1. ESRC Seminar 4 Digital technologies - emerging and potential uses to deliver enhanced careers practice summary of presentations by Graham Allan Lecturer in Career Guidance and Development University of the West of Scotland

2. The perceived role of technology and social media in career guidance among practitioners who are experienced internet users: chances and challenges Dr. Raimo Vuorinen & Jaana Kettunen I thought I knew … that career guidance practitioners did not (would not?) use ICT in their guidance practice – the preferred focus is on face-to- face engagement I now know … that practitioners ‘were motivated’ to use ICT but the focus was on information and communication when clients themselves are engaged more in social media: - practitioners are still only inclined to visit social media rather than engage with clients in it and need strategies to help engage - clients may not wish to engage with formal guidance through social media – they use it for something else

3. Career websites: expectations and limitations Dr Cathy Howieson I thought I knew … that young people would make extensive use of career web sites … it’s the digital world they live in/ where they would go for information I now know … that young people themselves expect to use a range of sources to explore careers, including the web, but also people: family, career practitioners, teachers NEET clients did not focus so much on web resources and direct personal CA contact is valued: social equity issue more research needs to be done to demonstrate impact and to explore digital literacy among young people

4. Inter-Life Project (Where Second Life Meets Real Life) Professor Vic Lally I thought I knew … that Avatars were figments of James Cameron’s imagination I now know … that only Vic’s Avatar could have got him through the Scottish weather!

5. LMI for Career Practitioners – the Scottish Approach Mark Steell & Janet Moffett I thought I knew … that it is difficult to use LMI effectively in career guidance practice … where do we source it and how do we make it presentable / useable to clients? I now know … that LMI needs to be tailored differently for practitioners and for clients that staff need CPD in the application of LMI with clients, career management needs to reflect this and that it is useful to begin this in initial training that the web is a perfect resource for profiles, statistics and data (Research Online in Skills Development Scotland) on LMI and that this can be as local as you need it to be

6. Skills & competencies required by career practitioners to develop internet-based practice Dr Jenny Bimrose & Dr Sally-Anne Barnes I thought I knew … that we were doing enough on our postgraduate career guidance programme to introduce students to internet-based practice I now know … that the knowledge and skills base of career practitioners may have gaps in relation to ICT but the career guidance workforce is ‘well positioned’ to embrace changes that the impact of ICT needs more research; that thought should be given to the theoretical basis for this type of client work that multi-media information a priority but face-to-face contact still a preference for young people

7. merging and potential uses of ICT to enhance career practice Martin McDermott with Rob Doyle I thought I knew … that ICT was going to dominate career guidance practice I now know … that ICT can enhance careers service work that a mix of delivery channels, including face-to- face, and self-help, is essential in order to reach all clients about the Careers Wales web site

8. General conclusions Key is linking policy, research and practice (Raimo and John’s ‘trialogue’) Key is addressing staff development needs Key is more research into use of web based resources Some aspects are contested – digital technology is not a panacea - there is much to do to make it work for us and there are significant challenges in meeting the needs of our clients through the use of ICT as part of a blended approach to service provision

9. Go to Cloudworks to see content of this 4 th ESRC seminar and contribute your comments: http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/vie w/5725 http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/vie w/5725