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Dr John Gough with co-author Dr Siobhan Neary examine the professionalisation of career development provision in countries across the world. ‘Professionalisation’ and ‘professionalism’ are explored through several concepts, including social closure, the professional project, and the regulatory bargain. They argue that professionalism is a useful and important concept for the career development field but recognise the challenges that the field has had in achieving professional status. They recognise some of the critiques that exist of professionalism and explore how these relate to careers professionals. They go on to argue that increasing professionalism within the field needs to be understood as an ongoing process that has to be conducted on the personal, organizational, and professional level. They conclude by outlining some key strategies that the field can use to advance the cause of professionalism in the future.

This chapter appears in the Oxford Handbook of Career Development published by Oxford University Press.

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