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Erasmus+ project: Crucial Impacts on Career Choices

The project involved both complexes, trans-European research into key factors which influence the career choices of young people aged 13 – 16 years.  

About the research

How it started:  

The team at iCeGS have long been collaborating with our European partner EKS a Prague based NGO focused on career guidance and education over many years and have produced several publications over the years. Our first project resulted in a handbook for career development practitioners working across Europe that offered a broad spectrum of inspiration and experience from 11 different authors who had a wide range of experiences in career guidance and education. The aim was to show different pathways of becoming a career practitioner and different approaches to career guidance and counselling. 

'Handbook: the Diverse World of Career Guidance'

What happened next: 

In September 2018 we began another ERASMUS+ project, Critical Impacts on Career Choices. This has involved both complex, trans-European research into key factors which influence the career choices of young people aged 13 – 16 years.   The research included a survey with both young people and their parents (in 5 different EU countries), followed by focus groups and research circles. The latter is an emancipatory research method originating from Sweden, offering a democratic and creative meeting place for both researchers and practitioners. One of the innovative tools which emerged from the research was an innovative framework of outcomes to support parental engagement. This challenges traditional ways of thinking about the type of activities that parents need to support their child's career decision making and sets out the competencies required for parents to be successful.  

The project concluded by the publication of a second handbook, which had contributions from fourteen practitioners from our partner teams. The handbook was launched at an online conference in June 2021. 

'A Practitioner's Guide to Uncharted Waters of Career Counselling, a Critical Reflection Perspective' 

 

Publications: 

Košťálová, H., Cudlínová, M., Blake, H., Clark, L., Dimsits, M., Kavková, E., Graungaard, E., Moore, N., Sigaard H., J., Neary, S., Nemcova, L., Nogueira Perez, M., A., Fernandez Rey, E., and Ceinos Sanz, C. (2021). 'A Practitioner's Guide to Uncharted Waters of Career Counselling, a Critical Reflection Perspective'. Prague: EKS.

Moore,N., Clark, L., Neary, S., & Blake, H. (2021). 'Crucial impacts on career choices: Research to understand the influences on young people’s choices in primary and secondary schools: Executive summary'. Derby: University of Derby.

Moore, N., Clark, L., Neary, S., & Blake, H. (2021). 'Crucial impacts on career choices: Research to understand the influences on young people’s choices in primary and secondary schools: Final report'. Derby: University of Derby