Labour Market Information (LMI), Information Communications and Technologies (ICT) and Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG)

The way forward?

June 2010

This work was funded by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills as part of a programme of activity to inform development of the proposals in ‘Ambition 2020: skills, jobs growth’. The report was produced by the Institute for Employment Research and authored by Jenny Bimrose and Sally-Anne Barnes.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

Contents

Executive summary .......................................................................................3

1. Introduction ............................................................................................5

1.1 Policycontext...................................................................................6

1.2 What’sinaname?Information,adviceandguidance(IAG)............8

1.3 CareersguidanceservicesdeliveredusingICT.............................11

1.4 Labourmarketinformation(LMI)forIAG........................................13

2. Labour market information (LMI) for IAG ...........................................15

2.1 Labourmarketinformation(LMI)forIAG........................................15

2.2 SourcesofLMIforIAG...................................................................17

2.3 Impartiality.....................................................................................18

2.4 LMIrequiredbycareerspractitioners............................................20

2.5 LMI,IAGandICT:theroleoftheexpert?.......................................23

3. The digital landscape ...........................................................................26

3.1 Web2.0:potential,implicationsandchallengesforcareers guidance.........................................................................................26

3.2 IntegratingICTintocareersguidanceservices:pushand pullfactors?....................................................................................27

3.3 Thedigitaldivide............................................................................30

3.4 TheuseofICTinIAG....................................................................31

4. Workforce development for implementation .....................................35

4.1 Thecurrentstateofplay................................................................35

4.2 Skillsandcompetenciesforinternetbasedcareersguidance......36

4.3. Challengesforworkforcedevelopment.........................................37

4.4 Necessarybutinsufficient?............................................................39

5. Learning from experience ...................................................................41

5.1 Currentpractice:LMI,ICTandIAG................................................41

5.2 Innovatoryresearch:pushingtheboundaries................................45

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

6. Conclusions ..........................................................................................48

Informationandcommunicationtechnologies.......................................48

Policycontext........................................................................................48

Information,adviceandguidance(IAG)orcareersguidance?..............48

Informationandcommunicationtechnologies(ICT)andcareersguidance................................................................................................49

LabourmarketinformationforcareersguidancedeliveredthroughICT............................................................................................49

Workforcecapability..............................................................................50

Potentialfordevelopment......................................................................50

Appendices ..................................................................................................52

Appendix1:AsummaryofresearchfindingsintowebsitesdeliveringLMI.........................................................................................52

Appendix2:MATUREPublicityflyer......................................................54

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

Executive summary

� Theincreasinguseoftechnologybykeyusergroupsofcareersservices–especiallyyoungpeople–isplacingnewdemandsbothonindividualcareerspractitionersandontheorganisationsforwhichtheywork.Akeychallengefortheimmediatefutureistoensurethatthecareersguidancesectorisequippedtorespondtothesedemands.

� Therehasbeenaconsistencyinvariouspolicydocumentspointingtotheimportanceofhighqualitycareersguidance,withlabourmarketinformation(LMI)atitscentre,bothforyoungpeopleandforadults–andwithanincreaseduseofinformationandcommunicationtechnologies(ICT)highlightedasanessentialcomponentforwideningaccesstoservicestoabroaderpopulationofclients.

� Thepolicyframeworkthatdistinguishedthreeactivitiesofcareersguidance(information,adviceandguidance)designatedinformationgivingasthelowestcostcomponentofservice.Thisledtotheerroneousperceptionthatgivinginformationaspartofcareersguidanceisnotonlycheap,butquickandsimple.

� Itisimportanttodistinguishbetweenthedifferentskillsetsrequiredbycareerspractitionersforprovidingtheirclientswithdirect,unmediatedaccesstoLMIandthoserequiredtoprovideclientswiththesupportnecessaryfortheinterpretationofLMIforanindividual’sparticularcircumstancesandcareerprogression.Whilstmanyclientswantdirectaccesstoinformation,oncetheyhavegotthis,theyoftenneedhelpmakingsenseofit.

� TheSectorSkillsCouncils(SSCs)arewellpositionedtocollectanddisseminatehighquality,currentandcomprehensivesector-basedLMIforcareersguidance.However,therearecertainlimitationsassociatedwiththeuseofthissourceofLMIforcareersguidance.

� CareerspractitionersneedandwantdifferenttypesofLMIfordifferentpurposes.AswellasLMIforusewiththeirclients,theyneeditfortheirownprofessionaldevelopment.TheyaregenerallyabletoseethepotentialofICTfortheirworkinthisarea.

� Withtheintroductionofapolicyfocusonsocialinclusion,theexpertiseofcareersguidancepractitioneraroundemployersandthelabourmarketbecameseriouslyeroded.Thisneedstobere-built.

� Giventheunrestrictedanddirectaccesstoinformationofalltypes,itisbecomingincreasinglyimportantforpractitionersnotonlytodeveloptheskills,knowledgeandunderstandingnecessarytoaccess,interpretandmediatepersonalisedLMIfortheirclients,butalsotosupportthelearningoftheirclientsinthisarea.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

� Digitaltechnologyhasresultedina‘quietrevolution’overthepastdecade,inallaspectsofourlives.ThreepurposesfortheuseofICTincareersguidancehavebeenidentified:asaresource;forcommunication;andformaterialdevelopment.WhilstusingICTasaresourceishighlydevelopedincareersguidance,theothertwopurposesareunder-developed.

� Thegenerationaldistinctionthathasbeenmadebetweendigitalnativesanddigitalimmigrantsisimportanttothedeliveryofcareersguidanceservices.Regardingservicesforyoungpeople,theclientsaredigitalnativeswhilstthemajorityofpractitionersaredigitalimmigrants.Incontrast,forservicesforadults,boththemajorityofclientsandpractitionersdeliveringserviceswillbedigitalimmigrants.Thishasprofoundimplicationsforservicedelivery.

� Thedigitaldivideisalsoafactorinthedeliveryofcareersservicesusinginternetbasedservice.Thereisarealdangerthatdisadvantagedindividuals,withaparticularneedforcareersguidancesupport,willbeexcludedifservicedeliverycomestodependonaccesstoICTbeforenationalpoliciesaddressthetwinissuesofdigitalinfrastructureanddigitaluserskills.

� OtherchallengestointroducingintegratedICTcareersguidanceservicesexist,suchassafetyandprivacy,intellectualpropertyandthetechnologicalinfrastructurewithinwhichserviceswillbedelivered.

� Theskillsandcompetencesrequiredforinternet-basedcareersguidanceneedtoberegardedastwoseparate,butinter-relateddomains.OnerelatestoICTuserskillsandcompetencies,whilsttheotherrelatestomoregenericcareersguidanceskillsandcompetencies.ThecareersguidanceworkforcehasmanyofthesamegenericICTskilldevelopmentissuesasthegeneraladultpopulation,whilstgenericskillswillneedtobetransferredselectivelyandadaptedtodifferentoperationalcontexts.

� Adevelopmentalapproachtotrainingsupportisbothcrucialandurgentforcareersserviceswishingtodeliverafullyintegratedservicewithaneffectiveinternet-basedcomponent.OneotheressentialcomponentofsuccessfultrainingwillbeaunifyingpracticeframeworkwithinwhichICTskillscanbelocated.

� Otherchallengestotheintroductionofintegratedinternetbasedcareersserviceincludethelackoftechnicalinfrastructureandsupportthatisfitforpurpose;thecommitmentofmanagementatalllevels;andtheengagementandempowermentofsomeclients.

� Irrespectiveofcautionarynotesthatneedtobesoundedaroundthisareaofpractice,interestingandinnovativeworkhasalreadybeendoneandisalsounderway,whichpromisesabrightfutureforcareersservicesthatwishtointegrateICTintoservicestoclients.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

The most creative way of approaching ICT in careers education, information and guidance is as an agent of change, providing opportunities to redesign careers guidance services as a whole.

(Palomba,2009,p.70)1

Technologyhasinfluenced,andwillcontinuetoinfluence,boththemannerinwhichcareersservicesareaccessedbyclientsandthewaystheyareutilised.Italsohasthepotentialtoenhancetheimpactofservices2.Indeed,theincreasinguseoftechnologybykeyusergroupsofcareersservices–especiallyyoungpeople–isplacingnewdemandsbothonindividualcareerspractitionersandontheorganisationsforwhichtheywork.Onekeychallengefortheimmediatefutureistoensurethatthecareersguidancesectorisequippedtorespondtothesedemands.Notonlydoesitneedtocomprehendthepotentialofafullyintegratedsystemofinformationandcommunicationtechnologies(ICT)forincreasingthequalityandflexibilityofservicesitoffers,butitneeds,urgently,todevelopitsworkforcecapability(managersaswellaspractitioners)togetherwithitstechnicalinfrastructure(andpolicies).Someotherchallengesthatwillneedtobeaddressedarebeyondthescopeofthecareersguidancesector.Theseincludesafetyandprivacyissuesforserviceusers(especiallyyoungpeople);socialequityissuesrelatingtothedigitaldivide;andthenationaltechnologicalinfrastructureneededtosupportthedeliveryofinternetbasedcareersguidanceservices.

BywayofintroductiontoadiscussionoftheopportunitiesandchallengesthattherapiddevelopmentsinICTposetothedeliveryofcareers,orinformation,adviceandguidance(IAG)services,thissectionwilldiscuss,briefly,thebroadpolicycontextwithinwhichaleadingedge21stcenturyuniversalIAGsystem,withanemphasisonup-to-date,highquality,industrybasedlabourmarketinformation(LMI)wouldbepositioned.Additionally,itwillreviewthenatureofcareers(orIAG)asapublicserviceandconsidertheroleofinternet-basedguidanceinbothcurrentandfutureserviceprovision.ItwillalsobegintoexaminetheuseofICTinthedeliveryofcareersservices,highlightingsomekeyissuesintheprovisionoflabourmarketinformation(LMI)asacrucialandpivotalaspectofhighqualityIAG.

1 Palomba,E.(2009).ICTforCounselingandCareersGuidanceServices.InResearch,ReflectionsandInnovationsinIntegratingICT.InEducation.Retrieved19March,2010from:http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:resZ5arRpP4J:www.formatex.org/micte2009/book/70-73.pdf+Palomba+ICT+for+counseling+and+careers+guidance+services&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESj3llNmuIYkWvAPi2kiD7BLj0yAgIeCWbalCCB9MJtjtzO6d6A36TNx1-p-NBgKqCMsysZi7APxgW2PLruPK5hfgQ3GSpULv5bXlFy6sjJn_AwP8j_FFv8C9MYUp9niy8GkhZy6&sig=AHIEtbRy2ZknfMKSGuKwSaHJD6EJQpg5jg

2 Hughes,D.,andGration,G.(2009).Literaturereviewofresearchontheimpactofcareersandguidance-relatedinterventions.Reading:CfBTEducationTrust.Retrieved4August2009,fromhttp://www.cfbt.com/evidenceforeducation/pdf/Literature%20Review.pdf

1. Introduction

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

1.1 Policy context

TheWhitePaper‘Skills:Gettingoninbusiness,gettingonatwork’3complementsandextendstheearlier‘SkillsWhitePaper21stCenturySkills:Realisingourpotential’4.Incombination,thesepublicationscontainthestrategyforraisingtheskilllevelofthelabourforceintheUKandensuringthesupplyofskillsinthelabourforcematchesemployerdemand.Alongsideahighprioritygiventotheefficientfunctioningofthelabourmarket,theimportanceofthepersonalfulfilmentthatcanbederivedfromtheskilldevelopmentofindividualsishighlighted,togetherwiththekeyrolefor‘improved’information,adviceandguidance(IAG)insupportingindividualstomakemoreeffectivechoices.

Subsequently,areviewwascommissionedtoidentifytheUK’soptimalskillsmixfor2020.Theultimateobjectivesofthisreviewweretomaximiseeconomicgrowth,productivityandsocialjusticebysettinganappropriatepolicyframework.ThefindingsofthisreviewconfirmedthoseoftheearlierSkillsWhitePapers5.ItemphasisedtheneedfortheUKto‘raiseitsgame’byincreasingtheskilllevelsofitslabourforce,sothatitcanincreaseitseconomiccompetitiveness6(p.1).Italsoidentifiedtheimportanceofembeddingacultureoflearningandproposedthat‘anewandsustainednationalcampaigntoraisecareeraspirationsandawareness’wouldcontributetotheachievementoftheskillsagenda(p.103),togetherwithsupporttomakeinformedchoices(p.107).Theimportanceofeffectiveinformation,adviceandguidance(IAG)totheup-skillingagendaforraisingindividualaspirationswasstressed(p.106),withanequalimportanceemphasisedforbothyoungpeopleandforadults–since‘toofewyoungpeopleatage14aremakingthelinkbetweencareersguidanceandtheirpersonaldecisions’(p.107).

TheimplementationplanfortheLeitchReview7beganthetaskofdeliveringontherecommendations,acknowledgingthattherewasstill‘amountaintoclimb’(p.6).Onemechanismwastobeanewadultcareersservicethatwould‘giveeveryadulteasyaccesstoskillsandcareersadvicethatwillhelpthemfindworkandprogressintheircareers’(p.7).Thisservicewould‘ensurethateveryoneisabletoaccessthehelptheyneedtotakestockofwheretheyareinachievingtheirgoalsandambitions,andtogetthesupporttheyneedtoadvancethemselvesandachievetheirfullpotential’(p.10).

3 DepartmentforEducationandSkills(2005)Skills:GettingOninBusiness;GettingOnatWork.Cmd6483-I,6483-II,Cmd6483-III.London:DepartmentforEducationandSkills.RetrievedJune4,2005:http://www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/skillsgettingon/

4 DepartmentforEducationandSkills,DepartmentforTradeandIndustry,HMTreasuryandDepartmentforWorkandPensions(2003)21stCenturySkills:RealisingourPotential[Individuals,Employers,Nation].Cm5810.London:DepartmentforEducationandSkills.RetrievedMay30,2007from:http://www.dfes.gov.uk/skillsstrategy/uploads/documents/21st%20Century%20Skills.pdf

5 DES(2005)Opcit;DES,,DTI,HMTreasury&DWP(2003)Opcit6 HMTreasury(2006)LeitchReviewofSkills:ProsperityforAllintheGlobalEconomy–WorldClassSkills.Norwich:

TheStationeryOffice.RetrievedJanuary18,2008from:http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/523/43/leitch_finalreport051206.pdf

7 HMGovernmentandDepartmentforInnovation,UniversitiesandSkills(2007)WorldClassSkills:ImplementingtheLeitchReviewofSkillsinEngland.Cmd7181,Norwich:HMSO.RetrievedJanuary18,2008from:http://www.dius.gov.uk/publications/worldclassskills.pdf

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

TheSkillsCommission’sinquiry(2008)8intoInformation,adviceandguidance(IAG)forbothadultsandyoungpeopleprovidedanumberofrecommendations,aswellasurgingGovernmenttoreconsiderapolicythatkeptcareersservicesforyoungpeopleseparatefromadults.AmongstitsrecommendationswastheneedtoexploitthepotentialofWeb2.0technologiesinthedeliveryofservices,particularlyintheuseoflabourmarketinformation(LMI).Specifically,recommendationtwo(p.24)highlightstheneedforgreateruseoftheinternettoaccesshighquality,industry-basedlabourmarketinformation(LMI)forguidance,whilstrecommendationnine(p.43)emphasisestheneedtomaximisetheuseoftheinternetandtelephonetoensurethatall-ageIAGservicesaregenuinelyuniversalandwidelyaccessiblebyclients.

DespitetheSkillsCommission’srequesttotheGovernmenttodevelopitsallagestrategyintoanallageservice,subsequentpolicydocumentsindicatetheintentiontokeepservicesforyoungpeopleseparatefromthoseforadults.The‘blueprint’forthenewAdultAdvancementandCareersService9,forexample,makesthisclear:

The Government remains committed to an all-age strategy for careers guidance, covering services for young people and adults. These groups have different needs which demand different solutions.

(BIS,2010,p.21,para.77)

However,thesamedocumenthighlightsthecentralityoftheuseofICTinthedeliveryofthenewserviceforadults:

Delivering information and advice using new technology is the most important way in which we will increase the reach of the service ....... The internet will be the first point of contact for a large number of people, and both services will therefore need to meet today’s highest standards for online capability.

(BIS,2010,p.5,.para.22)

8 SkillsCommission(2008)InspirationandAspiration:RealisingourPotentialinthe21stCentury.London:PolicyConnect.RetrievedApril16,2008from:http://www.edge.co.uk/docs/content/sc_iag_inquiry_final_report.pdf

9 BIS(2010).Fuellingpotential:Ablueprintforskillsaccountsandtheadultadvancementandcareersservice.RetrievedMarch19,2010from:http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/BISCore/corporate/docs/F/10-648-fuelling-potential.pdf

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

Theimportanceofdeployinginternet-basedmethodsfordeliveringIAGisalsoreflectedinthestrategyforyoungpeople’sinformation,adviceandguidance10:

…young people today want and expect to secure IAG from a range of sources beyond formal careers advice. In particular, they want to access information on-line, and to make use of new interactive technologies: web-based information is now a key route for young people.

(DCSF,2009,p.13)

Thisparticularstrategydocument,liketheblueprintforthenewadultservice,isemphaticaboutthecrucialrolethatinternet-basedserviceswillplayinthefuturedeliveryofIAG:‘OurIAGofferforyoungpeoplewillexploitarangeofdigitaltechnologies’(p.38).Itgoesontoexplainhowacoherentrangeofattractiveandengagingmethodsofaccessingservicesremotelywillbemadeavailable,whichmeettheneedsandexpectationsofyoungpeople.Toensureprovisionis,indeed,attractiveandengagingtoyoungpeople,end-userdesign11isemphasisedasakeydevelopmentprincipleforinternetbasedservices:‘…mostimportantly,weneedtorespondtowhatyoungpeoplesayaboutthekindofIAGtheywant’(p.13).

