Work in Progress
Enhancing career development: The role of community based career guidance for disengaged adults
Summary
- Item:
- 10334
- Title:
- Enhancing career development: The role of community based career guidance for disengaged adults
- Type:
- Managed research project
- Project no:
- NR4008
- Status:
- Finished
- Date commenced:
- 1 July 2004
- Contact:
- Francesca Beddie
- phone: +61 2 6238 2431
- email: fbeddie@ozemail.com.au
Purpose
a) to investigate models for providing appropriate learning and careers guidance to disengaged learners, including those the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) identifies as equity groups: women seeking to re-enter the workforce, people with low proficiency in English and/or no prior educational attainment, older workers marginally attached to the workforce, adults with poor literacy and numeracy skills and early school leavers
b) to consult with service providers (e.g. Centrelink, Job Network, VET and private counselling services, ACE and community service providers) about the applicability of such models and the opportunities and barriers to implementing them
c) to make recommendations about ways forward to assist in policy development in this area (e.g. possible data collection; better training within agencies; different funding regulations for Job Seeker accounts; learning community facilitation and marketing).
Approach
Literature review, data gathering and analysis.
Research questions
* Is there a model for providing learning guidance to the disengaged which could be replicated around Australia?
* What are the obstacles to implementing locally-based careers counselling for those outside the system?
* What professional development is required in service providers and in the community to activate careers guidance/learning brokerage?
* What further data collection, research and policy development is needed?
Target populations:
* youth at risk
* women seeking to return to the workforce
* mature age unemployed
* adults with poor literacy and numeracy.
Methodology
Stage 1 Planning and Preparation
Literature reviews (of Australian and overseas material) on careers guidance for disengaged/disadvantaged learners, learning brokerage, and career issues for the target populations.
Reference group consultation. A group of key stakeholders, with a particular focus on policy, will be invited to meet to comment on the key issues identified in the literature review and advise on next steps.
Development of an initial model for careers counselling, based on the Victorian pilot and other experience revealed in the literature review.
Interview questions and questionnaire will be developed
Stage 2 Data gathering and analysis
Structured interviews with relevant stakeholders in policy areas (Department of Education, Science and Training, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, ANTA, Adult Community and Further Education in Victoria), with delivery agencies (Centrelink, Job Network providers (e.g. Salvation Army); learning providers (ACE, VET and less formal, e.g. libraries); local government (e.g. Australian Local Government Association); existing careers counsellors.
Focus groups - to assist in further development of the model and identification of issues for learners - to be held in three diverse locations (one urban, one rural, one special target group) with an emphasis on talking to potential champions of the model and on learners.
Focus groups participants will be identified through learning community and other networks and from the results of the literature review.
The scope of the project will be on:
?{ Mature age workers: both inside the system and those for whom the system has not delivered
?{ Women returning to work: divided into those on income support and those who are not
(Sub-groups will include: people with poor literacy skills and /or from NES backgrounds.
Site visits will be in:
?{ Perth
?{ Outer Melbourne
?{ Mt Druitt, Sydney
?{ Gunnedah, NSW
Data Analysis
1. Full development of generic careers counselling model for use with disengaged learners.
2. Second reference group meeting to present preliminary findings and the model.
3. Grounded theory issue analysis leading to:
a. Policy recommendations to governments, in particular ANTA, DEST, DEWR and Faces at the national level,
b. Recommendations for further policy development and data collection (e.g. with the Australian Bureau of Statistic's social capital work)
c. Recommended ways to incorporate the model in action plans linked to the VET national strategy.
Stage 3 Report writing and feedback
Organisations
Francesca M. Beddie and Associates (est. 1999) offers consultancy services in public policy, and in writing and editing and, trading as Make Your Point, tailored training in communications. It is currently on the Australian Public Service Commission?s panel of consultants. Recent clients include: Australian Taxation Office; Department of Education, Science and Training; Environment Australia; Centrelink; Department of Defence. Francesca M. Beddie & Associates holds public liability and professional indemnity insurance.
