TECHNOLOGY AND YOU, TECHNOLOGY AND STUDENTS: MEETING THE CHALLENGES
Mr Alan Bevan
Education.au Ltd
Are you pondering the impact of transformational technologies on career development? Are you looking to learn more about how technology is being used to deliver information and to help people learn? Alan Bevan, General Manager of Education and Career Technologies will discuss what the Digital Education Revolution and other initiatives aimed at increasing technology use might mean for students, their parents and career practitioners in relation to developing career development competencies and managing their careers in a world of ‘green jobs’ and others, that possibly haven’t been created yet.
Education.au has been providing a strategic ICT advisory service for policy developers and practitioners, investigating and recommending innovative technology solutions and how to prepare for change. This presentation will include information about trends in accessing the internet via hand held PCs, transformational technologies being used in career development overseas and within Australia, and other advances that may be coming our way as technology surges ahead and high speed broadband access is increased across Australia. The impact, and possible implications, of these trends for career practitioners in relation to their day to day work practices when assisting students and/or clients, building communities of practice and sharing information, and ongoing professional development needs will be considered.
Funded by all Australian governments, Education.au is Australia’s national ICT agency in education, training and careers. We provide innovative technology solutions to assist students, career practitioners and educators to learn and for all to reach their full potential.
CAREER GREEN - RECYCLING ADULT EDUCATION FOR CAREER SUSTAINABILITY - EXAMINING THE FLEXIBLE APPROACHES TO SECOND CHANCE EDUCATION AT CHRISTIES BEACH HIGH SCHOOL'S LEARNER OUTREACH PROGRAM
Mr Malcolm Lobban
Christies Beach High School
Christies Beach High School has a motto of ‘Education for All’. This truly describes the diverse nature of a community school that caters for a wide range of learners-around 1100 students on-campus (300 of whom are adults), 280 students educated in a range of programs off campus, a Trades School for the Future that links 12 local high schools and provides over 40 VET certificate programs, and a hub for community involvement in the areas of Indigenous Reconciliation, Environmental Sustainability and Career Development. Over 98% of families attending our school earn less than $30000 per year. Almost 100 Indigenous students also attend the school, and there are a significant number of adult learners with a disability, mental health issue or significant Literacy and Numeracy deficiency. There is a culture of welfare dependence that spans two or three generations, and many families have never had a family member go to TAFE or university. However we have won a number of national awards, especially in the area of environmental sustainability, and reconciliation, and some of the most impoverished students have succeeded in gaining university places and employment in highly valued situations. How is this achieved? Flexible career development, Green initiatives, extensive use of ICT, tailored case management, a flexible approach and supporting students in their learning through a non-judgmental model of education has proven highly successful. This workshop will highlight the model of ‘Education for All’ at Christies Beach High School and show through case studies how a flexible case management approach can work well for successful career planning and employment outcomes.
PREPARING FOR CAREER QUAKES
Mr Mitchell Lawrie
Career Wise and EastCoast Human Resource Group
This workshop provides a fast ride through the probable economic and labour market impacts of six converging global system stresses which until now have been ignored by career theory and practice. It then provides direction and space for career practitioners to explore the implications for their clients and themselves. The core thesis is that post-WWII economic growth trends are not sustainable. We are approaching a trend change and major societal choice point due to a "perfect storm" of global system threats. The workshop explores a future scenario that strongly challenges our unquestioned belief in unstoppable never-ending economic growth. While no one can predict the future with complete certainty, evidence will be provided that within the next 10 years tipping points will be reached that result in a no-growth global economy. This economy will develop very different characteristics from what we have experienced all our lives. Many existing career paths will prove unsustainable. The GFC of 2008 is just one forward indicator of coming changes. Some of the characteristics of the resultant economy and labour market may include:
Higher energy costs and therefore high transport and production costs
Higher “traditional” unemployment and a shift to a diverse range of strategies to meet needs
Higher food costs and a swing back to agricultural employment after a century of declining employment
Shift in employment from “nice to have” goods and services to “NEED TO HAVE” goods and services
New trends such as "forced entrepreneurship," relocalisation, and alternative energy careers
There are many implications for career management and our role as career practitioners. Even if some people do not view this as the most likely future scenario the magnitude of the potential impacts in conjunction with the precautionary principle suggest it still deserves our careful attention.Career practitioners, like many other professions, will need to start preparing early for these changes if they are going to be of real help to clients under the new conditions. It will take time, research, reflection and discussion to fully integrate the implications of the coming changes into our theory and practice.