Therehasbeen,therefore,aconsistencyinapproachfromGovernmentdepartmentsinEngland,withvariouspolicydocumentspointingtotheimportanceofhighqualityIAGservices,withLMIatitscentre,bothforyoungpeopleandforadults–withanincreaseduseofICThighlightedasanessentialcomponentforwideningaccesstoservicestoabroaderpopulationofclients,soincreasingimpact.Whatexactly,then,isthenatureoftheseIAGservices?

1.2 What’s in a name? Information, advice and guidance (IAG)

Theuseoflanguageinthisareaofpublicservicedeliverycanbeconfusing.Amongstpractitionersitcanalsobeahighlysensitiveissue.OverthepastdecadeorsoinEngland,theterm‘Information,adviceandguidance’(IAG)hasbecomeanumbrellatermforarangeofactivitiespreviouslyencapsulatedintheterm‘careersguidance’.TheoriginofthistermcanbetracedbacktoapolicyframeworkthatwaspublishedinEnglandin200312thatrelatedtoservicedeliverytoadults.ThisdocumentseparatedoutthreekeyactivitiesofIAG,whichweretobedifferentiallyfunded,withinformationthecheapestcomponentoftheserviceandguidancethemostcostly.

10 DepartmentforChildrenSchoolsandFamilies(2009).Quality,Choice&Aspiration:Astrategyforyoungpeople’sinformation,adviceandguidance.London:HMGovernment.Retrieved26October2009,fromhttp://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/IAG-Report-v2.pdf

11 Whereprospectiveserviceusersarecentrallyinvolvedinthedesignanddevelopmentofsystemsandservices.12 DepartmentforEducation&Skills(2003).Information,adviceandguidanceforAdults.TowardsaNationalPolicy

Framework:DiscussionDocument.Sheffield:DfES.RetrievedJune17,2008from:http://www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/iag/iagdd.pdf

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

Thedistinctactivitieswere:

Information relates to the process of informing clients about issues relevant to their development. Such information usually needs some interpretation (i.e. information needs to be converted into intelligence).

Advice is about helping clients to undertake that interpretation of information and select the most appropriate option.

Guidance is helping clients to: understand their own needs relating to learning and work; set and review goals/objectives for learning and work; understand their barriers to learning and work; overcome barriers/obstacles to learning and work; and to produce learning and career action plans.

(DES,2003)

However,somepartsofthesectordeliveringservicestoadultsretained(atleastinitially)theuseoftheterm‘careersguidance’13.ThetermIAGwasalsoadoptedmorewidelyinEnglandthanintheotherthreehomecountriesoftheUK14.Itsusespread,againthroughpolicydirectives,toservicestoyoungpeople–causingfragmentationoftheprofessionperseandprecipitatingacrisisintheoccupationalidentityofmanypractitionersdeliveringservices.

Asalreadyindicated,inpolicyterms,thedistinctionamongstthesethreekeyactivitiesenabledtheimplementationofadifferentiatedfundingmodelforthepaymentofIAGservicesforadults.Eligibilitycriteriawereintroducedatthesametime,specifyingwhichclientgroupswereentitledtodifferentlevelsofpubliclyfundedservices15.However,thisframeworkprovedtobesomewhatproblematictoimplementinpractice.Notonlydidmanypractitionersfeelfrustratedsomeclientstheyfeltneededsupportwerenoteligibleforsometypesofinterventions,butitalsoproveddifficulttodrawclearboundariesaroundthedifferentactivities–sincewhenworkingwithaclient,oneoftenmergesseamlesslyintoanotherastheassessmentofclientneedprogressesduringthecourseofanintervention16.

13 Forexample,inthehighereducationsector,theterm‘careersguidance’hasbeenretained,largely,incommonusage.

14 ‘CareersServiceNorthernIreland’and‘CareersWales’havebothretainedanemphasisoncareersinthenamesofservices–comparedwithnextstep(serviceforadults)andConnexions(serviceforyoungpeople)inEngland.

15 ClientswithNVQlevel2orabovewerenot,forexample,eligibleforpubliclyfundedguidance.16 Bimrose,J,Barnes,S.A.,Hughes,D.&Orton,M.(2004).WhatisEffectiveGuidance?EvidencefromLongitudinal

CaseStudiesinEngland,Sheffield:DepartmentforEducation&Skills&Warwick:InstituteforEmploymentResearch.RetrievedMarch30,2010from:http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ier/publications/2004/egr2004.pdf

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

Indeed,Englandwasunusualintheadoptionoftheterm‘IAG’.Ayearfollowingthepublicationofthispolicyframeworkforadultcarersservices,aninternationalreviewofcareersguidanceundertakenbytheOECD(2004)17notedhowtermslikeinformation,adviceandguidance,vocationalguidance,vocationalcounselling,careercounsellingandcareerdevelopmentwereusedtorefertoarangeofactivities.Inthisreview,theOECDpromoteduseoftheterm‘careerguidance’(p.18)anddefinedthisas:

Services intended to assist people of any age and at any point throughout their lives to make educational, training and occupational choices to manage their careers. Career guidance helps people to reflect on their ambitions, interests, qualifications and abilities. It helps them to understand the labour market and education systems, and to relate this to what they know about themselves. Comprehensive career guidance tries to teach people to plan and make decisions about work and learning. Career guidance makes information about the labour market and about educational opportunities more accessible by organising it, systematising it and making it available when and where people need it.

(OECD,2004,p.19)

Subsequently,thelargestprofessionalassociationforthisarea,theInstituteofCareerGuidance,adoptedthisdefinitionofcareerspractice.Itisinterestingtonotethatthereiscurrentlyashiftinthepolicyarenaintheuseoflanguageforthisarea,backtotheuseoftheterm‘careers’18.

Therelevance,here,oftheintroductionofadifferentiatedfundingmodelforIAGisthewayinwhichinformation(often,thiswouldbelabourmarketinformation)wasdesignatedasthelow-cost,cheapestcomponentoftheservice.Probablyasaconsequence,italsocametoberegardedasthesimplestandeasiesttodeliver.Thispolicyexpedientchallengedthewellestablished,respectedandquitecontraryviewthatbecauseinformationgivingintheguidanceinterventionrequiresahighlevelskill,itconsequentlyrequirescompetentpractitionerstodelivereffectively19.

TheseoppositionalviewsonthewayinwhichlabourmarketinformationshouldbedeliveredincareersguidancehaveimplicationsfortheuseofICTindeliveringinformationaspartoftheguidanceprocess.Perhapsinadditiontheydrawattentiontotheimportantdistinctionbetweencareersservicessimplyproviding clients with access to LMIandprovidingclientswithappropriate careers guidance support in the interpretation of LMI–foranindividual’scircumstancesandprogression.Theseissueswillbediscussedfurtherbelow,insection2.

17 OECD(2004).CareerGuidanceandPublicPolicy:BridgingtheGap.Paris:OECD.18 Forexample,thegrouprecentlyconvenedbyDCSF(firstmeeting16thFebruary,2010,chairedbyDameRuthSilver)

toexamineworkforcedevelopmentissuesforthesectoriscalledthe‘TaskGroupfortheCareersProfession’.19 Forexample,seeEgan,G(2001).TheSkilledHelper:AProblem-ManagementandOpportunity-Development

ApproachtoHelping.WadsworthPublishing.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

1.3 Careers guidance services delivered using ICT

ThepotentialofusingICTtodelivercareersguidanceservicehaslongbeenrecognisedbythebroadcommunityofcareersguidancepractice.Anexaminationoftheliteratureprovidesevidenceofthis,butalsorevealsaninconsistencyintheuseofterminologyusedtodescribetheapplicationoftechnologiesforthedeliveryofservices20.Forexample,Evangelista(2003)21refersgenericallytothe‘useoftheinternet’incareersguidance(p.1),whilsttheterm‘e-guidance’isusedbyOffer(2004)22todescribe‘ameansofgivingmoreguidancetomorepeople,moreoften,atadistance’(p.1).Barnes(2008)23writesbroadlyabout‘theuseofICTindeliveringcareerguidance’(p.1),withaEuropeanguidancereportontheethicsofthisareaofpracticeusingtwoterms,‘web-basedguidance’and‘internetguidance’,interchangeably(Ariadne,2004)24.

Thetypesofinternet-basedservices(ordeliverymethods)listedundertheseoveralltermsalsovary.Forexample,Offer(2004)25includedfourmethodsofdelivering‘e-guidance’:webchat,email,on-linediscussionforumormessageboard,textmessagingfrom,andto,mobilephones(p.1).Subsequently,eightinternetbasedtoolswereidentifiedbyWattsandOffer(2006)26andBarnes,LaGroandWatts(2010)27:email,chat,newsgroup,website,SMS(textmessaging),telephone,software(i.e.CD-ROMandfree-standingcomputerprograms)andvideo-conferencing.

Thisprogressiveexpansionofthemethodsidentifiedforthedeliveryofinternetbasedguidanceprovidesaclearindicationofthespeedatwhichtechnologyisadvancing.Italsobeliestherelationshipsthathavedevelopedamongsttheory,policyandpractice.Anexamplerelatestotheuseofthetelephone.Theuseofthetelephoneinservicedeliveryforcareersguidancewasinitiallyregardedasquiteseparatefromfacetofaceservices.Telephoneguidancebegantobedeliveredinaseriouswayaboutadecadeagobyaworkforcethatwasrecruitedforitscall-centreexpertise(inpreferencetotheirknowledgeofguidance),fromcallcentrepremises28.

20 Bimrose,J.,Barnes,S-AandAttwell,G.(inpress).AninvestigationintotheskillsandcompetenciesneededbyConnexionsPersonalAdviserstodeliverinternet-basedguidance.

21 Evangelista,L.(2003).Howistheinternetchangingcareersguidance?FirstresultsofasurveyamongstEuropeanCareersAdvisers.Retrieved3August2009,fromhttp://www.guidanceforum.net/pages/res_general/surveyresults.pdf

22 Offer,M.,Sampson,J.P.andWatts,A.G.(2001).Careersservices:TechnologyandtheFuture.Manchester:HigherEducationCareersServiceUnit.

23 Barnes,A.(2008).WorkforcedevelopmentandtheuseofICTinDeliveringCareerGuidanceintheUK.Cambridge:NICEC.Retrieved4December,2009from:http://www.crac.org.uk/crac_new/pdfs/ICTSkills2_Report.pdf

24 Ariadne(2004).Guidelinesforweb-basedguidance.Bucharest:AfirPublishing.Retrieved4August2009,fromhttp://www.ariadneproject.org/index.php?id=56

25 Offer,M.(2004).Whatise-guidance?Usinginformationandcommunicationstechnologyeffectivelyinguidanceservices.Manchester:GraduateProspectsandHECSU.Retrieved3August2009,fromhttp://www.prospects.ac.uk/downloads/csdesk/eguidance/what_is_e-guidance.pdf

26 Watts,A.G.andOffer,M.(2006).IAGReview:ThecurrentandpotentialroleofICTindeliveringInformation,AdviceandGuidance.Derby:CentreforGuidanceStudies,UniversityofDerby.Retrieved3August2009,fromhttp://www.iagreview.org.uk/papers/Defining%20IAG.pdf

27 Barnes,A.,LaGro,N.andWatts,A.G.(2010).Developinge-guidancecompetences:theoutcomesofatwo-yearEuropeanprojecttotransformtheprofessionaldevelopmentofcareerguidancepractitioner.25,Spring.Cambridge:CareerResearchandDevelopment.

28 Withtheintroductionofthe‘learndirect’telephonehelpline.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

Thisseparationhascontinueduptothepresent.However,withthespeedoftechnologicaladvancementandthemergingoffunctionalities,itisnolongerhelpfultocontinuetoregardtelephoneservicesasaseparatemodeofdelivery.Youngpeoplenowuseanumberofdigitaldevices,anddifferentmodesofcommunication,atthesametime–amobilephone,atelevision,alaptop–tobuildverycomplexanddeepinterconnectionswithoneanotherandinternetlocations29.YettheblueprintforthenewAdultAdvancementCareersService(AACS)hasretainedthisseparationintheplannedserviceprovision30.Itstateshow:

The adult advancement and careers service will provide a core offer of labour-market focused careers and skills information and advice accessed face-to-face, by telephone, or online (with access to information and advice through email, web forums and text messaging).

(BIS,2010,p.7,para26)

Withthedescriptionofthe‘online’servicesthataretobeofferedbytheAACSexcludingtheuseofthetelephone:

....a wide range of online information and advice including access to advisers via email, web chat and forum facilities; text, video and audio information on careers and jobs; and the latest news and articles on relevant work and skills issues;...

(BIS,2010,p.9.para29)

Inadditiontotheseparationoftelephoneguidancefromonlineservices,apuzzlinginconsistencyiscontainedintheblueprintregardingworkforcedevelopment.Whilstthereisnomentionoftheneedforthepractitionerswhowilldeliverfacetofaceandonlineservicestodeveloptheskillstodelivertelephoneguidance,theimportanceofpractitionersacquiringICTskillswhoareworkinginthetwodeliverychannelsotherthanonline(thatis,telephoneandfacetoface)isstressed:

But advisers in the telephone and face to face channels of the adult advancement and careers service will also need to use new technology: both to enhance the customer experience, for example by accessing online sources of labour market information in real time; and to open ups access to those who would not normally use careers advice services...

(BIS,2010,p.5,para.22)

29 YouthNet(2009).LifeSupport:YoungPeople’sneedsinadigitalage.Retrieved19March2010from:http://www.youthnet.org/content/1/c6/06/00/50/Life%20Support%20-%20Young%20people’s%20needs%20in%20a%20digital%20age.pdf

30 BIS(2009).Opcit.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

IntermsofdevelopinganunderstandinginthecareersguidanceworkforceofthepotentialbenefitsofaserviceoffertoclientsusingafullyintegratedICTsystem,thismayrepresentsomethingofadifficulty.

Alongsiderealisingthefullpotentialofintegratedinternet-basedservices,therecomeconsiderablechallenges–someofwhicharelargelybeyondthescopeofcareersguidanceproviderstoaddress.Onerelatestotheprivacyandsafetyofclients,whomayfindtheoptionofgoingon-lineforcareersguidance(asopposedtoinformation)attractive.Asecondrelatestothechallengesthattheunrestrictedaccesstospecialistinformationbyclientsposesforthe‘expert’roleofthecareerspractitioner.Thethirdrelatestointellectualpropertyofmaterialsthatmaybeproducedthroughcollaborationacrossorganisationalboundarieson-line.Allthesewillbepickedupbelow,insection3.

Perhapsanevenmorefundamentalchallengerelatestothecompetencyofpractitionersandtheirmanagerstodeliverinternet-basedguidanceservices,togetherwiththeorganisational‘readiness’essentialforthesuccessfulimplementationofacomprehensive,integratedsystemofinternetbasedcareersguidanceservices.Theseissueswillbediscussedmorefullyinsection4,below.

WhilstthepotentialimpactofintegratedICTservicesoncareersguidanceprovisionissignificant,soarethechallengesitbringswithit.Attheheartofhighqualityservicesishighquality,industry-basedlabourmarketinformation.What,then,aretheparticularissuesrelatedtotheprovisionofLMIinthecareersguidanceprocess,throughtheuseofICTandwhatareclientexpectations?

1.4 Labour market information (LMI) for IAG

Mostpeoplewantingguidanceultimatelyneedhelppreparingforand/orfindingpaidemployment.Notunreasonably,theyassumethatthecareersguidancepractitionertowhomtheyturnforhelpwillbeanexpertinlabourmarketinformation(LMI).Indeed,ithasbeenarguedthatthistypeofinformationiscentraltoeffectiveguidance:‘Whatmakesguidancedistinctiveistheapplicationof,andreferenceto,expertknowledgeandunderstandingofthelabourmarketanditsfunctioning’(Offer,2001,p.76)31.However,itisnotjusttheexpertknowledgeandinformationthatmakesguidancedistinctive.Itistheobjectivityoftheinformationinwhichtheydealandtheirimpartialitythatcareersguidanceworkersoftenemphasiseasunique.

31 Offer,M.(2001)TheDiscourseoftheLabourMarket,inGothard,B.,Mignot,P.,Offer,M.,Ruff,M.(Eds)CareersGuidanceinContext,London:Sage.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

However,theroleofLMIintheguidanceprocessisacontestedarea.Inthe‘matching’approachtoguidance32,forexample,itisassumedthatgivinghighqualityinformationisanimportantfeatureofeffectiveguidancebecauseitsprovisionwillstimulatebehaviourchangeintheclient(e.g.provisionofinformationaboutselectionproceduresforaparticularjoborcoursewillresultintheclientensuringthats/hemeetsanydeadline).This‘matching’approach(whichisthelongestestablishedandprobablythebestknown)assumesarationalmodelofhumannature,wherelogicissystematicallypursuedandindividualsaremotivatedtoplanahead,developandaccruetheirhumancapital.Intheircareertransitionbehaviours,thisapproachhasconfidencethatallclientshavetheability(andpreference)forengaginginbehaviourthatwillmaximisethebenefits(mainlyeconomic)tothemselves.

This(dominant)approachtocareersguidancehas,however,increasinglyattractedcriticism33.Notallclientsarerational,noraretheyallable(orwilling)toplanahead.Ifsuchcriticismsareaccepted,thendifferentapproachestocareersguidancepracticearestronglyindicated.Alternative,evidence-basedframeworksforpracticesuggestwaysofusinginformationinthecareersguidanceprocessdifferently.Forexample,onesuggeststhatcareersguidanceshouldempowerclientstoundertaketheirownresearchintocareeroptions,ratherthanprovidinginformationaspartofthecareersguidanceintervention34.Oneothersuggeststhat,sincecareersguidanceisessentiallyalearningprocess,informationshouldbeprovidedinaformthatenablestheclienttointeractwithitaspartofalearningprocess35.

