Vocational psychology and career guidance practice: an international partnership.

Vast changes in the world of work spurred by rapid technological growth and globalization have called for a more inclusive, progressive, and forward thinking conceptualization of vocational theory, practice, training, and policy. Discussions across 8 discussion groups at the 2007 joint symposium of the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance, Society for Vocational Psychology, and National Career Development Association addressed various topics in the held of vocational psychology and career guidance. Several themes emerged that have captured the attention of career scholars and practitioners across the globe: culture and context in theory and practice, research as a process within a contextual system, partnership and collaboration, and social responsibility .and public policy.

From the presentations and discussions at the joint international symposium of the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (IAEVG) and National Career Development Association (NCDA) held in San Francisco in 2004, four general themes emerged (Savickas, Van Esbroeck, & Herr, 2005). First, the importance of designing and adapting models, methods, and materials for career education and counseling was highlighted. Discussions centered on the appropriateness of adapting theories, techniques, and tools constructed in one cultural context for use in another versus the use of indigenous tools and techniques. A second theme concerned public policy initiatives and the relevance of vocational guidance for both the individual and society at large. The need for policy initiatives that ensured access to services for all individuals and groups was stressed. A third theme emphasized the importance of training practitioners to meet the growing international need for career services and the shortage of career counselors and training programs. The fourth theme identified the promise of information technology for expanding the delivery of educational and vocational guidance. Many participants in the discussion reported that the citizens in their countries had limited access to information technology. Suggestions for the development of Web sites to serve as resources for career counselors were made.

These themes served as a basis for selecting the eight themes for the discussion groups at the 2007 joint symposium of the IAEVG, Society for Vocational Psychology (SVP), and NCDA, held in Padua, Italy. These groups addressed various topics in the field of vocational psychology and career guidance and the impact of recent societal changes and changes in the field itself on these topics. Across these discussions, several themes emerged that have captured the attention of career scholars and prac titioners across the globe. Vast changes in the world of work spurred by rapid technological growth and globalization have necessitated a more inclusive, progressive, and forward-thinking conceptualization of vocational theory, practice, training, and policy. Globalization has created staggering changes in how and where people work. Technological advances in communication, including virtual worlds, have transformed the world of work into a global enterprise with local consequences. These changes are having both astounding and disquieting effects on how people work and on the societies in which they live. As a result, vocational psychology and career guidance are at a crossroad facing fierce debate over the longevity and viability of current theories, practices, training, and research. This debate, ignited by the challenges associated with the growing needs and concerns of modern workers, has prompted scholars and practitioners from around the globe to unite in international ventures such as the 2007 IAEVG-SVP-NCDA International Symposium, The result is remarkable consistency in the identification of global challenges and the need for local solutions. The overarching paradigmatic responses to these challenges are organized into four major themes: culture and context in theory and practice, research as a process within a contextual system, partnership and collaboration, and social responsibility and public policy.

Outcomes of the 2007 IAEVG-SVP-NCDA International Symposium

Culture and Context in Theory and Practice

Beginning with the keynote address of the 2007 symposium, it was suggested that career adaptability, rather than decision making, should be the focal point of career theory (van Vianen, De Pater, & Preenen, 2009). Because changing job markets require rapid adaptation of knowledge and skills, traditional linear careers are becoming less common (DeFillippi & Arthur, 1994), making conscious decision making a less optimal strategy for making career decisions than was previously thought (van Vianen et al., 2009). The traditional linear career path that relied on task-specific self-efficacy is quickly being replaced by careers that require lifelong learning, role breadth self-efficacy (Parker, 1998), and an orientation toward experimenting and malleable (possible) selves (van Vianen et al., 2009). Hence, van Vianen et al. suggested that a future perspective on careers should recognize that traditional career theories are no longer adequate to address contemporary career concerns and, therefore, need to be replaced by an emphasis on career adaptability, malleable selves, mastery of different roles, and short-term decision making. A similar theme was noted by Pace and Lo Presti (2007), who favored a career planning and management model, as opposed to a career development model, to recognize the reality of fluctuating periods of unemployment, underemployment, personal entrepreneurship, training, and employment faced by many clients.