This workshop is one starting point. It will briefly introduce the converging factors, provide access to reliable further information on these factors for later evaluation, suggest probable labour market impacts and outline some possible resultant career management strategies. It will also engage the participants in group work to identify possible responses in a number of targeted career development areas.
Feedback from an earlier draft version of the presentation given to Queensland TAFE career counsellors:
"This is a powerful presentation which combines a lot of essential inconvenient truth about the crisis the world is going into. Essential understandings for preparing for the challenges of the 21st Century." (Frank Davies - Career Counsellor, TAFE)
"I would recommend this talk to my children." (John R Wilson - Career Counsellor, MSIT)
"Very illuminating!" (Paulo McNamara - Career Counsellor and Manager of Student Services, SQIT)
I LOOK DIFFERENT AND I DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY, SO WHAT!
Ms Jenny Watts-Sampson1, Ms Jacqui Shephard2
1National Disability Coordination Officer, 2Career & Workforce Development Centre, SA
This is an interactive workshop that will provide a Career Counsellor with some tools, resources and an in depth look at how to assist a person with a disability with career choices. During this workshop you will hear the personal journey of a person with a disability and how they have evolved their education options and career in the face of disappointment and opposition. You will discover this journey is not so different from your own. As a Career Counsellor you will gain knowledge to assist you so that you broaden your understanding of disability and how not to put people with disabilities in boxes. You will find out what the right questions are to ask and provide a person with a disability advice and assistance to move them towards self determination. This workshop will use a combination of a personal story, case studies and discussion to assist you as a career counsellor to develop ways to explore career options with a person who has a disability, looking at the impact of the disability, the inherent requirements of a career choice in this context and what possible accommodations that could be implemented to ensure success, and ultimately an opportunity to think outside the box.
KEEPING ALL THE BALLS IN THE AIR: CAREER DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE IN ORGANISATIONS
Mrs Wanda Hayes, Ms Janette Mulherin
Career Spa
What is career practitioners’ role in working with organisations? Can workforce development practices be truly flexible and sustainable for all players? Is it possible to support business outcomes for the organisation while at the same time supporting the sustainable career development of individual employees? Fiscal belts are tightening, retrenchments and redundancies have again loomed large on the employment landscape, and organisations are focussing on being “nimble” and “agile”, to enhance their ability to thrive. Jobs are less permanent and more fluid. Yet, within many large organisations, there is increasing emphasis on “retaining and growing our own”, to reduce losses associated with high turnover. And employees who feel secure often want to stay where they are, even if their job is changing or disappearing.
Career practice in organisations is a unique juggling act, responding to all these realities. And the need for an integrated approach to career development in an organisational context has never been greater. Traditionally, career guidance practice is focussed on the individual, and on identifying alternative career options with that individual. But for many employed adults, the options are defined and controlled by the organisation, and its business imperatives. Within this context, career development practice needs to focus less on identifying career options to pursue, and more on developing individuals’ ability to recognise and capitalise on emerging possibilities and opportunities that will help them meet their career needs. Sustainable career development practice in this context also means developing organisations’ capacity to support their people as they respond and adapt to organisational shifts while simultaneously building their own career.
This workshop examines career practice in organisations in its many forms, from influencing policy to the delivery of services. Using real examples, and drawing on the experience of participants, we will discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of contemporary career development in the world of the bottom line.
