The (faltering) renaissance of theory in higher education careers practice

Abstract

This article charts the changes in career development theory and practice within UK higher education over the past two (and a bit) decades. We outline some of the social, economic and political drivers that have influenced both theory and practice over this time and examine the extent to which theory and practice have influenced each other - revealing a paucity of dialogue between theory and practice at a strategic service delivery level. We end with some suggestions for bringing these two strands closer and a call for further evaluation of the potential for theory to inform practice and vice versa.