Whilstitisgenerallyagreed,therefore,thatLMIplaysanimportantroleinthecareersguidanceprocess,viewsaboutthewaysitcanbeusedinpracticearevaried,withdifferentoutcomesfollowingforclients.Forexample,ina‘matching’approach,informationwouldbegiventotheclientduringthecareersinterview.Incontrast,ahumanistic,clientcentredapproachwouldstrivetodevelopintheclienttheskillsandknowledgetheywouldneedtobecomeself-sufficientininformationsearches.

Therearealsodifferentskillsetsrequiredbypractitionersdeliveringservicesforprovidingclientswithdirect access to LMI,comparedwithproviding LMI as part of a high quality careers guidance intervention.Whilstmanyclientswantdirectaccesstoinformation,oncetheyhavegotthis,theyoftenneedhelpmakingsenseofitfortheirownsituation.ThenextsectionconsidersthenatureofLMIinmoredetail,exploressourcesofLMIandthevexedquestionofimpartialityofLMIinthecareersguidanceprocess.ItfinishesbylookingattheevidenceonwhattypesofLMIpractitionerspreferandthewaysinwhichtheywouldprefertohaveitdeliveredforuseinpractice.

32 Amatchingapproachtoguidancerequiresanassessmentofanindividual’sskills,abilitiesandattainmentssothatthebestmatchcanbemadewithanappropriatejobortraining/educationcourse.

33 SkillsCommission(2008)Opcite.34 Thehumanistic,clientcentredapproachtohelping.35 Thesociallearningtheoryofcareerdecisionmaking.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

ThefocusofthissectionisontheprovisionofLMIforhighqualityIAGservices.Withunlimitedaccess,throughICT,toinnumerablesourcesofinformation,howdocareersandtheirclientsnavigatethisincreasinglycomplexterrain?WhatistheLMIrequiredinthecareersguidanceprocess?FromwhatsourcescanthisLMIbeaccessed?Whataretheparticularissueswhentryingtoensurethathighquality,labourmarketfocused,impartialcareersguidanceisdeliveredtoclients?WhattypeofLMIdocareerspractitionerssaytheywant?HowdoestheeasyaccesstounlimitedLMIre-definetheroleofthecareerspractitionerasthe‘expert’?

Thegapbetweentheaspirationoftheprovisionofhighquality,impartial,industry-basedLMIaspartofthecareersguidanceinterventionandtherealitywillbereviewedinthissection,togetherwithadiscussionofsomeofthebarrierstorealisingthisgoal36.

2.1 Labour market information (LMI) for IAG

Aspartofthestrategytoinspireindividualstoadvancethemselvesinthelabourmarket,theimportanceofhighqualityLMIforeffectivecareersguidance(orIAG)hasbeenhighlightedinvariouspolicydocumentsoneducation,training.ThefinalreportontheSkillsCommission’sinquiryintoIAG,forexample,statesthat:

Individuals need high quality information on labour market opportunities in order to make informed choices

(SkillsCommission,2008,p.36)37

Anarrowdefinitionofalabourmarketreferstowhereemployers(thedemandside)andpotentialsellers(thesupplyside)exchangelabour,withaccurate,up-to-dateinformationbeingcrucialtoitssmoothoperation.Theterm‘labourmarketinformation’(LMI)isnot,however,confinedtoinformationonthesupplyanddemandoflabour.Itisnowmoregenerallyusedtoincludeanyinformationthatrelatestotheoperationofmarketsforlearning,skills,employment,labourandtheirrelationshiptothewidereconomy38.Hence,therecommendationsforthecareersinformationservicescoreofferbySectorSkillsCouncils(Luddy,2007:16-17)39definedLMIas:‘dataabouthowthelabourmarketisoperating’,makingreferencetogovernmentlegislationandsupportingpolicies,inter-relationshipsbetweenlabourmarketsatdifferentgeographicallevels(e.g.throughmigrationflows)andwidersocial,economicandtechnologicalchangeasissuesaffectingtheoperationoflabourmarkets.

36 Thissectiondrawsuponmaterialcontainedinthedocument:Bimrose,J.(2008)‘ProtocolsforthedevelopmentofLMIproducedfortheguidanceprocessbytheSSCs’thatwascommissionedbyDIUS,butisnotavailableinthepublicdomain.

37 SkillsCommission(2008)InspirationandAspiration:RealisingourPotentialinthe21stCentury.London:PolicyConnect.RetrievedMarch10,2010from:http://www.policyconnect.org.uk/fckimages/Inspriration%20and%20Aspiration.pdf

38 LearningandSkillsCouncil,NorthYorkshire(2002)GuidetolabourmarketinformationandIntelligence.Version1.Aspire&TransformLtd.:Sheffield.

39 Luddy,D.(2007)SSCIAGproject2007/08:RecommendationsforthecareersinformationservicescoreofferbySectorSkillsCouncils.PreparedforSkillsetandtheSkillsforBusinessnetwork.

2. Labour market information (LMI) for IAG

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

Althoughthefollowinglistisbynomeansexhaustive,LMIforcareersguidance,orIAG,includes:

� informationongeneralemploymenttrends(e.g.historicaltrends,futuredemand);

� dataonthestructureofthelabourmarket(i.e.whatjobsexist,howmany,whichsectors,whichoccupations);

� informationaboutthewaythelabourmarketfunctions(i.e.howpeoplegetintojobsandmovebetweenemployers,etc.);

� theinteractionbetweenlabourdemandandsupply(i.e.mismatches–asreflectedinunemploymentrates,skillsgaps,skillsshortages,etc.);

� dataonnational,regionalandlocallabourmarketsvariations(i.e.sizeofworkforce,prominentsectorsetc.);

� datafocusingonequalityanddiversity(i.e.whichindividualsareemployedindifferentsectorsandatwhatlevels?);and

� informationonprogressionroutes(i.e.careerstructure,earnings,transferabilityofskills).

InthecontextofLMIforstrategicplanning,forpolicyformulationandforinformation,adviceandguidance(IAG),thedistinctionhasbeenmadebetweenlabourmarketinformationandlabourmarketintelligence.Inessence,labourmarketinformationreferstoquantitativeorqualitativedatafoundinoriginalinformationsources(typicallyavailablefromsurveysandreportedintables,spreadsheets,charts,etc.),whilelabourmarketintelligencerelatestotheinterpretationoflabourmarketinformation,referringtosubsetsofinformationthathavebeensubjectedtofurtheranalysis40.Consistentwiththisdistinction,Luddy(2007:17)41referstolabourmarketintelligenceasbeing‘generatedbythesystematiccollectionandanalysisofdifferentsourcesoflabourmarketinformation’.

Inacareersguidancecontext,onefurtherrelevantdistinctionhasbeenmadebetweenLMIforcareersguidancethatisnon-interactivecomparedwithinteractive42.Here,non-interactiveLMIisgenerallylinearinnature,ispaper-based,oftenbroaderinrangeandmoredetailedintopiccoverage.InteractiveLMI(usingICT)isgenerallynon-linear,withtheusermaintainingsomecontrolovertheselectionandsequencingofinformation.

40 LSCandDfES(2004)LMIMatters!UnderstandingLabourmarketinformation,Nottingham:DfES.41 Luddy,D.(2007)op.cit.42 Sampson,J.P.Jr.,Reardon,R.C.,Peterson,G.W.andLenz,J.G.(2004)CareerCounseling&Services:Acognitive

informationprocessingapproach.Belmont,CA:ThompsonBrooks/Cole.

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Otherdistinctionsalsoexistbetween‘hard’and‘soft’data,‘official’and‘non-official’sources,etc.Thedistinctionbetweennon-interactiveandinteractiveisparticularlyimportantwhenconsideringtheroleofICTintheprovisionofLMIforcareersguidance,orIAG.Thoughwhatarethesourcesfromwhichthesedifferenttypesofdatacanbedrawn?

2.2 Sources of LMI for IAG

WhilstmuchhighqualityLMIalreadyexists,thereisscopeforsomerefinementandenhancementoftheLMIusedincareersguidance,orIAG.Indeed,somepolicydocumentshavebeencriticalofthequalityofavailableLMIforthispurpose43.However,itisimportanttodrawadistinctionbetween:

� deficienciesintheuseofLMIthatisavailable;and

� objectiveshortcomingsintheLMIthatisavailable–perhapsduetosmallsamplesizes,methodologicalissuesrelatingtoparticulardatasources,etc.

UsingthebroaderdefinitionofLMIdiscussedabove,insection2.1,itisclearthatitisavailablefromadiverserangeofsources.Ofcourse,theSectorSkillsCouncils(SSCs)arewellpositionedtocollectanddisseminatehighquality,currentandcomprehensivesector-basedLMIforcareersguidance.Indeed,itseemstobethecasethatmostSSCsseethemselvesasthemostappropriatesourceofthisdata.However,therearelimitationswithadependenceonSSCsastheexclusivesourceofdataforcareersguidance.Thisispartlybecausetheyareatdifferentstagesofdevelopment(becauseofthehistoricalwaytheywerephasedin)andpartlybecauseofdifferentresourcebaseswithrelatedcapacitiesassociatedwiththeseresourcebases.Moreover,theamountandavailabilityofrobustLMIvaries,tosomeextent,becauseofthefootprintofSSCs.Sosome:

� havelargeremploymentbasesthanothers;

� arelesseasilyreplicableintermsoftheStandardIndustrialClassification(SIC)thanothers,withtheuseofStandardOccupationalClassifications(SOC)asanalternative;

� areunabletoestimateemploymentbases,asthereisadelayinnationalstatisticscollectingdataonnew(evolving)occupations;and

� aremorereliantonatypicallabour(e.g.freelancers,volunteers,etc)thanothers.

43 See,forexample:Foster,A.(2005)RealisingthePotential:areviewofthefutureroleoffurthereducationcolleges,DfES/LSC.RetrievedJanuary18,2008from:http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/furthereducation/uploads/documents/REALISING06.pdfLeitch,S.(2005)SkillsintheUK:thelong-termchallenge,London:HMTreasury.RetrievedJanuary18,2008from:http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/leitch_review/review_leitch_index.cfm

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OneotherseriouslimitationoftheLMIproducedbySSCsforcareers/IAGisthatitdoesnotsupportsclientsinconsideringtheissuesrelatedtomovingbetweenandamongstdifferentsectors.Thiscouldberegardedasamajorshortcoming,giventheincreasingflexibilityofthelabourforcebetweensectors,aswellaswithin.

Notwithstandingtheselimitations,theLMIproducedbySSCsforuseinthecareersguidanceprocessshouldmeetcertainqualitycriteria,including:

� adherencetothecoreethosofequalityofopportunityforallandcompliancewithrelatedlegislation;

� accessibilitytopotentialusers,addressingphysicallimitationsaswellastheabilitytounderstandparticularlevelsofcomplexity;

� reliability,comprehensivenessandcurrency;

� relevancetotheneedsofcareerspractitionersintheircareersguidanceworkwithclients;and

� impartiality,sothatitdoesnotpromoteonesector,inacompetitivemanner,assuperiortoanyother,ormaskaneconomicdecline.

Allofthesecriteriaareimportant,butitistheproblematicissueofimpartialitythatisconsiderednext.

2.3 Impartiality

Factsdonotspeakforthemselves.Thesameinformation(e.g.LMI)canbeusedtosupportdifferentversionsofevents.Forexample,dataonthenumbersofgirlsandwomenattractedintocareersinscienceortechnologyoverafiveyearperiodcouldbeusedto:

a) illustratehoweducationalandmarketingcampaignshaveachievedadegreeofsuccess,becausethenumbersofgirlsandwomenbeingattractedtothissectoraregreaterthan,say,fifteenyearsago;or

b) criticisecareersguidancepractitionersforbeingbiasedintheirpractice,becauseinsufficientnumbersofgirlsandwomenarebeingencouragedtoenterthisparticularoccupationalsector.

Inotherwords,factspartlydetermineandpartlyconstraintheinterpretationthatcanbeplacedonevents.TheuseofLMIaspartofthecareersguidanceprocessraisessomeinterestingquestions.LMIiscollectedbyvariousstakeholdersforparticularpurposes.Forexample,theHigherEducationStatisticsAgency(HESA)istheofficialagencyforthecollection,analysisanddisseminationofquantitativeinformationabouthighereducationthataimstoprovideinformation

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

onthecharacteristicsofUKhighereducationstudents,leavers,staff,andinstitutions.Becauseofthis,useofitsLMIdatainthecareersguidanceprocesswill,atsomestage,inevitablyinvolveadegreeofselectionand/orinterpretationonthepartoftheuser–inthiscasethecareerspractitioner.Doesthisprocessofselection,therefore,riskcompromisingtheimpartialityofthecareersguidanceprocess?

Codesofpracticeespousedandpromotedbyvariousprofessionalcareersguidanceassociations(e.g.theInstituteofCareerGuidance,theInternationalAssociationofEducationalandVocationalGuidance)placeimpartialityattheverycentreofethicalpractice.Tobecomemembersoftheseassociations,practitionersmust‘signup’tothesecodesofpractice.Notsurprisingly,therefore,impartialityisakeyvalueformany(probablymost)careersguidancepractitionersandanimportantaspectoftheirprofessionalidentity.Theywillgenerallyarguethatimpartialityiscriticaltothedeliveryof‘objective’careersguidanceandwilldefend,fiercely,theirobligationtooperateimpartially.Paradoxically,however,assoonasacareerspractitionerstartstoexploretheimplicationsofaclient’scareersdecision,s/hewillstarttomakeasetofprofessionaljudgements.Difficultjudgementssometimeshavetobemade.

Forexample,‘protectivechannelling’(Crosset al.,199044)or‘anticipatorydiscrimination’(Cross,1987inChatrick,199745)occurswherethecareersguidancepractitionermaytrytoshelteraclientfromoccupationalexperiences,eitherinajoborworkexperienceplacement,thattheyanticipate(oftenonthebasisofrobustevidence)willbediscriminatoryandnegative.Whilstthiscouldberegardedasethicalpractice–sincepractitionersareactinginwhattheyconsidertobethebestinterestsoftheirclientsbytryingtopreventthemcomingtoharm–itcouldalsobearguedthatitisnotbeingimpartial.

QuiteseparatefromethicaljudgementsthatwillbemaderoutinelyabouttheLMIusedbyapractitionerwithaclient46,LMIitselfcanbepartialorbiased.AnexampleofpartialLMIwouldbewhereatrainingproviderproducedinformationforthepurposeofpromotingparticularcoursesthatwereeitherslowtorecruitorperhapsrepresentedanewoffer.Inthiscircumstance,LMIislikelytobeproducedtoaddressaparticularorganisationalneed–thatofattractingindividualstoensurethefinancialviabilityofthetrainingoffer.Becauseofthis,itislikelytobebiased,sinceitwillpromotethevirtueofaparticularcourseofferedbyoneinstituteoveracompetitororganisation.AnotherexampleofLMIthatisnotimpartialrelatestotherepresentationofstatisticalinformation.Forinstance,oneSectorSkillsCouncil,whereemployeesarepredominantlymale,statedthat‘thereisastronggenderbias,withhighconcentrationsoffemaleworkersinadministrativeandsecretarial,salesandcustomerserviceroles’.

44 Cross,M.,Wrench,J.,&Barnett,S.,(1990)EthnicMinoritiesandtheCareersService,AninvestigationintoProcessesofAssessmentandPlacement,Coventry:CentreforResearchinEthnicRelations.

45 Chatric,B.,(1997)NewDeal–FairDeal?Blackyoungpeopleinthelabourmarket,Essex:Barnardo’s,TheChildren’sSocietyandYouthaid.

46 AnexamplewouldbewhereapractitionerexpressesareluctancetomakeLMIdataontheworkforceprofileofaparticularoccupationalsectordirectlyavailabletoaclient,becausethismightbetoodiscouragingforthosegroupsemployedinaminority

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Atbest,thispresentationalstylegivesasomewhatmisleadingimpression(somemightarguebiased)tothenaivereaderofthecurrentgenderbalanceacrossthesector47.

However,whilstimpartialityisaprincipletowhichcareerspractitionersaspire,astudyofguidanceprovisionforadults48foundthatinreality,itisoftencompromisedbyfactorslikethecultureoftheorganisationdeliveringservices;inadequatelytrainedIAGstaff;orsimplybythelackofaccesstohighquality,impartialLMI.AchievingalevelofimpartialitythatensuresthedeliveryofobjectivecareersguidancethereforepresentsanumberofchallengesintheuseofLMIincareersguidance.

Sowhat,then,docareerspractitionerssaytheywantinLMI–thatmightmakeitmadeattractivetothemforuseintheirpractice?

2.4 LMI required by careers practitioners

InanydiscussionaboutthenatureofLMIrequiredtosupportthedeliveryofhighqualitycareersguidance,thepractitionerperspectiveonwhatisrequiredfromLMIforthecareersguidanceprocessneedstobenoted.PractitionersoftenknowwhattheyneedfortheirworkwithclientsandwillresistusingLMIthattheydonotperceivetoberelevant,oradequate,fortheirwork.ResearchevidenceprovidesaclearindicationofthetypesofLMIthosegivingcareersguidancesaytheyneed.Onesmall-scalesurveyofexperiencedadvisersrevealeddifferentsixtypesofLMIthatwererequired(Offer,2001,p.78)49:Theseweredatarelatingto:

� thedemandforlabour(howeasyisittogetajobinthisoccupation,industry,role?);

� progressionroutes,careerstructureandearnings(whataretheprospects?);

� geographicalavailability(howavailableisthisinmytravel-to-workarea?);

� overalltrends(isemploymentontheincreaseinthisoccupationorindustry?);

� transferability(willIbeabletotransferthecompetencesandskillsdevelopedinthisindustry,shouldjobopportunitiesdecrease?);

� recruitmentandselectionmethods(whereandhowdopeoplegetjobsinthisindustry?).

