Identifying Personal Career Options Using Computer Based Technology and Context In Guidance John Kelly, CASCAiD Ltd IAEVG Conference 2009 Finland

Identifying Personal Career Options Using Computer Based Technology and Context In

Guidance

John Kelly, CASCAiD Ltd

IAEVG Conference 2009 Finland

Introduce CASCAiD Ltd

• Founded in 1969, now a company wholly owned by Loughborough University

• Employs 38 people with skills in software development and occupational research

• CASCAiD is committed to providing high quality computer software to assist in careers education and guidance throughout the UK and internationally

– Comprehensive database of UK careers supported by multimedia content

– “Careers Matching” interests inventory

– Skills assessment and matching tools

– Action planning for career management

– Careers education and guidance programmes

Principles of CASCAiD’s career guidance software

• CASCAiD’s software aims to help users by being:

– OPEN

• The client sees how occupations have been analysed

• The client sees why each career has been suggested

– CLIENT-CENTRED

• Results are based on the client’s own responses

• The client is given the freedom to amend responses

• The client can assess the relevance of the information for themselves


• CASCAiD’s software aims to help users by being:

– LEARNING BASED

• Clients explore new ways of thinking about careers, including how they feel about particular aspects of work

• Clients learn more about each career through the detailed occupational information

– REFLECTIVE

• Clients reflect on how their likes and dislikes affect the sorts of careers suggested

• This self-reflection and analysis may lead to further research and discussion in a broader context


• CASCAiD software is used for a variety of purposes:

– To raise questions and identify issues for discussion with a careers counsellor

– To encourage clients to investigate careers further

– To provide new career ideas and widen their horizons


• CASCAiD software is used…

– …with a variety of individuals of all ages and abilities in:

• Employment

• Unemployment

• Education

• Training

– …with varying needs:

• Wishing to change career

• With a qualification potential ranging from no qualifications to degree level and beyond

• Investigating training and/or higher education choices

• Investigating career choices generally

Preparation of Careers Data

• Details of an occupation are researched from a variety of sources

• Information is organised into the following fields:

– Description

– Characteristics of the profession

– Work activities

– Personal qualities & skills

– Employment opportunities

– Entry routes

– Other information

• This information is then checked by the relevant professional body

Preparation of Career Matching Data

• Each career detail is analysed in terms of the “aspects of work” which are important to it

• Each aspect of work follows these criteria in relation to careers

– It is an essential feature of, or occurs frequently in, a number of careers

– It differentiates between careers

– It is of consistent prominence within any one career

• Some factors are omitted, e.g. personal talent, which might out-weigh all other considerations in a career like singer or professional sportsman

Preparation of Career Matching Data

• For each career have a list of aspects from a total of 117

• Ideally each career should have at least one central aspect from the first 39 asked in the program

• The allocation of a career’s aspects is compared with other careers:

– Careers that have the same aspects

– Similar jobs (often from same types of work) to see if they involve similar aspects

• If possible the allocation is checked with the relevant professional body and/or a number of individuals in that career

• If work activity information is changed then aspects are reviewed

Career Matching Process

• A user is asked whether they are interested in each aspect of work

– 5 possible answers (Like very much, Like, Dislike, Dislike very much and Does not matter)

• Questions are asked in two groups

– First 39 aspects occur in most careers

• Provides an initial match list

– Subsequent 77 aspects

• Refine the match list

• The user must indicate their qualification level before the initial match list

– Levels 1 – 5 (can select any number or permutation)


• Each career starts out as a suitable match

• Each stage of process either leaves career as suitable or demotes it

• Eventually all of the careers are allocated one of the following match comments

– Very Good, Good or Fair

• These are suitable careers

– Questionable

• These are less suitable careers

– Poor

• These are unsuitable careers


• Careers are ranked in order of suitability within each group and shown in this order in the careers suggestions list

– Typically the user is presented with a list of the top 20 or 40 matched careers

• Selecting a career allows the user to examine their responses to the aspects for that career

– “Suitable for me?”

• Matching comment, both regarding qualification level and interests match

• List of all aspects with the users responses

• User can alter their responses at any time

Approach to International versions

• Partnership approach

– CASCAiD responsibilities:

• Provide careers assessment software as a basis

• Technical expertise

• Training

• Project management

– Partner responsibilities:

• Translation

• Adaptation of occupational data

• Advise on other changes and additional features

• Training of counsellors

• Introduction to the market

Approach to international versions

• Existing International Collaboration:

– Italy

– Belgium

– Canada

– Croatia

– Denmark

– Ireland

– Norway

– Scotland

– Slovenia

– Sweden

– United States

Collaboration for S.OR.PRENDO

• Adaptation and research

– Adaptation and testing of CASCAiD’s Adult Directions career matching program: S.OR.PRENDO.

