. and Wolf, C. (2014) 'The Role of Facilitation in Technology-Enhanced Learning for Public Employment Services' International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning 7 (3), 56 - 63

All publications

All conference presentations

Doctoral supervision

• Definition of the professional identity of Career Guidance practitioners (John Gough), Date of Completion: 2018
• On-line career counselling (Tannis Goddard), Date of Completion: 2018
• Drop-out reducing strategies: the role of careers guidance. ( Szilvia Schmitsek )., Date of Completion: 2016
• The impact of career guidance on well-being outcomes (Peter Robertson), Date of Completion: 2012
• The work-role transition experience of business professionals: The case of Argentinean MBAs (Pamela Suzanne), Date of Completion: 2012

Editorial board membership

• 2015 - ongoing Editorial Board for the Journal of Vocational Behavior
• 2006–2015 Editorial Board (and Co-Editor) for the British Journal for Guidance and Counselling
• 1998–2000 Editorial Board for the professional journal of the Institute of Career Guidance: ‘Career Guidance Today’
• 1999–2001 Editorial Board for the professional journal of the British Association of Psychology: ‘Psychology'

Membership of learned or professional societies

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (1993 – present)
• Career Development Institute: Legacy Fellow; Chair: Research Committee (1997 – 2004); Research Committee member (2004 – present); Chair: Ethics & Standards Committee (2004 – 2007); Awarded Honorary Fellowship of the Institute (2003) – by process of peer review.
• Member of the National Association of Educational Guidance for Adults
• Member of the International Association of Educational & Vocational Guidance
• Member of the National Career Development Association