47 ExampletakenfromasummarydocumentofLMIforcareersguidancesubmittedbyaSSC(2010).48 Connelly,G.,Milburn,T.,Thomson,S.andEdwards,R.(1996)Impartiality in Guidance Provision for Adults:

A Scottish Study.Glasgow:TheUniversityofStrathclyde&MiltonKeynes:TheOpenUniversity.49 Offer,M.(2001)Opcite.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

IthasbeenarguedthatcurrentlyavailableLMIistooheavilyweightedtowardsearlycareerchoicesHirsch,et al.(1998)50.Datafrom57IAGpractitionersandmanagerscollectedfromfocusgroupsaspartofanADAPT/ESFproject51supportsthisview.TheresearchexploredtheLMIthatpractitionersmostwantedfortheircareersworkwithadults.FindingsindicatedthatpractitionersattachedmostimportancetoLMIthat:

� wasrelevantforemployedadults(thatis,ontransitionswithinthelabourmarketthatextendbeyondthefirstintoemployment);

� relatestonewjobtitles,skillslevelsandtransferabilityofskills;

� hasanequalopportunitiesdimension;

� includescurrentsalarylevels(forexample,onentry,afterfiveyears,etc.);

� relatestotrendsinemploymentwithinandbetweensectors;

� givesanindicationofchangingskillrequirementsandskillmismatchesindifferentsectors;and

� includeslocalLMI,includingjobvacancyinformation.

FurtherresearchundertakenonbehalfofoneparticularSectorSkillsCouncilexploredtheviewsbothofsectorspecialistswhodeliveredcareersguidanceonbehalfoftheSSCs,togetherwithUfilearndirect52adviserswho,atthattime,hadspecialresponsibilityforclientsinterestedinfindingoutmoreaboutthisparticularSSC53.ThisinvestigationidentifiedwhatthesegroupsofpractitionersconsideredtobethemostusefulandtheleastusefulLMIfortheIAGprocess.Additionally,itdetailedthepreferredformatofLMIbythesepractitionersandtheirkeyprioritiesintheprovisionofLMI.Thesewereasfollows:

The most useful LMI:

� identificationofskillsshortages;

� LMIrelatingtonewentrants(likeconditionsfornewentrantsandnewentrantschemes);

� regionallabourmarketinformation;and

� locallabourmarketinformation(includingup-to-datevacancies).

50 Hirsch,W.,Kidd,J.M.andWatts,A.G.(1998)Constructsofworkusedincareerguidance.Cambridge:DEE/NICEC.51 Brown,A.,Bimrose,J.andHughes,D.(2005)‘BringingGuidanceResearchandPracticeclosertogether:theUK

NationalGuidanceResearchForumWebsite’,InternationalJournalforEducationalandVocationalGuidance,5,pp.229-240.

52 Subsequentlyre-namedtheCareersAdviceService(CAS).53 Bimrose,J.andOrton,M.(2005)Labourmarketinformation(LMI)foreffectiveguidancewithinSkillset.Coventry:

WarwickInstituteforEmploymentResearch.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

The least useful LMI:

� statisticalinformation(i.e.rawstatisticswithoutanyinterpretation);

� LMIthatis‘out-of-date’;

� informationonemployeeswhohavebeeninanindustryforanumberofyears(becauseenquiriesforinformationaremainlyfromnewentrants);and

� informationonthetrainingneedsofsectors(ratherthantrainingroutesforindividuals).

Fromthelimitedamountofresearchthathasbeenundertakeninthisarea,someclearandconsistentmessagesaboutthetypesofLMIthatcareerspractitionersconsidermostusefulanddesirable,haveemerged.

TheyidentifylocalLMIastheirhighestpriority.Theyarefrustratedwhenthisdoesnotexistandofcourseitgenerallydoesnotexistbecauseoftheresourceimplicationsofcollectingandmaintainingitinaformthatiscurrent,up-to-dateandeasilyaccessible.BeyondlocalLMI,practitionersworkingwithdifferentclientgroupsindicateslightlydifferentpriorities.Forexample,thoseworkingwithyoungpeoplevalueLMIrelatedtoinitialentrantsasapriority;thoseworkingwithadultsaremoreinterestedinprogressionroutesandopportunitiesformid-careerchange;andthoseworkinginhighereducationareinterestedingraduateentryleveloccupations.WithapolicyinEnglandthatseemssettomaintainaseparationbetweenservicesforadultsandyoungpeople,atleastintheshortterm,itmaybenecessarytoconsidertheprovisionofcustomisedtypesofLMIfordifferentregionsandfordifferentagegroups.Forexample,on-goingworkwithcareerspractitionersinaConnexionscompanyintheSouthEastregionofEnglandoveraperiodofthreeyearshasresultedintheproductionofcustomisedLMIsheetspresentinglocalandregionaldata.Thisinformationisavailableinbothhardcopyandon-lineandhasbeenhighlyacclaimedbythepractitionercommunity.

PractitionersalsostresstheimportanceofLMIbeingaccessibleinsuccinctsummaries(toavoidtheirhavingtospendconsiderableamountsoftimesearchingforit)andclearlypresented(i.e.welllaidout;distinguishingbetweengeneralbackgroundandspecificinformation).AswellasbeingclearaboutthetypeofLMIrequiredforcareersguidance,practitionersprovideaclearsteeronthevariedformatsandthroughdifferentmediaitisrequired.ThisincludesusingICTasamedium,butalsoindicatespaper-basedLMI.LMIthatiseasilyaccessiblethroughtheinternetisgenerallyindicatedbycareerspractitionerstobehighlydesirabletosupporttheirpractice,butwithanumberofimportantcaveats.Theseinclude:

� someclientssimplydonothaveinternetaccess;

� someorganisationalsettingsinwhichIAGisdeliveredprohibitinternetaccess(e.g.prisons)andinothers,internetaccessisnotreliablyavailable(e.g.outreachlocations);and

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� downloadinginformationcanbedifficulty,timeconsuming,andcostly.

� Overall,itisimportanttoappreciatethattheLMIneedsofcareerspractitionersarecomplexandfluid.TheyrequireLMIfornotonlyforawiderangeclientgroups,butalsofordifferentpurposes.Forexample:

� LMItowhichpractitionersmightgiveclientsstudentsdirectaccess(e.g.Y9studentsmightbegivenLMIrelevanttosubjectchoice,likeentryrequirementstoparticularoccupationalsectors);

� LMIinformingtheirIAGpracticegenerally(e.g.employmenttrendspredictedintheregionsinwhichtheywork);and

� LMIwhichisinterpretedbythepractitionerfortheclient(e.g.whatastudentwouldneedtodotoenhancetheirchancesofsuccessfulentryintoahighlycompetitiveoccupationalarea).

2.5 LMI, IAG and ICT: the role of the expert?

AspartofthepolicyfocusonsocialinclusionandNEETs(youngpeopleNotinEducation,EmploymentorTraining)duringthelatterpartofthe20thcentury,particularlyinEngland,theprofessionalworkthatcareerspractitionershadroutinelyundertakenwithemployersmore-or-lessceased.Workwithemployerswasalsoremovedasasubstantialcomponentbothfromoffthejobtrainingcourses(PostGraduateDiplomasawardedbyUniversities)andfromwork-basedtraining(NVQsinGuidance).Thishadconsequencesintermsoftheexpertisedevelopedthroughstrongnetworksthatpractitionerstypicallywereabletobuildwithlocalemployers.Italsoerodedtheknowledgebase(andconfidence)ofpractitionersaroundlocallabourmarketinformation.Thisexpertiseneedstobere-built.

Inadditiontothechangesintheexpertiseofpractitionersrelatedtothelabourmarketthatwerebroughtaboutthroughpolicyarethechangesthathaveoccurredwiththeincreasedaccesstoinformationviatheinternet.ThevolumeofLMIthatisnowavailablefrominnumerableinternetsourcesisundoubtedlyanunprecedentedandinvaluableresourceforthosemakingcareerstransitions.Withincreasinglysophisticatedsearchengines,clients(especiallyyoungerclients)areabletodeveloptheirownsearchstrategiesfortheLMItheyneed(Bimroseet al.,inpress).Thereis,however,aseriousdangerofoverload–bothforthecareerspractitionersandtheirclients.Additionally,makingthecorrectjudgementsaboutthewebsitesandthedatamostlikelytoprovidereliableandrelevantLMIisbecomingmoreproblematic.Yetanotherdimensionismakingsenseofthedata.Atypicalcareersguidancequery,forexample,mightrelatetoaparticulartrainingoreducationcourse.Ifaclientappliedtothiscourse,atthisparticularinstitution,wouldtheybeabletosecureemploymentinaparticularoccupationalroleandinaparticularregionofthecountryattheendofthecourse(potentiallyuptofiveyearsinthefuture)?Respondingtothis‘typical’queryrequiresahighlevelofskillinaccessingandmergingdifferentdatasets,aswellasasoundgraspoftheweaknessesofcomputermodellingandstatisticalpredictions.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

ThisisbeforetheresultingLMIismediated–inawaythatensuresthattheclientgraspstheissuesanduncertaintiesinherentinthe‘response’tothistypeofquestion.

Thisfictiousscenarioillustratesthedifferencebetweengiving clients direct access to LMIaboutemploymentdestinationsofstudentssuccessfullycompletingthecourseinquestion(ifitexists);anddataonemploymenttrendsintheareaforaparticularjob(ifitexists),compared with working with a clients in a careers guidance intervention(whetherfacetofaceorusinginternet-basedmethods),inawaythathelpstheclientunderstandhowtoaccessrelevantdataandinterpretitsmeaningfortheirownpersonal,economiccircumstances(seesection1.2,above).

Giventheunrestrictedanddirectaccesstoinformationofalltypes,includingLMI,thattheinternetalreadyprovides,thereislikelytobeagradual,butunstoppable,shiftinthenatureoftheexpertisethatwillmakethecareersguidancepractitioneradistinctiveandvaluableprofessionalforindividualsinlabourmarkettransition.Whilsttraditionalnotionsofexpertisearestillinuse,thesenowoperatealongsidemorecelebrity-basedideasoftheprofessional54.IntheiruseofLMI,careerspractitionerswill,therefore,needtobecomesophisticatedintheirresearchandinterpretationofdatafromvariedsources.Notonlyisitbecomingincreasinglyimportantforpractitionerstodeveloptheskills,knowledgeandunderstandingtoaccess,interpretandmediateLMIfortheirclients,butitisalsoimportantforthemtosupportthelearningoftheirclientsinthisarea.

Whilst there are many sources of information available on the internet, signposting to key locations to enable credible, accurate, trustworthy and fast access remains an issue. Young people want to search for information but they need support to assist them in the process of doing this.

(YouthNet,2009,p.6)

Inotherwords,careerspractitionersneedtobeabletohelpclientstodevelopsomeofthesameskillsthattheyneedtodevelopforthemselvestouseLMIeffectively.Instead,therefore,ofcareerspractitionersprovidingclientswithurlstosearchdirectlyforspecificinformation,onepriorityindicatedfortheirownprofessionaldevelopmentandworkwithclientsistoworkmorewithclients,supportingthemtodeveloptheabilitytomakeappropriateselectionsamongstthebewilderingrangeofsources.

54 YouthNet,2009,p.45.Opcit.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

ICTnowalsorepresentspotentialopportunitiestodevelopbespokeLMIforclients,througharangeofmedia.Technologyexiststosupportcollaborativeprocessesamongstpractitioners(betweenlocationsandperhapsevenacrossorganisationalboundaries),wheretheycanpooltheirexpertise,builduponthis,andcustomiseversionofLMIforparticularclients.Thisremainsuntappedpotentialforcareersguidancepracticetodevelop–withgreatpromiseforenhancingthequalityofservicestoindividualclients.Additionally,weknowthatforyoungpeople,theadviceprocessshouldinvolveparticipationandsomeelementofself-discovery.Discussion,oftenanonymouslywithpeers,isnotonlyasourceofadvice,butindicatesthecredibilityofthesite.Abriefdiscussionofongoinginnovativeresearchanddevelopment(aEuropeanfunded‘MATURE’project)exploringthisareaofcareersguidancepracticewiththeuseofICTcanbefoundinsection5,below.

Thenextsectionconsiderstherapidlychangingoperationalcontextinwhichorganisationsaredeliveringcareersservices.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

Thedigitallandscapehasbeentransformedoverthelastdecade.Businesses,publicservices,individualsandfamiliesallusecomputers;digitalfacilitieshaveshapedthewayoureconomyisrunandthewayweliveourlives.Ouryoungpeoplehavegrownupasdigitalnativesandmillionsofadultshavenowjoinedthem.

It is a story of technological advance and rapid change; of government investment and private-sector partnerships. We all know that the pace of change will not slow down.

(BusinessInnovation&Skills(BIS),2009,p.855)

TheimpactofrapidICTdevelopmentoncareersserviceswillbediscussedhere.Whatpotentialdoesnewtechnologyofferforcareersguidance?Fromwhereisdemandforflexible,ICTdrivendeliveryoriginating?Isthisconsistentacrossallclientgroups?Canservicedeliverymatchclientexpectation?

3.1 Web 2.0: potential, implications and challenges for careers guidance

Digitaltechnologyhasresultedina‘quietrevolution’overthepastdecade,inourlivesatwork,athomeandatleisure(DCMS&BERR,2009,p.356).AttheheartofcurrentdevelopmentsintechnologyisWeb2.0.Thishaschangedthewaypeopleinteractandhasprofoundimplications,potentially,forthedeliveryofcareersguidance.Ithas,however,barelybeguntoimpactonthewaycareersservicesarecurrentlydelivered.

Web2.0technologyoffersvariousfunctionalities,includingtheabilitytoaggregateuserdata,trackandfiltercontent,collaborate,‘mash-up’dataorconstructasocialnetwork.Thedevelopmentofthesetechnologieshasbeencharacterisedbysixkeyfeatures57thatillustratetheshiftthathasoccurredfrombuildingaglobalinformationspace(Web1.0)tocreatingfunctionalitieswithmoreofasocialfacility:

1. individual production and user-generated content,reflectinganexposureculture,wheregettingnoticedhasbecomeanimportantgoal.

2. harnessing the power of the crowd,whereanybodycancontributetheirknowledgeorexperiencetothesolvingofaproblemordevelopmentofaresource.

55 DepartmentforBusiness,InnovationandSkills(2009).IndependentReviewofICTUserSkills.Retrieved12December,2009fromhttp://www.dius.gov.uk/~/media/publications/I/ict_user_skills

56 DepartmentforCulture,MediaandSportandDepartmentforBusiness,EnterpriseandRegulatoryReform(2009).DigitalBritain:TheInterimReport.Cm7548.TSO:Norwich.

57 Anderson,P.(2007).WhatisWeb2.0?Ideas,technologiesandimplicationsforeducation.JISCTechnologyandStandardsWatch.Retrieved8December,2009fromhttp://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/techwatch/tsw0701b.pdf

3. The digital landscape

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

3. data on an epic scale,withthedevelopmentofpowerfulsearchenginesthatprovideaccesstovastinformationresources.

4. architecture of participation,withservicesself-improvingthroughnormaluseofanapplication.

5. network effects,relatedtothesheerscaleofinteractionsthatthenetfacilitates.

6. openness,withintheboundariesofthecontrol,accessandrightsofdigitalcontent.

(Anderson,2007)

Thepotentialimpactofnewtechnologiesoncareersguidanceservicesisthereforesignificant,asarethechallengesthatcomeinitswake.Inthedeliveryofapubliclyfundedservice,likecareers,thecostbenefitsitmayofferinaperiodoffinancialconstraintarelikelytobeirresistible58:

...the digital society can offer more efficient public service delivery. This will be crucial in an era of very tight constraints on public spending in the years to come...

(DCMS&BERR,2009,p.6)

Sowhilstthetechnologynowexistsandthesocio-economicpoliticalcontextisconducivetotheintroductionofintegratedICTservices,whatdotheindividualrecipientsofcareersservicesrequireofthesetechnologiesandwhatmightbesomeimpedimentstoitsintroduction?

3.2 Integrating ICT into careers guidance services: push and pull factors?

Theconceptofthe‘digitalnative’isattributedtoPrensky(2001)59,whodiscussedhowthestudentsoftodayareallnativespeakersofthedigitallanguageofcomputers,videogamesandtheinternet.However,thisisnotthecaseformanyadults,whoarethereforedescribedas‘digitalimmigrants’.Theywerenotbornintothedigitalworld,sohavehadtoadapt.Insodoing,somehavemanagedtoadapt(acculturate)moresuccessfullythanothers.

58 DCMS&BERR(2009)Opcit.59 Prensky,M.(2001).DigitalNatives,DigitalImmigants.Retrieved19March2010from:http://www.hfmboces.org/

HFMDistrictServices/TechYES/PrenskyDigitalNatives.pdf

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ThisdistinctionindicatesacriticalgenerationaldifferenceintheabilityandpredispositiontouseICT.Forthecurrentgenerationofyoungpeople,theuseofdigitaltechnologyhasbeencompletelynormalised.‘Digitalnatives’,orM-Agers60,areregardedasyoungpeopleaged16–24/25,whohavegrownupwithdigitalcommunicationsandhavedifferentexpectationsandneedsofhowtheyengage,converseandexpectinformationtobepresented.Theyareoftencharacterisedasbeingvisuallyliterateandashavinghighlydevelopedvisual-spatialskills.Theyareexperiential,shifttheirattentionfromonetasktoanotherwithgreatrapidity,arehighlydigitallyliterate(inhowtheyusethemedia)andarewellconnectedinasocialcontext.Moreover,ICThasbeenfullyintegratedbythisgenerationintotheirdailyactivities,whouseitroutinelytomaketheirlivesmoreenjoyableandeasier.

