Approaches to the education of career development professionals: Current realities and future directions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20856/jnicec.5611Keywords:
training career guidance professionals, competence frameworks, professional issuesAbstract
This study explores the approaches that are used in the education of career professionals in the UK and beyond. Using a survey of providers of initial education for career development professionals, we gathered data to examine the practice and philosophy of these programmes. We find a high degree of consensus around the key areas of education for career professionals and that this broadly maps onto the framework set out by the Network for Innovation in Career Guidance and Counseling in Europe (NICE). There is strong agreement that the education of career professionals should address theory, practice and professional issues and that there are a range of emerging concerns that need to be addressed more in the future (technology, social justice, working across contexts, and emerging practices). Analysing the survey data, one of the key challenges that emerges is that programmes tend to be more focused on individualistic approaches and that this focus often provides limited space for attention to systemic approaches to career guidance. The study also finds some important epistemic and philosophical differences in the way initial education providers consider the role of theory and its relationship to practice. These issues are discussed and implications for initial education providers and researchers set out.
References
Andreassen, I. H., Einarsdóttir, S., Lerkkanen, J., Thomsen, R., & Wikstrand, F. (2019). Diverse histories, common ground and a shared future: The education of career guidance and counselling professionals in the Nordic countries. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 19, 411-436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-018-09386-9
Andrews, D., & Hooley, T. (2017). ‘… and now it’s over to you’: Recognising and supporting the role of careers leaders in schools in England. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 45(2), 153-164. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2016.1254726
Bakke, I. B., & Harjula, S. (2024). The professionalization of the counsellor role–a comparative study of Finland and Norway. Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/20020317.2024.2348033
Brown, J. L., Healy, M., McCredie, T., & McIlveen, P. (2019). Career services in Australian higher education: Aligning the training of practitioners to contemporary practice. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 41(5), 518-533. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2019.1646380
Frigerio, G. (2024). Developing interdisciplinary habits of hand, heart, and mind for career development practitioners. Journal of the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling, 52(1), 94-101. https://doi.org/10.20856/jnicec.5208
Frigerio, G., & McCash, P. (2013) Creating career coaching, Journal of the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling, Issue 30(1), 54-58. https://doi.org/10.20856/jnicec.3009
Gough, J. (2017). Educating career guidance practitioners in the twenty-first century. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 45(2), 199-207. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2016.1263932
Gough, J., & Neary, S. (2020). The career development profession: Professionalisation, professionalism, and professional identity. In P.J. Robertson, T. Hooley, & P. McCash (Eds.) The Oxford handbook of career development (pp.257-268). Oxford University Press.
Hooley, T. (2023). Exploring the roles, qualifications and skills of career guidance professionals in schools. An international review. Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills.
Hooley, T., Alexander, R., & Frigerio, G. (2024). The career development handbook. Trotman.
Hooley, T., & Schulstok, T. (2020). Training careers professionals. C Course, Erasmus +. https://brage.inn.no/inn-xmlui/handle/11250/2740642
Hooley, T., Sultana, R. & Thomsen, R. (2018). Career guidance for social justice: Contesting neoliberalism. Routledge.
Hooley, T., Sultana, R. & Thomsen, R. (2019). Career guidance for emancipation: Reclaiming justice for the multitude. Routledge.
Hooley, T., Watts, A. G., & Andrews, D. (2015). Teachers and careers: The role of school teachers in delivering career and employability learning. University of Derby. https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/94717/teachers-and-careers-the-role-of-school-teachers-in-delivering-career-and-employability-learning
Institute for Apprenticeships. (2019). End-point assessment plan for Career Development Professional apprenticeship standard. Institute for Apprenticeships. https://skillsengland.education.gov.uk/media/3049/st0694_career-development-professional_l6_plan-for-publication_070519.pdf
Lai, K.T., Vahidi, G., Hooley, T., Borbély-Pecze, T.B., Clobes, N., McCarthy, J. & Hopkins, S. (2025). Career guidance in public employment services. WAPES & ICCDPP. https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/qw059/career-guidance-in-public-employment-services
McCarthy, J. (2004). The skills, training and qualifications of guidance workers. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 4, 159-178. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-005-1024-z
Niles, S. G. (2014). Training career practitioners: Opportunities and challenges. In G. Arulmani, A. J. Bakshi, F. T. L. Leong & A. G. Watts (Eds.) Handbook of career development (pp.727-740). Springer.
Nilsson, S., & Hertzberg, F. (2022). On the professionalism and professionalisation of career guidance and counselling in Sweden. Nordic Journal of Transitions, Careers and Guidance, 3(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.16993/njtcg.38
Pinto, J. C. (2012). Training and performance systems of psychology professionals: the particular case of career guidance and counselling. In M. C. Taveira, J. C. Pinto, A. D. Silva (Eds.). Learning, achievement and career development (pp.53-84). Braga: Edifício da Escola de Psicologia, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar.
SCAGES. (1992). Statement of principles and definitions. In C. Ball (Ed.) Guidance matters, RSA.
Schiersmann, C., Einarsdóttir, S., Katsarov, J., Lerkkanen, J., Mulvey, R., Pouyaud, J., … Weber, P. (2016). European competence standards for the academic training of career practitioners (Vol. II). Barbara Budrich Publishers.
Schiersmann, C., Ertelt, B.J., Katsarov, J., Mulvey, R., Reid, H. & Weber, P. (2012). Handbook for the academic training of career guidance and counselling professionals. Network for Innovation in Career Guidance and Counselling in Europe (NICE). Heidelberg University.
Shulman, L.S. (2005). Signature Pedagogies in the Professions. Daedalus. 134(3), 52-59.
Sultana, R. G. (2009). Competence and competence frameworks in career guidance: complex and contested concepts. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 9, 15-30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-008-9148-6
Yates, J. (2020). Career development: An integrated analysis. In P.J. Robertson, T. Hooley, & P. McCash (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of career development (pp. 131- 142). Oxford University Press.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Gill Frigerio, Dr Rosie Alexander, Professor Tristram Hooley
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