An individual-in-context approach as a broad organizing framework for theory, research, and practice (Patton & Mcllveen, 2009) was endorsed by many of the participants of the symposium. A critical need for cross-cultural awareness and adaptability has become clear, together with the need for services that are integrative, comprehensive, and respectful of the unique perspectives of each client's reality (Goodman & Gillis, 2009). Consistent with this, Gatti, Silva, and Uvaldo (2007) called for greater flexibility in career development theories to reflect an understanding that for each context a different approach may be needed.

Patton and Mcllveen (2009) used the papers in their discussion group to formulate context as a dimension that ranges from local (e.g., individuals in conversation) to global (i.e., nation and economy). These authors argued that the theory and practice of career development has limited meaning unless it is situated in a specific context. The relevance of context was echoed in Sangiorgi's (2007) assertion of the need to refrain from imposing Western values on the world population and Chung's (2007) recognition of the need for true globalizing, not Westernizing. Sangiorgi cautioned about the dangers of intellectual colonization of solutions, visions, objectives, and methodologies that often do not fit 80% of the world's population. The lack of attention to the '"forgotten 80%'" (Goodman & Gillis, 2009, p. 340) has been ascribed to the effects of poverty and discrimination. The transfer of theory and practice between lower and upper income nations needs to be given serious attention (Patton & Mcllveen, 2009). The development of methods to enable clients to assess the impact of their ecosystem on their career was raised as an important priority for practice (Heppner, 2007) and career practitioner training (Niles, Engels, & Lenz, 2009). Specifically, Heppner suggested using an ecological approach to include issues that are presently excluded or inadvertently minimized in theory and practice. Moreover, training should focus on preparing career practitioners to understand issues such as social class and internalized oppression, aspects that perhaps have not been fully appreciated in traditional theories (Patton & Mcllveen, 2009). Niles et al. emphasized that career practitioners must be trained to assist their clients in identifying external barriers affecting their development, identifying indicators of systemic oppression, and developing and implementing self-advocacy action plans.

Social constructivism was introduced as an alternative to traditional career theories that focus on matching individuals with jobs (Metz & Guichard, 2009). Constructivist approaches were suggested as a means to advance the discipline by helping career guidance researchers and practitioners to understand the meaning of work in people's lives while attending to cultural, economic, and social contexts (Richardson, 2007). This context-sensitive approach is thought to promote a social justice agenda by including those whose work does not fit the traditional middle-class notion of career (Richardson, 2007). Indeed, evidence was presented across discussion groups (e.g., Goodman & Gillis, 2009; Schultheiss & Pennington, 2009) to suggest that many individuals across the globe with little education and from lower socioeconomic classes have inadequate access to career services.

Reid (2007) also spoke to the relevance of constructivist approaches in the United Kingdom. These included the applicability to multidis-eiplinary and eclectic practice, the emphasis on personal meaning; the power of individual voices; greater multicultural understanding; and the influence of family and community on perceived roles, identity, and career aspirations. In a similar vein, Goodman (2007) described several postmodern career counseling techniques, including positive uncertainty and planned happenstance, and narrative and constructivist approaches. She discussed relational approaches, life planning, spirituality, and meaning making as essential components.

Within social constructionism, discourse is an essential element of the psychosocial context. Mcllveen (2007) used Hermans and Kempen's (1993) theory of dialogical self to argue that personal and career identity are dialogical transactions bound to the historical, environmental, and cultural discourses in which a person is embedded. Hence, identity is understood as an ongoing story lived in real or imagined conversations with oneself or others (Patton & Mcllveen, 2009). Bassot (2007) also argued that individuals engage in social construction of their career identities.

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