Theproliferationoftheuseoftechnologieshascombinedwithotherfactors(likechangesinfamilystructureanddeclineinmanufacturingindustries)tobringaboutprofoundshiftsinhowyoungpeoplemakesenseofthemselves.Forexample,thetraditionalmovefromidentifyingwithfamilytoasinglepeergrouphasnowbeenreplacedbyidentifyingwithfamilytomultiplepeergroups,manyofwhicharevirtual.ICTalsoensuresthatyoungpeoplenowhaveaccesstoaninstant,international,dynamically-shiftingandvastrangeofstoriesandformsofknowledgethatcaninformtheiridentitymanagement.Theycanberegardedaslivinghybridlives,combiningthephysicalandvirtualinaseamlessnetworkofcommunication,information,entertainmentandsharing61.Moreover,theseidentitiesarerarelyunified,butrathermultipleinnatureandincreasinglyfragmented62.

Incontrast,digitalimmigrantswerenotbornintothedigitalage,butmayhavebecomefascinatedbyit,adoptingmanyaspectsofthenewtechnology.However,likeallimmigrants,somelearnbetterthanotherstoadapttotheirnewenvironmentandwillalwaysretaintheir‘accent’–somestrongerthanothers.Theyweresocialiseddifferentlyfromthegenerationofdigitalnativesandcanberegardedasspeakingadifferentlanguage.Importantlyforcareersguidanceservicedelivery,sincepractitioners(predominantlydigitalimmigrants)arelikelytojudgeonlineagainstanidealoffacetofacecommunication(althoughthisisslowlychanging),whilstyoungpeopleevaluateservicesagainstawiderangeofoptions,includinginstantmessaging,chat,phone,SMSandfacetoface–accordingtotheircommunicationneeds.Thecriteriausedbyyoungpeopletojudgemethodsofdeliveryforcareersguidancearelikelytorangefromimmediacy,messagecomplexity,mobilitytocost,privacyandembarrassment(YouthNet,2009,p.10).Thisissupportedbyfindingsfromrecentresearchwhichexploredyoungpeoples’expectationsofICTincareersservicedeliverycomparedwithConnexionsPersonalAdvisers63.

60 MobileAgersYouthNet,2009,p.10.Opcit.61 YouthNet(2009)Opcit.62 Murakami,K.(2008).Re-imaginingthefuture:youngpeople’sconstructionofidentitiesthroughdigitalstorytelling.

London:DCSF/Futurelab.Retrieved4August2009,fromhttp://www.beyondcurrenthorizons.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/final_murakami_youngpeoplesdigitalstorytelling_20081201_jb2.pdf

63 Bimrose,et.al.(inpress).Opcit.

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WhilsttheyoungpeoplewhoparticipatedintheresearchcouldseethepotentialofICTtodevelopcommunicationwithPersonalAdvisers,thePersonalAdviserswerealmostunanimousintheirfirmandunshakablebeliefthatretainingfacetofacecontactwithallyoungpeoplewould(indisputably)ensurethatthebestpossibleservicesweredelivered.Itisimportanttonotethattheyoungpeopleinthestudyvalued,highly,facetofacecontactwithPersonalAdvisers–butwerealsointerestedinawiderrangeofmethodsfordeliveringdifferentaspectsoftheservice.

Sofarascareersservicesforyoungpeopleareconcerned,then,alargeproportionofclientsofyouthserviceswillbedigitalnativesandthemajorityofcareerspractitionerswillbedigitalimmigrants(thoughthisbalancewillchangeovertime).However,forcareersservicesforadults,asignificantproportionoftheclientsofthenewAdultAdvancementandCareersServicewillbedigitalimmigrants,aswellasthemajorityofpractitionersdeliveringtheservice.

Arecentreviewofdigitaluserskills64notedthatanationalstrategyisstilllackingthataddressesthedigitalskillsgapsthathavebeenidentifiedinthegeneralpopulationandthatthedigitaldivideiswideningforthosemostatrisk,specifically:adultsover65yearsold,thesociallyexcluded;andthosewithfewornoqualifications.Akeybarriertoup-skillingtheadultpopulationforthetechnologicalchallengesaheadisidentifiedasattitudetoICT.‘Resistors’andthosewhoare‘notinterested’aretwoproblematicgroupsofadultswhocurrentlyhaveaccesstoICT,butwhodonotuseit.Thenotionthatsomeadultswhohaveaccesstotechnologypersistentlyrefusetoengageisparticularlyrelevantinthiscontext.Despitethefindingsfromthisnationalreviewintodigitaluserskills,theblueprintforthenewAdultAdvancementandCareersService65appearstoespouseaquitedifferentviewofthepredispositionofasignificantsectorofthepotentialclientbaseitisbeingdesignedtoserve:

A large proportion of adults in England will be comfortable accessing the adult advancement and careers service online and we want to encourage them to do that: for example through the use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

(BIS,2010,p.5,para.22)

OneotherimportantfactoristheUK’scurrentreadinesstoexploitthedramaticshifttodigitaltechnology,globally.Arecentnationalassessmentof‘digitalBritain’concludesthattheUKstilllagswellbehindtheUSA66.Overthenextfiveyears,wiredandwirelesscommunicationsandbroadcastingnetworkswillhavetobeupgradedsothattheUKcanmaintainitsposition.Thissituationisreflectedacrossallcareersservices.Thelackofarobustandup-to-dateICTinfrastructure,bothatnationalandlocallevels,isperhapsthemostseriousimpedimenttothewide-scaleimplementationofintegratedICTservicestoclientsintheshortterm67.

64 BIS(2009)Opcit.65 BIS(2010)Opcit.66 DCMS&BERR(2009),p.4.Opcit.67 Bimroseet al.,(inpress).Opcit.

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3.3 The digital divide

We are at a point of technology development where we need a programme to ensure that everyone can connect to the digital economy, that its benefits and advantages are available to all...We must ensure that being digital is within the grasp of everyone. If we do not, we risk leaving significant parts of our society disenfranchised and permanently behind the mainstream. In so doing, we would fail to secure the full potential of these technologies for our country.

(DCMS&BERR,2009,p,568)

ThereisaclearlyanurgentimperativetoexploittheuntappedpotentialofICTtoenhanceallaspectsofeducationalserviceprovision,includingcareersguidance,with52percentoflearnersovertheageof14havingreportedthattheylearnthroughtheinternetand22percentusingdistancelearning69.Indeed,56percentofUKhouseholdsnowhavebroadbandaccess.However,althoughthesestatisticsprovideapowerfulindicationofthepotentialreachofICTintothelivesofindividuals,theyindicatesomesignificantdifferencesbetweensocialgroups.Forexample,whilst97percentofchildrenfromsocialclassABhadinternetaccessathome,only69percentofchildrenfromsocialclassEhadaccess70.

The‘digitaldivide’alongthelinesofsocialclassmembershipposesaconsiderablechallengefortheintroductionofintegratedICTservicesintocareersguidance.Forexample,recentresearchindicatesthatwhilstyoungpeoplethoughtthattheConnexionsDirectwebsitewasa‘goodidea’,veryfewofthe135researchparticipantshadactuallyaccessedit(citedinHutchinson&Parker,200971,p.39).TherecentreviewoftheUK’stechnologicalreadinessindicateshowtheGovernmentisexaminingwaysofensuringthatthemostdisadvantagedyoungpeoplearenotleftbehindbecausetheylackthetechnicalfacilitiestheyneedintheirhomes.Thereisequalconcernaboutadultswhoaredisadvantagedbecausetheylackcrucialdigitallifeandworkskills72.

Itneedstoberemembered,therefore,thatthereisarealdangerthatdisadvantagedindividuals,withaparticularneedforcareersguidancesupport,willbeexcludedifservicedeliverycomestodependonaccesstoICTbeforenationalpoliciesaddressthetwinissuesofdigitalinfrastructureanddigitaluserskills.Towhatextent,therefore,hasICTbeenintegratedsofarintoservicedelivery?

68 DCSM&BERR(2009)Opci.69 DepartmentforChildrenSchoolsandFamilies&DepartmentforBusinessInnovation&Skills(2009).

NextGenerationLearning:Theimplementationplanfor2009-2012.Coventry:Becta.Retrieved5August2009,fromhttp://feandskills.becta.org.uk/download.cfm?resID=40494

70 Becta(2008).HarnessingTechnologyReview2008:Theroleoftechnologyanditsimpactoneducation.Coventry:Becta.Retrieved5August2009,fromhttp://feandskills.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=38751andpage=1886andcatID=1868

71 Hutchinson,J.,andParker,G.(2009).Howdoyoungpeople(intheregion)formtheirviewsonfuturelearningandcareeroptions?Retrieved13August2009,fromhttp://www.skillsnortheast.co.uk/lib/liDownload/15070/Final%20Report.pdf?CFID=5884732andCFTOKEN=77424167

72 DCMS&Berr(2009)p.65.Opcit.

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3.4 The use of ICT in IAG

Technology is not just an add-on – another resource like the others in the careers room: it raises strategic planning issues at every turn.

(Palomba,2009,p.7073)

Theuseofinternet-basedservicestodeliverhighquality,impartialcareersguidanceisincreasinglyemphasisedbypolicy(seesection1.1above).However,theuseoftheseservicesinpracticenotonlyvariesintheUKbetweenandwithinthefourhomecountries,butalsobetweensectorsofthecareersguidancecommunitythatprovideservicesforadultscomparedwiththosewhoprovideservicesforyoungpeopleinEngland74.Whenlookingforexamplesofwheretheuseofinternet-basedguidanceisfullyintegratedintoothermethodsofdelivery,includinggroupworkandface-to-face,itappearsthatthehighereducationsectoristhemosthighlydeveloped75.Indeed,careersserviceslocatedinhighereducationinstitutionshavebeenproactiveforanumberofyearsindevelopingtheuseof‘e-guidance’interventionswithclients76.

InvestigatingissuesrelatedtotheuseofICTincareersguidanceandthecompetencesrequiredbypractitionersisnotnew(forexample,NCET,199477&199678;Closs&Miller,199779;Offer,199880;Becta,200181;Hunt,200382).Anhistoricalaccountoftheuseofinformationtechnologyincareerseducationandguidancefrom1970to1997chartstheemergenceofnewtechnologiesandtheirintegrationintopractice(Offer,199883).

73 Palomba(2009).Opcit.74 Barnes,A.andLaGro,N.(2009).UsingICT:astepchangeincareerguidanceorasoptothetwitteringclasses?

ConstructingtheFuture:CareerGuidanceforChangingContexts.Stourbridge:ICGPublications,1,pp70-78.Retrieved4December,2009from:http://www.icg-uk.org/c2/uploads/8%20barnes%20and%20la%20gro.pdf

75 TheCareersAdviceService(previouslylearndirect)offerstelephoneandweb-basedguidancesupport,thoughdoesnotofferanyface-to-faceinterventions.

76 Madahar,L.andOffer,M.(2004).Managinge-guidanceinterventionswithinHEcareersservices:anewapproachtoprovidingguidanceatadistance.Manchester:HECSU.Retrieved4August2009,fromhttp://www.prospects.ac.uk/downloads/csdesk/members/reports/EGUIDANCE_RESEARCH_REPORT.pdf

77 NationalCouncilforEducationalTechnology(1994)(Ed.).TheFutureUseofInformationTechnologyinGuidance.Coventry:NationalCouncilforEducationalTechnology.

78 NationalCouncilforEducationalTechnology.(1996).GettingStarted:UsingITinCareersEducationandGuidance.Coventry:NationalCouncilforEducationalTechnology.

79 Closs,S.J.,andMiller,I.M.(1997).ITinGuidance:CareersGuidanceataDistance.Anevaluationofdesktopvideoconferencingtechnology.Sudbury:DepartmentforEducationandEmployment.

80 Offer,M.S.(1998).InformationTechnologyinCareersEducationandGuidance.Anhistoricalperspective,1970-1997.InM.Crawford,R.EdwardsandKydd,L.(eds.)TakingIssue.DebatesonGuidanceandCounsellinginLearning(pp.139-152).London:Routledge.

81 Becta(2001).ConnectingCareersandICT.Coventry:ConnexionsServiceNationalUnit.82 Hunt,M.(2003).ICTandtheEword–Elearning,Eguidance,Ewhat?TraitPublisher.Retrieved3August2009,

fromhttp://www.cegnet.co.uk/resource/content/files/458.doc83 Offer,M.(1998).Opcit.

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Literaturereviewsarealsoavailableondifferentaspectsofthissubject(e.g.Bosley,Krechowiecka&Moon,200584)withbibliographiesfocusingondifferentaspectsofICTinguidancealsoavailable85.Additionally,literatureisavailableon:

� policyandpractice(e.g.Watts,200186;CommissionoftheEuropeanCommunities,200887;Watts&Offer,200688);

� theimplicationsforthepracticeofIAGoftheintroductionofICT(e.g.Evangelista,200389&200690;Plant,200291;Offer,Sampson&Watts,200192);

� practicalguidesandchecklists(e.g.Madahar&Offer,200493;Offer,200294;Offer,2004a95,2004b96&2004c97;Sampson,Carr,Panke,Arkin,Minvielle,&Vernick,200398);

� checklistsforevaluatingthequalityofdifferenttypesofICTforguidance99.

84 Bosley,C.,Krechowiecka,I.,andMoon,S.(2005).Reviewofliteratureontheuseofinformationandcommunicationtechnologyinthecontextofcareerseducationandguidance.Derby:CentreforGuidanceStudies,UniversityofDerby.Retrieved3August2009,fromhttp://www.derby.ac.uk/files/icegs_review_of_literature_on_the_use_of_ict2005.pdf

85 Bibliographiesavailableinclude:ICTskillsforguidancecounselling:abibliographyfromtheUK;telephonebasedservices&ICTinIAG:briefliteraturereview;useofinformationcommunicationtechnology(ICT);andE-GuidanceinInformation,adviceandguidance.

86 Watts,A.G.(2001).Theroleofinformationandcommunicationtechnologiesinanintegratedcareerinformationandguidancesystem.Brussels:EuropeanCommissionandOECD.Retrieved3August2009,fromhttp://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/35/44/2698249.pdf

87 CommissionoftheEuropeanCommunities(2008).TheUseofICTtosupportinnovationandlifelonglearningforall–areportonprogress(CommissionStaffWorkingDocument).Retrieved4August2009,fromhttp://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-programme/doc/sec2629.pdf

88 Watts&Offer(2006).Opcit.89 Evangelista(2003).Opcit90 Evangelista,L.(2006).Afinalstatementofthemuchdebatedissueifindepthguidancecanbedeliveredusingthe

internet.Retrieved3August2009,fromhttp://www.orientamento.it/english/statement.htm91 Plant,P.(2002).ITincareersguidance:constructsandlearning.Computerassistedcareersguidance:Some

Europeanperspectives.Retrieved4August2009,fromhttp://www.guidanceforum.net/pages/res_general/itguidanceconstructlearning.doc

92 Offer,M.,Sampson,J.P.andWatts,A.(2001).CareersServices:TechnologyandtheFuture.NICECBriefingPaper.Manchester:HECSU.Retrieved3August2009,fromhttp://www.hecsu.ac.uk/hecsu.rd/documents/Reports/Technology%20and%20the%20future.pdf

93 Madahar&Offer(2004).Opcit.94 Offer,M.(2002).Gettingstartedwiththeinternetinadultguidance.Cambridge:NICEC.Retrieved3August2009,

fromhttp://www.guidanceforum.net/pages/res_general/Internet_Guide_PDF_Master.pdf95 Offer,M.(2004a).Givingguidancebyemail:Advisers’checklist.Manchester:GraduateProspectsandHECSU.

Retrieved3August2009,fromhttp://www.guidance-research.org/EG/new-approach/ipgpict/Imp1iii/Imppgpictegres/ImpPCIe-gr/attach/Checklist%20briefing%20-%20orange.pdf

96 Offer,M.(2004b).Whatise-guidance?Usinginformationandcommunicationstechnologyeffectivelyinguidanceservices.Manchester:GraduateProspectsandHECSU.Retrieved3August2009,fromhttp://www.prospects.ac.uk/downloads/csdesk/eguidance/what_is_e-guidance.pdf

97 Offer,M.(2004c).CareersServiceWebSiteDesign.Manchester:GraduateProspectsandHECSU.98 Sampson,J.P.,Carr,D.L.,Panke,J.,Arkin,S.,Minvielle,M.,andVernick,S.H.(2003).DesignStrategiesfor

Need-BasedInternetWebSitesinCounselingandCareerServices(TechnicalReportNumber28).Florida:FloridaStateUniversityRetrieved3August2009,fromhttp://www.career.fsu.edu/documents/technical%20reports/Technical%20Report%2028/TR-28.doc

99 Forexample:Evaluatingthequalityofwebsites;evaluatinginformation;evaluatinginternetresearchsources.

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Alongsidethesteadyincreaseinlevelsofusageofinternet-basedservicesindifferentpartsofthecareersguidancesector,therehasalsobeena‘proliferation’ofprojectsfocusedonenhancingtheskillsofcareersguidancepractitionersintheiruseofinternet-basedservices’100(p.75).

Perhapsbecauseofthespeedatwhichdigitaltechnologiesaredeveloping,keepingup-to-datewiththosemostrelevantforcareersguidance,inadditiontounderstanding,theirpotentialimpactrepresentssomethingofachallengeforserviceproviders.Notunrelatedtothewiderangeofmethodsincludedundertheterm‘internet-basedguidance’(seesection1.3,above)isthegapinunderstandingofwhattheeffectiveuseofinternet-basedservicesincareersguidancepracticeactuallycomprises101.However,theevidencethatdoesexistprovidesanindicationthatcostsavingsontheintroductionofinternetbasedcareersguidanceislikelytobeminimal102.

Withthenextgenerationtechnology(Web3.0)alreadyonthehorizon,theneedtobegintoalignnewtechnologieswithservicedeliveryforcareersguidanceisbecomingmoreurgent.SotowhatextentisICTcurrentlyusedinthedeliveryofcareersguidanceandwhatarethebarrierstointegrationandimplementation?ThreepurposesfortheuseofICTincareersguidancehavebeenidentified:asaresource;forcommunication;andformaterialdevelopment103.

