delivering evidence-based, high-quality career services

8/14/2019 Delivering evidence-based, high-quality career services

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www.derby.ac.uk/icegs

Delivering

evidence-based,

high qualitycareer services

A presentation to the

International Forum on Guidance,

Genoa, Italy
http://www.derby.ac.uk/ehshttp://www.derby.ac.uk/ehshttp://www.derby.ac.uk/ehs


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What am I going to say?

Describe the evidence-base that can inform the development and delivery of

guidance services.

Consider the role that policy makers and practitioners have to enhance that

evidence base.

What Im going to say is based strongly on work that I am doing with the

European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network.

It is a work in progress. Its failures are mine, not the ELGPNs.

http://www.derby.ac.uk/ehs


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European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN)


http://ktl.jyu.fi/ktl/elgpn
http://ktl.jyu.fi/ktl/elgpnhttp://ktl.jyu.fi/ktl/elgpnhttp://www.derby.ac.uk/ehs


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Quality and evidence

Quality Evidence



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The aims of quality assurance

to improve efficiency in service provision to increase institutional financial accountability

and to create transparency from the perspective of the

citizen.



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The lifelong guidance efficacy cycle



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Measuring impacts


ResultsBehaviour

LearningReaction

Take-upInputs


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Does guidance work?

Bimrose et al. (2008) undertook a five year longitudinaltracking studyof 50 career guidance clients. These clients

initially encountered career guidance in a range of different

settings including further education, higher education and

public employment services. The study found that one-to-

one guidance interventions were regarded as useful by

clients, and that guidance services can support adults

to make successful transitions in a turbulent labour

market.



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The importance of context

In learning

Schools

Vocational education

Adult education

Higher education

For work

Worklessness to work

Other kinds of return to work

Youth transitions to work

Guidance in the workplace Older workers



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Messages from the research:

Connecting services to the individual

Lifelong guidance is most effective where it is genuinely lifelong and

progressive. Guidance should start early and continue throughout life.

Lifelong guidance is most effective where it connects meaningfully to the

wider experience and lives of the individuals who participate in it.

Lifelong guidance is most effective where it is able to individualise servicesand to recognise the diversity of individuals.



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Designing effective services

Lifelong guidance is not one intervention, but many, and works most

effectively when a range of interventions are combined. This might include

careers education, one-to-one counselling, online services and a range of

other possibilities.

A key aim of lifelong guidance programmes should be the development of

career management skills.

Lifelong guidance needs to be holistic and well-integrated into other support

services.



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Underpinning quality

The skills, training and dispositions of the professionals who deliver lifelong

guidance are critical to its success.

This raises a number of key questions: What type and level of training is

appropriate? Should it be at graduate/postgraduate level? Should it focus

on psychology/counselling, education, labour market etc.

Lifelong guidance is dependent on access to good-quality career information.

Lifelong guidance should be quality-assured and evaluated to ensure its

effectiveness and to support continuous improvement.



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Improving the evidence base

The evidence base needs to be extended. Lots of us are working on this

including my organisation (www.derby.ac.uk/icegs) and the ISFOL in Italy.

We particularly need to know more about how guidance works in each of the

different contexts rather than in general.

The following approaches might be useful:

new meta-analyses based on recent research;

randomised control trials examining career development interventions;

further longitudinal work based on longer time periods than much of the

existing research;

further studies examining the nature, role and impact of technologically-mediated career development.

http://www.derby.ac.uk/icegshttp://www.derby.ac.uk/icegshttp://www.derby.ac.uk/ehs


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Questions for further thought?

What are the objectives of service evaluation? What kinds of impacts can and

should be identified?

What should be monitored routinely? How will such monitoring data be used

to inform service development?

How will practitioners and managers be engaged in understanding, acting

and developing the evidence base for the services that they deliver?

How will evaluation be used formatively to support service development?

How will evaluation be used summatively to explore the impacts of the

service and to identify the return on investment?

Who will be responsible for conducting the evaluation?

What level of resourcing is needed to support both monitoring and

evaluation? How will results from the evaluation be published to contribute to the broader

evidence base in the field?



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Tristram Hooley

Reader in Career Development

International Centre for Guidance Studies

University of Derby

http://www.derby.ac.uk/icegs

[email protected]

@pigironjoe

Blog at

http://adventuresincareerdevelopment.wordpress.com
http://www.derby.ac.uk/icegsmailto:[email protected]://adventuresincareerdevelopment.posterous.com/http://adventuresincareerdevelopment.posterous.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.derby.ac.uk/icegshttp://www.derby.ac.uk/ehs

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