• Partnership between:

– CASCAiD Ltd

– Regione Friuli-Venezia Giulia

• Information research and testing by:

– Risorse per L’Orientamento e il Lavoro, department of ASTER

Collaboration for S.OR.PRENDO

• The S.OR.PRENDO project 2003 - 2006:

– Phase 1 – agreeing the project plan and scope

– Phase 2 – deciding on scope of occupational data (now some 300 careers)

– Phase 3 – training in CASCAiD occupational data philosophy

– Phase 4 – occupational data and program translation and construction

– Phase 5 – Training counsellors in program use during experimentation

– Phase 6 – Evaluation of the experimentation phase

S.OR.PRENDO 2007 - 2008

• 2007

– Release of S.OR.PRENDO for use in region FVG

– Recruitment of partners for other regions in Italy

• 2008

– Release of S.OR.PRENDO for use in other regions of Italy

– Training for new representatives

– Research for the next development phase

• 2009

– Development and release of S.OR.PRENDO Italia

S.OR.PRENDO 2008: User & Adviser Questionnaires

• Research carried out by Professor Maria Luisa Pombeni, Dean of Psychology, University of Bologna, Italy

• Interested in the development of guidance in Italy

• Research sought to understand the effectiveness of the software and what guidance might be required with it

S.OR.PRENDO 2008: User Questionnaires

• 464 completed questionnaires

• 5 regions (Piedmont, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Puglia, Trentino-Alto Adige, Tuscany)

• Classification of respondents:

– 67.5% Female : 32.5% Male

– 75% students : 12.5% Unemployed : 10.8% Employed


• Age of respondents

– 10 – 14 years old 2.2%

– 15 – 19 years old 72.6%

– 20 – 29 years old 12.5%

– 30 – 39 years old 7.6%

– 40 – 49 years old 3.7%

– Older 1.0%


• Time for use

– Less than 30 mins 40.1%

– 30 – 60 mins 47.4%

– More than 60 mins 11.0%

• Mode of use

– Individual 30.0%

– Individual + adviser 35.8%

– In a group 3.0%

– In a group + adviser 30.8%


• Objectives

– Find out about new professions 62.5%

– More information on a specific profession 81.9%

– Further information on own choices 67.6%

– For own career research project 73.0%

– To find suitable employment 77.9%


• Content

– Information articles read: 96.7%

• Education and training 97.4%

• Work 97.5%

• Mobility in Europe 94.0%

– Couldn’t find required professions 28.9%

– Found expected professions 82.3%


• Comments

– Interesting, enjoyable, fun, useful

– Requires more time

– Information is generic

– Not enough high qualification professions

– No questions on issues / personal resources

– There is an opportunity to save results and return to the program

– Instructions are very easy to comprehend. Layout, i.e. use of colour makes it easy to navigate

– When you've finished a search it would be good to see where to find the job

S.OR.PRENDO 2008: Adviser Questionnaires

• Sample

– Advisers from colleges

– Advisers from vocational training centres

• View on General Information

– Clarity Very good

– Completeness OK


• Careers database

– Ease of navigation Very good

– Guidance within program Very good

– Quality of profiles Good

– Completeness of profiles Good

– Structure of profiles Good

• Occupations and Interests

– Ease of navigation Very good

– Guidance within program Very good


• Comments

– Focuses client on what they do and don't want from a career. Enables client to explore options. Helps clients make realistic choices. Provides printed information/resources/contacts for clients to follow up

– Generates career ideas that many of my client group would not have considered or known about, so is very useful as an empowerment tool

– Information could be confined to local sources

– Not enough higher qualification professions

– No armed forces careers

– I help people through the initial stages of the program and then if they feel comfortable I leave them to complete it

– Helpful to support clients who are very uncertain about direction to take. It enables them to focus and reflect on interests/likes. Clarifies strengths, weaknesses. Supports decision making

– Useful if client is totally unsure or has no idea what career path to take. Is a good starting point for ideas and prompts discussion.


• Ideal users: Students

• When: Before leaving school or when changing course

• How: Ideally individually but also in groups

• Purposes: To broaden knowledge of careers and to develop an understanding of the

individuals interests

• Best proposition: S.OR.PRENDO with guidance before and after use

Recommendations & Actions

• S.OR.PRENDO

– 2009 release (S.OR.PRENDO Italia) will include more professions and more information on national and regional contacts

• Guidance for S.OR.PRENDO

– Adviser training courses now offered to support users before, during and after use of the program

– Leonardo project: “Career guidelines: Information and guidance on new careers and training pathways”

• Further research

– Validation of the CASCAiD matching process by Dr Anders Loven, University of Malmo

Documents

Identifying Personal Career Options Using Computer Based Technology and Context In Guidance John Kelly, CASCAiD Ltd IAEVG Conference 2009 Finland