ICT as a resource: As indicated above (section 1.3), for careers guidance, the use of the internet as a resource, especially for labour market information (LMI), is already common in services both for young people and for adults. Yet the potential to use technology to interrogate a wide range of sources, judge the efficacy of different sources, integrate data from a range of sources and disseminate creatively in different formats for different audiences has not been fully realised.

ICT for communication: The use of technology for communication with users in careers guidance remains embryonic, with emails and text messaging playing only a marginal part in the interactions between practitioners and young people.

ICT for material development: Developing different types of materials is probably the most under-developed purpose for internet-based guidance services currently, with considerable untapped potential for the enhancement of materials for young people. Knowledge could be refined, shared and stored within organisational structures so that it is not lost (e.g. when individual employees move on) and could be formally developed and enriched by collaborative endeavour.

(Barnes,LaGroandWatts,2010,p.3)

100BarnesandLaGro(2009).Opcit.101BarnesandLaGro(2009).Watts,(2001).Opcit.102Offeret al.(2001);MadaharandOffer(2004).103Barnes,LaGroandWatts(2010).Opcit.

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However, as indicated in section 1.3 above, along with the undoubted potential of internet-based guidance services, there come considerable challenges. For example:

� Safety and security: as the internet fosters and supports the establishment and growth of new groups and communities, identity, privacy and safety for young people will become increasingly important104. Whilst measures are being taken to develop mechanisms to increase the safety of young people, this is likely to involve a long-term national strategy. In the meantime, careers guidance will have to develop its’ own structures and procedures to safeguard the clients who wish to use online methods of communication and interaction.

� Role of the ‘expert’: as the rapid growth in user (self-generated) content increases, the culture of self-sufficiency will challenge thinking of who, exactly, is the expert (see section 2, above)? In an era when every individual could potentially access information on the web, how does this re-configure the role of the careers practitioner? The careers guidance community needs to address this fundamental challenge to the added value offered by its services. Any workforce development strategy must support and require practitioners to develop skills and understanding that enable them to work more creatively with clients, helping them to develop skills they need themselves to search, merge and mediate LMI to different client groups at different stages of their career development.

� Intellectual property: anywhere that information is produced by collaborative effort, this becomes an issue. Information produced by employees of a particular organisation could be regarded as the intellectual property of that particular organisation – yet can potentially be easily accessed freely available over the web (Anderson, 2007). There needs to be a re-examination of contracting procedures that engender competition and discourage collaboration amongst careers organizations. Where this could be encouraged and supported, the pooling of expertise across organizational boundaries – now made possible by ICT – would offer significant enhancement of LMI resources for all clients. Though there will be issues of copyright and ownership of such materials to be resolved.

The next section will discuss key issues related to workforce development for careers guidance in the integrated use of ICT in service delivery.

104 UK Council for Child Internet Safety has recently been given this responsibility.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

ThecriticalissueoftheworkforcecapacitytodeliverLMIthroughthemediaofICTwithinthecareersguidanceprocesswillbeconsideredinthissection.Giventhespeedofchangeofinternet-basedmethodstodelivercareersguidance,thenewgenerationaccessnetworksonthehorizon105andthecurrentskillgapsamongstthecareersguidanceworkforce,whatiscurrentlyknownabouttheskillsandcompetenciesrequiredforinternet-basedguidance?Aretherecurrentskillgaps?Ifso,whatarethey?Howcanthesebeaddressedandwhatarethechallenges?

4.1 The current state of play

Nationally,abasicentitlementtodigitallifeskillsforalladultsisproposedastheimmediatewayforward106(p.34).Detailedspecificationsof‘digitalskills’areavailable107(p.36)withnextgenerationuserskillspecificationsheraldingthewayforwardontheskilldevelopmentfront108(p.15).Thereis,undoubtedly,anationalchallengetobemetbeforetheUKpopulation(particularlyadults)isequipped,properly,forthedigitalage.Thecareersguidanceworkforce,togetherwithasignificantproportionofitsclients,ispartofthatadultpopulation,withmanyofthesamegenericICTskilldevelopmentissues.Somewillrequirebasicdigitallifeskillstrainingandaproportionwillfallintothecategoriesofadultswhoeitherhaveaccesstotheinternet,butwhoresistusingitoraresimplynotinterested.

Evidenceontheparticularskillsets,togetherwiththecompetencyframeworkswithinwhichtheseskillsetswouldbesituated,iscurrentlylimitedforthecareersguidancesector.Nevertheless,anumberofrelevantinvestigationshavebeencompletedatthenationallevel,theEuropeanlevelandattheinternationallevel109.Inadditiontothecompetencesandskillsrequiredbypractitioners,considerationhasalsobeengiventotheimportantissueofethicalprinciplesfore-guidancedeliveryandusage110.

Fromstudieslikethese,astrongconsensushasemergedaroundICTabilityneedingtoberegardedasintegraltotheoverallprofessionalcapabilityrequiredbycareerspractitioners.Moreover,skill-setsofbothcareersguidancepractitionersandtheirmanagersforrespondingtothechanginginterfacebetweeninternet-basedservicesanduserbehaviourarecurrently‘broadlyunderdeveloped’111(p.7).

105DepartmentforMedia,CultureandSportandtheDepartmentforBusinessEnterpriseandRegulatoryReform,2009.106BIS(2009).Opcit.107Green,H.,andHannon,C.(2007).TheirSpace:Educationforadigitalgeneration.London:Demos.Retrieved3

August2009,fromhttp://www.demos.co.uk/files/Their%20space%20-%20web.pdf108Kay,D.,McGonigle,B.,Patterson,W.andTabbiner,B.(2009).‘NextGenerationUserSkills’.InALT-C2009

“Indreamsbeginsresponsibility”–choice,evidenceandchange,8–10September2009,Manchester.Retrieved12December2009fromhttp://repository.alt.ac.uk/644/1/ALT-C_09_proceedings_090806_web_0291.pdf

109Bimroseet al(inpress).Opcit.110Ariadne(2004).Opcit.Vuorinen,R.andSampson,J.P,(2009).Ethicalguidelinesfore-guidancedeliveryandusage.

eGOS.Retrieved4August2009,fromhttp://www.egos-cip.eu/sites/default/files/D3.1%20Ethical%20guidelines%20for%20e-guidance%20delivery%20and%20usage_1.pdf

111Hughes&Gration(2009).Opcit.

4. Workforce development for implementation

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

ThepotentiallydetrimentalimpactonthecareersguidancesectorofthisdeficitwasconfirmedbyarecentevaluationoftheskillsneedsandtrainingsupplyforcareersguidancerecentlycommissionedbyLifelongLearningUK(LLUK)112,whichconcludedthat:

At present, there is widespread acknowledgement and anticipation that the occupation is moving in the direction of more widespread ICT-based provision of Careers Guidance services to customers and clients. However, the knowledge base of the Career Guidance workforce which is necessary to use ICT technology can be lacking ... This is not conducive to the direction in which the occupation as a whole is moving, with its intended shift towards better and more substantial ICT-based public access through the internet and telecommunications.

(Cobbett,Dodd,Miller,&Shearer,2009,para.8.1.3)

Ifaskillsgaphasbeenbothidentified,andaccepted,asexisting,whataretheworkforcecapacityanddevelopmentissuesforthisareaofcareerspractice?

4.2 Skills and competencies for internet based careers guidance

ToestablishpreciselywhatskillsandcompetenciesarerequiredbythecareersworkforcetodeliverservicesusingICT,itisnecessarytolookbeyondthecareerssectortotheITsectoritself.Threemaincategoriesofe-skillshavebeenidentified:

1 ICT practitioner skills: referring to the skills required to design, develop and maintain ICT systems.

2 E-business skills: referring to the skills necessary to exploit ICT for new business opportunities.

3 ICT user skills: required for the effective application of ICT systems by individuals. In general (‘digital literacy’).

(CEN,2008)

Ofthesethreecategories,userskillsareclearlythemostrelevantforcareersguidance,sincepractitionerswillneedtouseICTefficientlyandeffectivelytodeliverinternet-basedservices.InadditiontoICTuserskills,careerspractitionerswillneedtounderstandhowbesttoselectandtransferskillsandknowledgedevelopedfromfacetofaceinteractionswithclients,toservicedeliveryusingvariousinternet-basedmethods.

112Cobbett,D.,Dodd,F.,Miller,S.andShearer,L.(2009).Skillsneedsandtrainingsupplyforcareerguidance–agapanalysis.NewcastleuponTyne:TrendsBusinessResearchLtd.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

Indeed,recentresearch113arguesthattheskillsandcompetencesrequiredforinternet-basedcareersguidanceneedtoberegardedastwoseparate,butinter-relateddomains.OnedomainrelatestoICTuserskillsandcompetencies,whilsttheotherrelatestomoregenericcareersguidanceskillsandcompetencies.Genericskillswillneedtobetransferredselectivelyandadaptedtodifferentoperationalcontexts.Forexample,theuseofthetelephoneasamethodofdeliveringcareersguidancerequireshighlydevelopedactivelisteningskillstoestablishclientneed,whilstskillsofanalysingtext-basedcommunicationarerequiredforthesamepurposewhenworkingwithtextbasedmethods,likee-mailandchatrooms.Othercareersguidanceskillsarecommonacrossallmethodsofinternet-basedguidance(e.g.empathy,contracting,challenging),withICTuserskills(tooperateatelephonehelplineortoleaddiscussionsinachatroom)neededinparallel.

4.3. Challenges for workforce development

Eventhoughlimited,existingevidenceisclear114.CurrentpatternsofICTusageincareersguidanceservicedeliveryinEnglandlargelyreflectstheroutinerequirementsfortheworkforcetoengagewithtechnologyformandatorypurposes(e.g.inputtingdataintomanagementinformationsystems),butwhenitcomestoitsuseinaproactive,innovativeandcreativewaytodelivercareersguidanceusingiCT,thisisconstrainedandrestricted–oftenbythecontextsinwhichpractitionersoperate.Sowhatarecurrentchallengesforworkforcedevelopment?

� Training support:isbothcrucialandurgentforcareersserviceswishingtodeliverafullyintegratedservicewithaneffectiveinternet-basedcomponent.

Inthelongerterm,furtherresearchisrequiredtoexploreeffectivewaysofprovidingsupportforpractitionerssothattheycanacquiretheknowledgeofhowtoadoptandusetechnologies115.Indeed,currentevidenceindicatesthattheeffectiveuseofICTwilldependincreasinglydependlessonthespecificsofuserskillsandmoreonagenericunderstandingaroundit.SoskillsandcompetencieswillformonlypartofthefoundationsofconfidenceandadequatecompetenceofICTuse116(Dixon,2009).

113Bimroseet al.(inpress)Opcit.114Bimroseet al.(inpress)Opcit.115Price,S.,Roussos,G.,Falcão,T.P.,andSheridan,J.G.(2009).Technologyandembodiment:relationshipsand

implicationsforknowledge,creativityandcommunication.London:Futurelab/DCSF.Retrieved4August2009,fromhttp://www.beyondcurrenthorizons.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/ch3_final_sarahpricefinal.pdf

116Dixon,M.(2009).Informationandcommunicationtechnology,workandemployment.London:DCSF/Futurelab.Retrieved4August2009,fromhttp://www.beyondcurrenthorizons.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/ch4_dixonmatthew_infotechnologyworkemployment20090116.pdf

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

Intheshortterm,trainingsupportwillberequiredtoraiselevelsofconfidenceandawarenessofalreadyexistingskillsandcompetenciesandhowtheycanbeused(digitalliteracy)117.Anon-linee-learningpilottrainingcourseis(atthetimeofwriting)currentlyunderwaywithpractitionersemployedbyCfBT,whichisfocusingonthisaspectofworkforcedevelopment118.Additionally,trainingsupportthatfocusesonhowtoselectandtransferexistingkeycareersguidanceskills(likesummarisingandlisteningskillsfortelephoneguidance)isindicatedforthosepractitionersusingparticularmethodsofdelivery.

� A development approach:whilstprogresshasbeenmadeonidentifyingtheskillsandcompetencesrequiredforthisareaofpractice,thisbodyofworkhas,sofar,neglectedwell-establishedcriticismsofthecompetencebasedapproachtowork-basedlearning119.

Oneofparticularrelevanceinthisparticularcontextistheexclusivefocusonlevel(whetheracertainskilland/orcompetencehasbeenreachedornot)ratherthanincorporatingthenotionthatskillandcompetencecanbedevelopedatanumberoflevels(includingthosebelowaswellasabovetheassessedlevel).Thistypeofdevelopmentalapproachtoskillandcompetencewouldincorporatetheconceptofexpertiseexistingacrossarangeofcriteria(e.g.through‘technicallyabletoperformataskbutwithlimitedpracticalexperience’to‘worldclass’,whereindividualsareabletothinkthrough,andifnecessary,bringaboutchangesinthewaysthattasksaretackled).Suchanapproachincorporatesacommitmenttocontinuousimprovement,essentialforthisareaofcompetencedevelopment120(Brown,2008)inthecareerworkforce.

� An integrating framework for careers practice:thereisalsoaneedtoprovidetrainingsupportfortheintegrationofskillswithinevidence-basedframeworksforcareerspractice,sothattheskillsandcompetenciesrequiredforinternetbasedcareersguidancearefirmlygrounded.ThisisessentialtoensurethattrainingfortheICTdoesnotbecomefragmentedfrommainstreamframeworksforpractice.TherequirementtoembedtrainingforICTwithinanevidence-basedframeworkforpracticewasconfirmedbytherecentanalysisofskillsgapsintheIAGworkforce121:

ICT-based training which is specifically tailored to the context of Career Guidance is lacking. For example, whilst ICT competency training such as the ECDL is available, this is not provided through a grounded Career Guidance framework, and as such does not ensure the targeted development of skills specific to using a computer for Career Guidance purposes.

(Cobbettet al.,2009,para.8.1.3)117BIS(2009).Opcit.Kayet al.,(2009).Opcit.118TheWarwickInstituteforEmploymentResearchisdeliveringthisinnovativetrainingpackage(March–April,2010).119Wolf,A.(1995).Competence-basedassessment.Buckingham:OpenUniversityPress.120Brown,A.(2008).Limitationsoflevels,learningoutcomesandqualificationsasdriverstowardsamoreknowledge-

basedsociety?,US-ChinaEducationReview,5(1),9-17.Retrieved10August2009,fromhttp://www.teacher.org.cn/doc/ucedu200801/ucedu20080102.pdf

121Cobbettet al.,(2009).Opcit.

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4.4 Necessary but insufficient?

Workforcedevelopmentwillbeessentialforthesuccessfulimplementationofeffectiveintegratedinternet-basedcareersservices.Thoughwillthisbesufficient?Recentresearch122indicatesothercriticalsuccessfactorsthatwillneedtobeaddressed.Somehavebeenmentionedabove.Theyincludehighqualitytechnicalinfrastructureandtechnicalsupport;asystematicapproachtochangemanagement;andtheempowermentandengagementofclientsoftheservice.

Thepressurisedoperationalcontextsinwhichcareersorganisationscurrentlyworksimplydefineother,morepressing,priorities,withatendencytosqueezeoutanysystematicfocusontheuseofICTasadevelopmentalissue.Managershaveidentifiedconstraintsonresourceslikelytobeavailableinthenearfuturetoup-gradetechnologyasamajorbarriertoimplementation123.TheserelatebothtothetechnologicalinfrastructurerequiredtodeliverICTbasedservicesandtheongoingtechnologicalsupportthatisessential.Additionally,practitionersaresimilarlycautiousabouttheinhibitingimpactsofboththetechnologicalinfrastructuretowhichtheyhadaccessthroughtheircareersorganizations,aswellastheunreliabilityandtheunpredictabilityoftechnologyintheschoolsinwhichtheyworked124.Thisresourcingneedaroundtechnologyhasimplicationsforthefundersofpublicserviceswhoregardinternet-basedguidanceasapolicypriority.

Itwillbeessentialtowintheheartsandmindsofmanagersandpractitionersmanagersbypersuadingthemthatthebenefitsofembracingthesemethodsofdeliveryoutweightheinvestmentofeffortandresourcerequiredtomakethetransitiontomoreflexiblemethodsofdelivery.Genuinecommitmentfromalllevelsofmanagementwillbecrucial–providingsystemleadership,changemanagementandinnovationinthisareaaswellasensuringthatthetechnicalinfrastructureisfitforpurpose,abletosupporthighlevelsofsophisticatedusage.Afundamentalattitudechangeisindicatedatallstaffinglevelsofcareersservices.

Finally,asindicatedabove,itshouldbeemphasisedthattheextenttowhichcareerspractitionersareabletodeliverefficientandeffectiveintegratedinternet-basedcareersguidanceuniformlytotheirclientswillalwaysdepend,inpartatleast,ontheextenttowhichtheirclientsareengagedandempowered.Thisaspectofprovisionislikelytobelargelyoutsidethecontrolofcareersservices,sincefundamentalsocialequityissuesareimplicatedregardingequalaccesstotechnologyandatechnologicalinfrastructurethatisfitforpurpose.

122Bimroseet al(inpress).Opcit.123Bimroseet al(inpress).Opcit.124Bimroseet al(inpress).Opcit.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

Thesechallengeswillneedtobeaddressedbeforeeffectiveandefficientintegratedinternet-basedcareersguidanceservicescanbedeliveredeffectivelyanduniformlytoclients.Thenextsectionwillexploreexamplesofhowthesechallengesarebeing,orhavebeen,addressed.Onefocusesoncurrentpracticeandreviewsthreewebsites,illustrativeofdifferentapproachestointernet-basedguidance.Theotherfocusesonfutureprospects,bypresentingcuttingedgeresearchanddevelopmentofICTsystemstosupportcareerspractitionersintwodifferentareasoftheirwork(usingLMIandcontinuingprofessionaldevelopment).

