Career guidance in the 21st century New technologies and methods – lessons for KSA Tristram Hooley, Professor of Career Education, University of Derby

Roles and challenges for career guidance Overview Best practices New methods The role of ICT Roles and challenges for career guidance

Roles and challenges for career guidance Overview Best practices New methods The role of ICT Roles and challenges for career guidance

OECD definition Career guidance refers to services and activities intended to assist individuals, of any age and at any point throughout their lives, to make educational, training and occupational choices and to manage their careers… The activities may take place on an individual or group basis, and may be face-to-face or at a distance (including help lines and web-based services). (OECD, 2004)

Career guidance in KSA KSA is developing a world class career guidance system very quickly. Key rationales for this development include the ‘youth bulge’, Saudisation, the development of a vocational education system and the need to make better use of women in the workforce. The country has moved quickly from policy to strategy to implementation.

Goals for the KSA careers system Empower Saudis to equally consider all sectors of the job market (not just the public sector) Instil the value of a productive, lifelong career Encourage the principle that all jobs are valued Engender realistic expectations about entry-level jobs Enable Saudis to plan their careers according to personal aspirations and market need

Challenges for the KSA careers system Culture KSA is different to any other country which has established a career guidance system. Theory There is a need to rethink Western careers theories for the Saudi context. Policy As with all countries there is a need for sustained policy making and ongoing cooperation across government departments. Practice The career guidance profession within KSA needs to grow and develop its qualification levels and expertise.

Roles and challenges for career guidance Overview Best practices New methods The role of ICT Roles and challenges for career guidance

Framework for online careers provision Provision of information Providing access to automated interactions Offering communication One-to-one One-to-many/many-to-one Many-to-many

LMI for All http://www.lmiforall.org.uk/

Aggregation http://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/top-30-skills-chart http://wheretheworkis.org/ http://burning-glass.com/

icould http://icould.com

What information is trusted?

Responses: Changing the choice architecture

Key technological trends to consider User driven Social Mobile Blended and integrated (what is the role of intermediaries) Big data Artificial intelligence and the growth in the semantic web

Roles and challenges for career guidance Overview Best practices New methods The role of ICT Roles and challenges for career guidance

Different types of career theory Matching We can understand the individual and match them to the labour market. Developmental Our careers develop throughout our lives and we need to be constantly building them. Postmodern Life and career is complex. We need to recognise that the unexpected will happen and be prepared to build our own career stories in the chaos. Social Our careers are part of wider social and political systems. We can’t just focus on individual career advancement at the expense of community and societal needs.

Resources on career theory https://www.careers.govt.nz/practitioners/career-practice/career-theory-models/

Roles and challenges for career guidance Overview Best practices New methods The role of ICT’ Roles and challenges for career guidance

Career guidance is most effective where it Is lifelong and progressive. Connects meaningfully to the wider experience and lives of the individuals who participate in it. Recognises the diversity of individuals and provides services relevant to their needs. Combines a range of interventions (e.g. one-to-one and online support). Encourages the acquisition of career management skills. Is holistic and well-integrated into other support services. Involves employers and working people, and provide active experiences of workplaces. Is delivered by skilled, well-trained and motivated practitioners. Draws on good-quality career information. Is quality-assured and evaluated.

Good career guidance in schools (Gatsby) A stable careers programme Learning from career and labour market information Addressing the needs of each pupil Linking curriculum learning to careers Encounters with employers and employees Experienced of workplaces Encounters with further and higher education Personal guidance

What works in employer engagement

References Gatsby Charitable Foundation (2014). Good Career Guidance. London: Gatsby. Hooley, T. (2014). The Evidence Base on Lifelong Guidance. Jyväskylä, Finland: European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN). Hooley, T. (2017). Borrowing policy and managing the clash of context and theory: The Saudi experiment with career guidance. In Sultana, R. G. (Ed.). Career Guidance and Livelihood Planning in the Mediterranean Region: Critical and Comparative Perspectives. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Hooley, T., Shepherd, C. and Dodd, V. (2015). Get Yourself Connected: Conceptualising the Role of Digital Technologies in Norwegian Career Guidance. Derby: International Centre for Guidance Studies, University of Derby. OECD. (2004). Career Guidance and Public Policy: Bridging the Gap. Paris: OECD. The Careers & Enterprise Company. (2016). Moments of Choice: How Education Outcomes Data Can Support Better Informed Career Decisions. London: The Careers and Enterprise Company. The Careers & Enterprise Company. (2016). What Works in Careers and Enterprise? London: The Careers and Enterprise Company.

Summary Career guidance offers some major opportunities for Saudi Arabia. However, a successful implementation will require the country to overcome a number of challenges. ICT offers some major opportunities, but it is important to avoid assuming the more information is always better. There is a lot of pre-existing research, practice and theory that can support the development of career guidance in Saudi Arabia.

Tristram Hooley Professor of Career Education International Centre for Guidance Studies University of Derby http://www.derby.ac.uk/icegs t.hooley@derby.ac.uk @pigironjoe Blog at http://adventuresincareerdevelopment.wordpress.com