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

5. Learning from experience

Thereareundoubtedlymanyexamplesofgoodandinteresting,innovativepracticeinthebroadareaofICT,LMIandIAGincareersorganisationsintheUKandinternationally.ArecentcallforevidencebytheInstituteforCareerGuidance(ICG)hadoverthirtyresponses,withtwelveintheareaofLMIandICT.However,thiscallforevidencewentouttothemembershipoftheICGonly,soisnotrepresentativeofthesectorasawhole.Additionally,responseswererequiredbyatighttimeframe,somanywhomighthaverespondedmaynothavedoneso.Itdoes,however,givesomeindicationofworkunderwaythatisrelevanttoprogressinthisareaofpractice.Oneexistingissue,undoubtedly,isthelackofanymechanismfordrawingtogetherexamplesofgoodandinterestingpracticeasarepositoryofknowledgefromwhichothersinthebroadcommunityofcareersguidancepracticecanlearn.Thetransferofknowledge,whichitselfcouldbenefitfromtheapplicationofICT,isthereforecurrentlylacking.Anotherissueisthattheexistenceofinnovatorypracticeinthisareadoesnotcompriseevidenceofwhatworkswellforclients.

Thisfirstpartofthissectionwillpresentaselectionofcurrentpractice,withaparticularfocusonLMI,ICTandIAG,drawingonpreviousresearch.ThesecondpartwillgiveabriefoverviewofEuropeanfunded,innovatoryresearchunderwayinthisarea.

5.1 Current practice: LMI, ICT and IAG

AnumberofICTdevelopmentsintheareaofcareersguidancearefocusingonparticularaspectsofthecareersguidanceprocess,withafocusonsystemsthatareforusagebyclientsofthecareersguidanceprocess.WiththeintroductionoftheAreaProspectus,theuseofe-portfolios(andsimilar)isbecomingincreasinglycommon.Forexample125,anonlinerecordofachievementforyoungpeopleaged11–19inNottinghamshire,wheretheaimisto:‘helpyoutofindoutmoreaboutyourself,showwhatyouhaveachieved,andtakecontrolofyourfuture!’Manyofthesetypesofinitiativeshavedevelopedaroundthecountry.AnotherexamplefromthetertiaryeducationsectorrelatestotheSchoolofMedicineattheUniversityofLeeds,whichisusingsocialnetworkingande-portfoliostosupportthecareerdevelopmentofitsstudents.

125Passportfolio:linkhttps://www.passportfolio.com/About.aspx

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

UsingICTtoprovidemoreintegratedcareersguidanceservicesischallenging.Thelargertheresourcebaseunderpinningthedevelopmentandmaintenance,themorecomprehensiveisthewebsite.Forexample,CareersWaleshasdevelopeditsownwebsite126,ashasCareersScotland127,CareersServiceNorthernIreland128andtheCareersAdviceService129.InEngland,ConnexionsDirectisavailableforyoungpeople130withnextstep131foradults(pendingthelaunchofthenewwebsitefortheadultservice).WhilstthesetwoportalsserveasacentralresourceforclientsinEngland,eachConnexionsandnextstepcompanyhavetheirownwebsiteportal,mainlyforprovidinginformationandsignpostingclients.

Resourcesavailableforindividualorganisationsarelikelytobemorerestrictedthanthosefornationalservices.Nevertheless,thereareexamplesofinnovatorypracticethatarebeginningtoemerge.OneinterestingexamplethatisatanearlystageofdevelopmentistheMiltonKeynesVirtualConnexionsCentre132,experimentingwiththeuseofavatars.This,again,isaimedatyoungpeople(13–19)andis‘togethelpandadviceonarangeofdifferentissues’.Morespecifically,themenuindicates‘whatyoucandohere’asfollows:

� CreateyourownPersonalProfile.

� ChatonlinewithaPersonalAdviser.

� Exploretheinteractive3Denvironment.

� Getthelatestinfoonjobs,trainingandfurthereducation.

� PlayourCVgameandcreateyourownCV.

� Viewvideoclips.

� JoinourOnlineRadioProject.

� SignupforInfiniteamsteambuildinggames.

� Clickonposte.

126CareersWales:http://www.careerswales.com/server.php?show=nav.5334127CareersScotland:http://www.careers-scotland.org.uk/home/home.asp128CareersServiceNorthernIreland:https://www.careersserviceni.com/Cultures/en-GB/Homepage.htm129http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/130http://www.connexions-direct.com/131http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/educationandlearning/adultlearning/dg_071762132MiltonKeynesvirtualConnexionscentre:http://www.mysaymk.com/positiveactivities/

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

However,thefocusherewillbeonexamplesthathavetakenasaparticularfocusLMI,ICTandIAG.Forthis,findingsfromresearchthatwasundertakenin2006133thatexploredhowICTcouldbeusedtoprovideLMIandlocalLMI(LLMI)aspartofthecareersguidanceprocesswillbedrawnupon.Forthisresearch,aninitialkeywordsearch,using‘labourmarketinformation’,‘locallabourmarketinformation’,‘real-timelabourmarketinformation’,careerdevelopmentandcareerguidanceyieldedapproximately120websitehits.Theresultsfromthissearchwererefined,leavingthirtythreewebsites.Fromthese,tenwereselectedforscrutiny.Thetenwebsiteswereselectedfromthefollowingfourcountries:Australia,NewZealand,theUnitedKingdomandCanada.Eachwasreviewedagainstthefollowingcriteria:

� Theprimarypurposeandtargetgroup(toaddressthequestion:‘Whywasthiswebsitesetup?’).

� TypesofLMIandLLMI(toaddressthequestion:‘WhatmightLMIandLLMIforcareerguidancelooklikeinpractice,consideringexamplesfromtherestoftheUK,theUS,AustraliaandCanada?’).

� TheinterfacesthroughwhichLMI/LLMIcanbeaccessed(toaddressthequestion:‘Howmightitbedelivered?’).

� ThesuitabilityoftheLMI/LLMI(toaddressthequestion:‘Whatlessonscanbelearned?’).

� Theregistrationprocess(toaddressthequestion:Whatlessonscanbelearned?).

� Anyadditionalnoteworthyaspectsofthesite(again,toaddressthequestion:Whatlessonscanbelearned?).

Thein-depthresearchintothetenwebsitesprovidingLMI/LLMIaspartoftheservicesprovidedbycareercounselling,careerdevelopmentorprogressionwebsitesprovidedinsightsintotheprocessofsettingupandmaintainingthistypeofwebsite,togetherwiththestart-upandoperationalcosts.Fromthisreview,examplesofthebroadcareersguidancetopicsofferedacrossthetenwebsiteswereidentified.Theseincluded:

� Personalprofiling/careerportfolio

� Trendsandpatternsofwork

� Occupations

� Educationandtraining

133UniversityofStrathclydeandBimrose,J.(2006)‘Labourmarketinformationforcareerdecision-making’,Coventry:CentreforStudiesinEnterprise,CareerDevelopmentandWorkandWarwickInstituteforEmploymentResearch.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

� Choosingsubjects

� Gettingajob

� Becomingself-employed

� Workingoverseas

� Gettingbacktoworkafterlongabsence

� Howtoperforminthelabourmarket

� Self-assessment/careermatch

� CVbuilder

� Coursesearch

� Worksearch

� Studentlife

AsummaryofkeyfindingsfromthisresearchcanbefoundinAppendix1.

AcurrentexampleoftheuseofICTtodeliverLMIasapartofthecareersguidanceprocessisfromConnexionsKent.Here,athreeyearresearchproject,whichpilotedthreeversionsofawebsitewithyoungpeopleandcareersprofessionals,hasresultedinawebsiteforyoungpeoplecalledCareersConstructor,whichhasLMIatitscentre.ThiswebsiteintegratesLMIfromvarioussources(e.g.fromConnexionsDirectwebsiteandicould134)sothatusers(inthiscase,youngpeople)canresearch,store,developandrefinetheirownpersonalisedLMI–thenusethisasabasisfordevelopingtheirpersonalprofileandCV.Thiscanallbedonewiththehelporcareerprofessionalsand/orpeers.ItisdueforlaunchinApril,2010.

OnefinalcurrentexamplefromFinlandrelatestothehighlysuccessfuluseofICTtomanageworkexperienceplacementsforstudents.Forstudents,thewebsite135providesinformationoneducationalproviders,occupations,linkstothecompaniesprovidingplacements,examplesofassignments,informationhowtocontactthecompaniesetc.Someofthematerialsarepresentedasvideoclips(e.g.howtoprepareyourselfinajobinterview),withthevideohavingastory,likearealityTVcompetition.

134Icould:http://icould.com/135Finnishworkexperiencewebsite:http://www.peda.net/veraja/tori/oppilas2/video

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

Importantly,thisdevelopmentillustratedtheintegrateduseofICT,sincethewebsitecanbeviewedalsoinmobilephone(withthisbeingonefeaturethatwasincludedintheusabilitytestforthesite).Thestudentshavealsoaplatformwheretheycansharetheirlearningdiariesoruploadanyrelevantdocumentationofthisperiod.Thematerialscanbesharedwiththeschoolcounsellororamongotherstudentsifitisagreedbythewholegroup.Thestudentscandownloadvideoclipstogetpreparedforjobinterviews.Thevideoscanbeviewedinmobilephonesaswell.

Thenextsectionwillcontinuethethemeofresearchanddevelopmentinthisareabyconsidering,briefly,anongoingresearchprojectthatisworkingtodevelopICTsystemstosupportcareerspractitionersinEnglandwiththeuseofLMIintheirpractice,togetherwiththeirowncontinuingprofessionaldevelopmentinthisarea.

5.2 Innovatory research: pushing the boundaries

WhilstmuchinnovationusingICTandLMIinIAGisaroundsystemsfortheclientsofcareersguidance,thereisconsiderablepotentialforenhancingthequality(andthereforeimpact)ofservicesbydevelopingICTsystemstosupportcareerspractitionersintheirwork.AnexamplerelatestoaEuropeanresearchanddevelopmentproject.MATUREisafouryearproject(2008-2012)whichisbeingundertakenaspartoftheEuropeanSeventhFrameworkprogramme.ItismanagedbyFZIResearchCentreforInformationTechnologies,atechnologytransfercentreattheUniversityofKarlsruhe,Germany,whichhasbroughttogetheranexperiencedconsortiumofexperts.Therearetwelvecorepartnersinthisconsortium,comprisingeightUniversitiesandresearchinstitutes(basedinGermany,Austria,SwitzerlandandEngland)andfourcompanies.Detailsofthesepartnerscanbeaccessedat:http://mature-ip.eu/en/consortium.WarwickInstituteforEmploymentResearchisoneoftheprojectpartners,workingwiththreeapplicationpartnersthatareallcareersguidanceorganisations:ConnexionsKent,ConnexionsNorthumberlandandCfBT.

TheaimofMATUREistodeveloptechnology-basedtoolstosupportknowledge-maturingprocesseswithinorganisationsandisbasedontheideathatorganisationalagilityhasbecomecriticalforeconomiccompetitiveness.Forfurtherinformationabouttheproject,pleaseseeAppendix2.Oneofitskeyfeaturesisusercentreddesign,whichinvolvesaniterativeresearchprocess,workingalongsideprospectiveusersofthesystemtodevelopandrefinewhatisneeded–andwhatwouldwork–inaparticularoperationalcontext.ApplicationscenariosforthedevelopmentoftwoofthesystemsunderdevelopmenthavebeendrawnfromEnglishcareersorganisations.Thefocusofknowledgematurationinthescenariosuponwhichthesystemsarebeingdevelopedistwofold.OneisaroundthedevelopmentofLMIbycareerspractitionerstobeusedforvariouspurposes.TheotheristhedevelopmentofasystemtosupportthecontinuingprofessionaldevelopmentintheareaofLMIforcareersguidance.

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Specifically,thefirstsystemunderdevelopmentisfocusingonthedevelopmentofatechnologybasedtoolthatwillsupportcareerspractitionerstoresearch,refineanddevelopLMIforclients,withinasocialnetworkofexperts.Itiscurrentlyknownas‘AssuringQualityforSocialLearninginContentNetworks’andisfocusedontheproductionofhighqualitypersonalisedLMIforcareersguidanceinaparticularcontext.

Assuring Quality for Social Learning in Content Networks

ThesystemwillprovideacommunitydrivenqualityassuranceprocesstosupportpractitionersinthedevelopmentofLMIaspartoftheirdailywork.Thequalityassurancesystemrelatestoboththepersonalneedforacareersadvisertofindappropriateandup-to-dateLMIasfastaspossibleforthecurrentworkcontextandtotheorganisationalneedofachievingacoherentandhighqualityorganisationalidentityinthedevelopmentofknowledgeproducts.Thereisaneedforanadvisertohaveconfidencethatadocumentisappropriateforparticularpurposes.Theorganisation,ontheotherhand,isinterestedintracking,assuringandcontributingtoqualityofdocumentsandprocesses.Thisisachievedbyprovidingindicatorsforqualityassurance,providingaccesstoanoverviewoftheknowledgebaseandbyprovidingpossibilitiesforresearchingtheknowledgebase.

ASemanticMediaWikiwaschosenasabasisforthedesignstudyprototype,enhancedwithadditionalfunctionalities.ThesystemdemonstratorrespondstofeedbackfromaworkshopthattookplaceinJanuary2009togainideasforfurtherdevelopment.Thus,thisdemonstratorisalsobasedonaMediaWikiforcontentcreationandsharingbutwillprovideadifferentinterface.Itwillbewidgetbasedandplatformindependent.Furthermore,itwillallowforapersonalandorganizationalspace,takingintoaccountprivacyrestrictions.

AsecondsystembeingdevelopedaspartoftheMATUREprojectbyanothertechnicalteamisfocusingontheidentificationofparticularorganisationalcompetenciesandskills.Thenamecurrentlyusedforthistoolis‘peopletagging’.

People tagging for internet based careers guidance

HumanResourcedevelopmentneedstohavesufficientinformationabouttheneedsandcurrentcapabilitiesofcurrentemployeestomaketherightdecisions.Inservicedeliverycontextsthatmustberesponsivetothechangingneedsofclients,likeConnexionsservices,itisnecessarytoestablishpreciselywhatadditionalskillsandcompetenciesarerequiredtokeepupwithnewdevelopments,likeinternet-basedguidance.Thepeopletaggingtoolwouldprovideaclearindicationof:

� Whattypeofexpertiseisneeded?

� Howmuchoftherequisiteexpertisealreadyexistswithintheorganisation?

� Whatgapsinspecificskillsandcompetenciesexist?

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

TakethescenarioofwhereanovicecareerspractitionerneedstorespondtoaclientLMIqueryusinginternetbasedguidance.Thepractitionerdoesnotfeelsufficientlyconfidenttorespondadequately,soneedstocontactacolleaguewhoismoreknowledgeable,forsupport.Thekeyproblemswouldbe:

� Howdoesthepractitionerfindtherightpersontocontact?

� Howcanthepractitionerfindpeopleinside,andevenoutside,theimmediateemployingorganisationwiththerequisiteskillssettosupportthenovice?

� Howcanappropriatecolleagueswhomightbeabletosupportthepractitionerbeidentifiedandcontactedquicklyandefficiently?

Typically,employeedirectories,whichsimplyliststaffandtheirareasofexpertise,havebeenfoundtobeinadequate.Thiscanbebecauseinformationcontainedinthedirectoriesbecomesoutdatedquickly;orisnotdescribedinamannerrelevanttopotentialusers;orfocusestoomuchon‘experts’;andtheyoftendonotincludeexternalcontacts.

The‘peopletagging’tooloffersanalternativeapproachtoorganisationaldirectories,where:

� Colleagueswithrelevantskillsandcompetenciescanbe‘tagged’collaborativelywithotherexternalcontacts(ifandwhererelevant).

� Knowledgecanbesharedandawarenessstrengthenedwithintheorganisationalcontextaroundwhoknowswhat.

� Thetooloffersthefacilitytoundertakeacollectivereviewofexistingskillsandcompetenciesonanon-goingbasis.

Thetoolthereforeofferssupportforindividuallearning,wherecareerspractitionerscancollaboratewithpeerswithdifferentskillssetsfromtheirown.Italsoofferssupportfororganisationallearningbysupportingreflectiononwhatisknownaboutotheremployeesandidentifyinggapsinthecurrentexpertiseandcapabilitiesoftheworkforce.

Itishopedthatovertheperiodoftheproject,thetwosystemswillbeintegrated,sothatpractitionerscandeveloptheirCPDaroundLMIalongsidedevelopinghighqualityLMIfordifferentpurposes.Thisisanambitiousresearchanddevelopmentprojectwhichhasthepotentialtoimprove,fundamentally,thewayinwhichLMIcouldbeproducedforcareersguidance,usingICT.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

Information and communication technologies

Technologyinfluenceseveryaspectofourlivesanditsrapidprogressionshowsnosignsofslowingdown.Ithasalreadymadeaconsiderableimpactonthewaysthatcareersguidanceservicesaredelivered,butthereismuchuntappedpotentialtobeexploited.Onekeychallengefortheimmediatefutureistoensurethatthecareersguidancesectorisequippedtorespondtothesedemands.Notonlydoesitneedtobeabletocomprehendthepotentialofafullyintegratedsystemofinformationandcommunicationtechnologies(ICT)forincreasingthequalityandflexibilityofservicesitoffers,butitneeds,urgently,todevelopitsworkforcecapability(managersaswellaspractitioners)togetherwithitstechnicalinfrastructureandpolicies.Someotherchallengesthatwillneedtobeaddressedarebeyondthescopeofthecareersguidancesector.Theseincludesafetyandprivacyissuesforserviceusers(especiallyyoungpeople);socialequityissuesrelatingtothedigitaldivide;andthenationaltechnologicalinfrastructureneededtosupportthedeliveryofinternetbasedcareersguidanceservices.

Policy context

WiththeintroductionandimplementationoftheUKskillsagendahascomeanincreasingemphasisonthekeyrolethatcareerguidancecan,andmust,playinincreasingthenation’seconomiccompetitiveness.InEngland,servicesforadultsremainseparatefromthoseforyoungpeople,whilstinWales,NorthernIrelandandScotland,integratedcareersservicesareoffered.Runninginparallelwiththeemphasisontheimportanceofcareersguidancehasbeenadualpolicyfocusonserviceshavinghighqualitylabourmarketinformation(LMI)attheircentreandonintegratingICTinitsdelivery.AssumptionsunderpinningthisdualfocusseemtorelatetothepotentialofhighqualityemployerbasedLMIforimprovingthequalityofcareersguidanceandthepotentialofICTforincreasingtheflexibilityandthereforeimpactofservices.Itremainstobeseenwhethertheseassumptionsarevalid.

Information, advice and guidance (IAG) or careers guidance?

Theintroductionoftheterm‘Information,adviceandguidance’(IAG)occurredlessthanadecadeagoinEngland,viatheintroductionofapolicyframeworkforadults.AlthoughtheusageofthistermspreadmoregraduallytoservicesforyoungpeopleinEngland,itsadoptionhasbeensomewhatpiecemealboththroughoutthefourhomecountriesoftheUKand,indeed,withinsub-sectorsoftheguidancesector.Internationalorganisations(e.g.theOECD)andprofessionalassociations(e.g.theInstituteofCareerGuidance)haveretaineduseoftheterm‘careersguidance’,ashavemanyindividualprofessionals,inprivateifnotinpublic.Theintroductionofthisterminologyandtherenamingofcareersguidanceprofessionalsinsomepartsofthesectorresultedinfragmentationofthesectorandacrisisintheoccupationalidentityofmanypractitionersdeliveringservices.

6. Conclusions

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

AspartofthepolicyfocusonsocialinclusionandNEETs(youngpeopleNotinEducation,EmploymentorTraining),theworkthatcareerspractitionershadroutinelyundertakenwithemployersmore-or-lessceased.Thishashadconsequencesintermsoftheexpertisebuiltthroughstrongnetworksthatpractitionerstypicallywereabletobuildwithlocalemployersanderodedtheknowledgebaseofpractitionersaroundlocallabourmarketinformation.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) and careers guidance

ThepotentialofusingICTtodelivercareersguidanceservicehaslongbeenrecognisedbythebroadcommunityofcareersguidancepractice.Thespeedatwhichtechnologyisdevelopinghasresultedinarapidexpansioninthemethodsidentifiedforthedeliveryofinternetbasedguidance.WhilstintegratedservicedeliveryrequiresacoherenceapproachintheuseofICTmethodsharnessed,ariftisdevelopinginpractice.Forexample,telephoneguidanceservicesarenowbeingregardedasa‘separatechannel’ofdeliveryforthenewadultcareersservice,existingalongsideonlineandface-to-faceservices.

Thedistinctionbetweendigitalnativesanddigitalimmigrantsisrelevantinthiscontext.Regardingservicesforyoungpeople,theclientsaredigitalnativeswhilstthemajorityofpractitionersaredigitalimmigrants.Incontrast,forservicesforadults,boththemajorityofclientsandpractitionersdeliveringserviceswillbedigitalimmigrants.Thishasprofoundimplicationsforservicedelivery.

Thedigitaldivideisalsoafactorinthedeliveryofcareersservicesusinginternetbasedservice.Thereisarealdangerthatdisadvantagedindividuals,withaparticularneedforcareersguidancesupport,willbeexcludedifservicedeliverycomestodependonaccesstoICTbeforenationalpoliciesaddressthetwinissuesofdigitalinfrastructureanddigitaluserskills.

OtherchallengestointroducingintegratedICTcareersguidanceservicesexist,suchassafetyandprivacy,intellectualpropertyandthetechnologicalinfrastructurewithinwhichserviceswillbedelivered.

Labour market information for careers guidance delivered through ICT

Differentskillsetsarerequiredbycareerspractitionersforprovidingtheirclientswithdirect,unmediatedaccesstoLMIthroughtheuseofICTandthoserequiredtoprovideclientswiththesupportnecessaryfortheinterpretationofLMIforanindividual’sparticularcircumstancesandcareerprogression.Whilstmanyclientswantdirectaccesstoinformation,oncetheyhavegotthis,theyoftenneedhelpmakingsenseofit.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

TheSectorSkillsCouncils(SSCs)arewellpositionedtocollectanddisseminatehighquality,currentandcomprehensivesector-basedLMIforcareersguidance.However,therearecertainlimitationsassociatedwiththeuseofthisLMIforcareersguidance,liketheinconsistenciesrelatedtothedifferentsizesofSSCsandtheirinabilitytorespondtoclientcareerprogressionqueriesthatinvolvetransitionsbetweensectors.Additionally,LMIforuseinobjectivecareersguidanceneedstomeetcertaincriteria(likeimpartiality).

IntheiruseofLMIincareersguidancethroughICT,practitionerswillneedtobecomesophisticatedintheirresearchandinterpretationofdatafromvariedsources.Notonlyisitbecomingincreasinglyimportantforpractitionerstodeveloptheskills,knowledgeandunderstandingtoaccess,interpretandmediateLMIfortheirclients,butitisalsoimportantforthemtosupportthelearningoftheirclientsinthisarea.Thisposesasetofchallengesforworkforcedevelopment.

Workforce capability

AstrongconsensushasemergedaroundtheabilitytouseICTbeingregardedasintegraltotheoverallprofessionalcapabilityrequiredbycareerspractitioners.However,thecurrentskill-setsofbothcareersguidancepractitionersandtheirmanagersforrespondingtothechanginginterfacebetweeninternet-basedservicesanduserbehaviourarecurrentlybroadlyunderdeveloped,withthisskillsdeficithavingapotentiallydetrimentalimpactonsectorasawhole.

Theskillsandcompetencesrequiredforinternet-basedcareersguidanceneedtoberegardedastwoseparate,butinter-relateddomains.OnerelatestoICTuserskillsandcompetencies,whilsttheotherrelatestomoregenericcareersguidanceskillsandcompetencies.Genericskillswillneedtobetransferredselectivelyandadaptedtodifferentoperationalcontexts(liketelephoneguidance).

Potential for development

Despitethechallengesthatwillhavetobeaddressed,thereisenormousandexcitingpotentialinharnessingICTtodeliverLMIfocusedcareersguidance.TherearemanywebsitesthatprovideclientswithaccesstoLMIandLLMIinmanyformats.Additionally,therearewebsitesthathaveattemptedtointegrateaccesstoLMIwithotheraspectsofcareersdevelopment(likeCVdevelopment).Themorenotablewebsitesarethosemanagedandresourcedbynationalgovernments.

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

ThereareanincreasingnumbersofexamplesfromtheUKcontextofinnovatorypracticearoundtheuseofLMIandICTinpractice.ThoughwhatisnotableisanalmostexclusivefocusontheuseofICTtodeliverservicestoclients,ratherthantosupportcareersguidancepractitionerstodeveloptheirownexpertise–particularlyintheuseofLMI.OneresearchprojectiscurrentlyharnessingtechnicalexpertisefromEuropetodevelopsystemsthatfocusonsupportingcareerspractitionersintheiruseofLMIusingICT.

Overall,examplesfromcurrentpracticehighlighttheinnovatoryapproachesbeingpiloted,thathavethepromiseofsupportingthedeliveryofgreatlyenhancedservicestoclients.

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Appendix 1: A summary of research findings into websites delivering LMI

Reference: UniversityofStrathclydeandBimrose,J.(2006)‘Labourmarketinformationforcareerdecision-making’,Coventry:CentreforStudiesinEnterprise,CareerDevelopmentandWorkandWarwickInstituteforEmploymentResearch.

In-depthresearchintothetenwebsitesprovidingLMI/LLMIaspartoftheservicesprovidedbycareercounselling,careerdevelopmentorprogressionwebsiteshasprovidedinsightsintotheprocessofsettingupandmaintainingthistypeofwebsite,togetherwiththestart-upandoperationalcosts.Specifically:

� Withoneexception(thatis,acommercialwebsitethatofferedajobplacementservicebymatchingindividualstojobsfromalargedatabase)thewebsitesresearchedwereownedandmanagedbygovernmentdepartmentsateitherthenationalorregionallevel.

� LMI/LLMIwasusedonthewebsitesresearchedaspartofamuchbroadermenuofcareerdevelopmentactivitiesand/orinformation.

� ThewebsitesresearchedusedothersourcesofLMI/LLMI.

� VariousmethodswereusedtoprovideaccesstoLMI/LLMI:directlinkstodatabasesandreports;navigationalheadingslike‘FrequentlyAskedQuestions’;‘needsbased’categorisationsystems(e.g.adultzone,schoolzone,learningzone);andthrougharangeofdifferenttypesofsearchfacilities(likejobsearches).

� Mostwebsitesweredesignedtomeettheneedsofbothyoungpeopleandadults,withparticularsectionstargetedatspecialisttargetgroups(likeschoolleavers).

� Mostwebsitesresearchedwerestillevolvinginthesensethattheywerecontinuingtoimprovethestructureandcontentforusers.Insomecases(e.g.NewZealand)thiswasinresponsetotwocareerorganisationsmerging,withtheconsequencethattwowebsiteshadtobemerged.Inothers,theprocessofcontinuousqualityimprovementwasinformedbyuserfeedback.

� Registrationrequirementswerekepttoaminimum.Onlywhereusersmightwishtostorepersonalinformation(likeinaCVbuilder)weretheyrequiredtocompletearegistrationprocedure.

� Onlyonewebsiteofferedasectionthatparticularlyaddressedtheneedsofdisadvantagedgroups.

Appendices

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

� Threewebsitesprovidedinformationrelatingtocosts.Fromthis,itwasevidentthatinvestmentinthestart-upcostsofthistypeofwebsiteisconsiderable,withmaintenancecostsrelativelymoderate.Thenumberofdedicatedteam-membersworkingonmaintainingandupdatingwebsitesdependedonthesizeandpurposeofthewebsite.Thisrangedfrom14.5FTEsto2.7FTEs.

� KeychallengesidentifiedinsettingupandmaintainingsystemstodeliverLMI/LLMIforcareerguidancewere:bringingtogetherateamofpeoplewiththenecessaryskillsets;beingpreparedtostartoffmodestly,thenbuildingonexperience;settingatimescalethatisrealisticandcanbeachieved;andthechoice,structureandbasicdesignofthewebsitecontent.

� Noneofthewebsitesreportedanyinvolvementorsupportfrombusiness.

� KeyplayerswereidentifiedasgovernmentorganisationsthatwereabletoprovidemuchoftheLMI/LLMI.

� Advicetoconsiderwhensettingupasimilarsystemincluded:startoffsmallandexpand;keepcontrolofthedataupload(ratherthancontractthisouttoICTspecialists);andarrangetogoandvisitatleastonewebsitefirsthandandtalktothoseinvolvedinitsoperation.

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Appendix 2: MATURE Publicity flyer

Thecareers,learningandskillsteamattheUniversityofWarwick’sInstituteforEmploymentResearchisworkinginaconsortiumofEuropeanpartnerstodevelopICTthatwillsupportguidancepractitionersintheiruseoflabourmarketinformation(LMI)withclients.Theprojectisatanearlystageofdevelopment,buteventsareplannedtoensurethatguidancepractitionersandmanagersarefullyconsultedonproblemsandbarrierstotheeffectiveuseofLMIinpractice.Belowismoreinformationabouttheproject-orcontactJennyBimrose:jenny.bimrose@warwick.ac.uk(telephone02476524231).

What is MATURE?

MATUREisafouryearproject(2008-2012)whichisbeingundertakenaspartoftheEuropeanSeventhFrameworkprogramme.ItismanagedbyFZIResearchCenterforInformationTechnologies,atechnologytransfercentreattheUniversityofKarlsruhe,Germany,whichhasbroughttogetheranexperiencedconsortiumofexperts.Therearetwelvecorepartnersinthisconsortium,comprisingeightUniversitiesandresearchinstitutes(basedinGermany,Austria,SwitzerlandandEngland)andfourcompanies.Detailsofthesepartnerscanbeaccessedat:http://mature-ip.eu/en/consortium

Aim of MATURE

TheaimofMATUREistodeveloptechnology-basedtoolstosupportknowledge-maturingprocesseswithinorganisationsandisbasedontheideathatorganisationalagilityhasbecomecriticalforeconomiccompetitiveness.

What is organisational agility?

Thisreferstothewaysorganisationsdeveloptheabilitytorespondquicklyto:

� opportunities,changesintheiroperatingenvironmentandchangingstakeholderneeds;

� overcomeinertia;and

� maintainthebalancebetweenrespondingefficientlytostimuliandmaintainingtheirfocus.

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Appendix 2: MATURE Publicity flyer

The careers, learning and skills team at the University of Warwick’s Institute for Employment Research is working in a consortium of European partners to develop ICT that will support guidance practitioners in their use of labour market information (LMI) with clients. The project is at an early stage of development, but events are planned to ensure that guidance practitioners and managers are fully consulted on problems and barriers to the effective use of LMI in practice. Below is more information about the project- or contact Jenny Bimrose: jenny.bimrose@warwick.ac.uk (telephone 024 7652 4231).

What is MATURE? MATURE is a four year project (2008-2012) which is being undertaken as part of the European Seventh Framework programme. It is managed by FZI Research Center for Information Technologies, a technology transfer centre at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, which has brought together an experienced consortium of experts. There are twelve core partners in this consortium, comprising eight Universities and research institutes (based in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and England) and four companies. Details of these partners can be accessed at: http://mature-ip.eu/en/consortium Aim of MATURE The aim of MATURE is to develop technology-based tools to support knowledge-maturing processes within organisations and is based on the idea that organisational agility has become critical for economic competitiveness. What is organisational agility? This refers to the ways organisations develop the ability to respond quickly to:

opportunities, changes in their operating environment and changing stakeholder needs;

overcome inertia; and

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LMI, ICT IAG: The way forward?

MATUREisconcentratingonthewayorganisationalagilityrequiresorganisationstosupportthedevelopmentoftheiremployees’competencies,sothattheeffectivenessofknowledgeworkandinformationisimproved.Recentfailuresoforganisation-drivenapproachestotechnologyenhancedlearningcontrastsharplywiththesuccessofcommunity-drivenapproachestodevelopinginformationandknowledge(likeWeb2.0including,socialnetworking,blogs,wikis,podcastsetc.).Thisindicatesthattoachieveagilitywithinorganisations,employees’collectiveskills,knowledgeandunderstandinghavetobedeveloped,forexamplethroughengagementwithcollaborativelearningactivities.Thislearninganddevelopment,inturn,canthenbecombinedwithnewformsoforganisationalsupportforlearninganddevelopment,andforimprovingworkprocessesinday-to-daypractice.

What are ‘knowledge workers’ and knowledge-maturing processes?

Theglobalshiftawayfromtheindustrialsocietytowardstheinformationsocietybroughtwithitthecreationof‘knowledgeworkers’.Generally,thesearepeoplewhoworkprimarilywithinformation,orwhodevelopanduseknowledgeintheworkplace.AkeyassumptionunderpinningMATUREisthatfortheseworkers,individuallearningprocessesarelinkedtoorganisationallearningina‘knowledge-maturingprocess’,duringwhichknowledgecontinuallychangesinnature.Thisknowledgecantakemanyforms(forexample,relatedtoworktasksorprocesses)andonegoalofMATUREistounderstandthismaturingprocessbetter,sothattoolsandservicescanbedevelopedtosupportthisprocess.

IAG practitioners as knowledge workers?

Information,adviceandguidance(IAG)practitionersareknowledgeworkersintheiruselabourmarketinformation(LMI)becauseoftherequirementsforthemto:useandobtaindifferentsourcesofinformationandknowledge(whichiscurrentandaccurate)onthelabourmarket;extractkeyinformation;interpretandmanipulatethatdataforclientsoftheirservice;andsharethatknowledgewithcolleagues.Suchaprocessinvolvescontinuouslearningandknowledgedevelopment–knowledgematuring.

What tools and services will MATURE develop?

Tosupporttheprocessofknowledgematuringwithinorganisations,toolsandserviceswillbedevelopedbytheMATUREproject.Thesewillinclude:

� aPersonalLearning&MaturingEnvironment,embeddedintotheworkingenvironment,enablingandencouragingtheindividualtoengageinmaturing/learningactivitieswithincommunitiesandbeyond;

� anOrganisationalLearning&MaturingEnvironment,enablingtheorganisationtoanalyseandtake-upcommunityactivities,toreseedinnovationprocessesandtoapplyguidingstrategies.

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MATURE Application Partners and Associate Partners

OneofthemajoroutcomesoftheMATUREprojectwillbeananalysisofreal-worldmaturingpractices,resultinginasoundgeneralconceptualmodeloftheknowledgematuringprocess,togetherwithanunderstandingofwaystoovercomebarrierstoit(particularlyincludingmotivationalandsocialinfluences).

Theproject,therefore,hasasmallnumberoftest–orapplication–partners,forpilotingthetoolsandprocessesbeingdeveloped.TheseincludetwoUKbasedorganisationsofferinginformation,adviceandcareersguidance.

Inaddition,MATUREhasanumberofAssociatePartners,consistingofcompaniesofallsizesaswellasresearchinstitutions.AkeyrolefortheseAssociatePartnersisinthedisseminationandexploitationactivities.Thispartnernetworkwillhaveearlyaccesstoprojectresultsandwillbeinvitedtoprovideinputandfeedbacktotheprojectdevelopments.MATUREwillhaveatleastthreeassociatedpartnerworkshops.ForinformationonthecurrentnetworkofAssociatePartners,goto:

http://mature-ip.eu/en/associate-partners

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