counselor preparation

Improved Career DecisionMaking: Integration Into

Counselor Education

WALTER R. BAILEY

TEDA. BRUCE

JOSEPH C. ROTTER

JAMES P. SAMPSON

The Improved Career Decision Making program. developed by the National Occupa­tional Information Coordinating Committee. is a comprehensive program to introducecounselors to the use of career information in the counseling process.

A recent national survey of adult workers. titled National Suroey ojWorking America (National Career Development Association, 1990)and conducted by the Gallup Organization, revealed some convinc­ing results in support of the need for systematic approaches tocareer decision making. In the survey, 65% of the respondents saidthat. if they had it to do over again. they would seek more informa­tion about job choices and options. In addition. approximately onein four workers indicated that they needed assistance in findinginformation about jobs. Although 25% of the adults revealed thatcareer information was not available when they were making careerdecisions, 62% of the respondents indicated that the informationcould have been more useful. Of the workers, 44% said that notenough attention was devoted to providing help to students inchoosing careers. Greater access to information and more profes-

Walter R. Bailey is a professor in the Department oj Educational Psychology at theUniversity ofSouth. Carolina. Columbia. Ted A. Bruce is a program director in the FloridaDepartment o] Education. Tallahassee. Joseph C. Rotter is department head andprqfessor oj educational psychology at the University oj South Carolina, Columbia,James P. Sampson is a professor at Florida State University, Tallahassee,

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sional assistance with job choice are the two prevailing recommen­dations generated from the results of the survey. Because coun­selors can be a major catalyst for using career information. thosein schools and other settings need generic career development coun­seling skills. Also. counselors need the knowledge of how to accesscurrent labor market information.

The Improved Career Decision Making (ICDM) program developedby the National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee(NOICC) is a competency-based model that "is designed to helpcounselors increase their knowledge and use of labor market infor­mation in career counseling" (Lloyd. 1990. p. 1). The program takesabout 2 days to complete and includes large-group. small-group,and individual activities. The following topics are included: (a) over­view of ICDM; (b) the changing workplace; (c) changing information;(d) changing decision making; (e) changing career counseling;(f) labor market information; (g) labor market concepts; (h) clas­sification systems/resources; (i) action planning; OJ federal, state.and local labor market information; (k) career information deliverysystems; (1) decision-making matrix; (m) special needs: (n) groupcounseling video activity; and (0) action planning activity. The useof case studies and video presentations enriches the program.

The impetus for the ICDM program is the rapid transformationoccurring in all areas of the labor market. particularly the shifttoward increased training and educational requirements for jobs ina more service- and technology-based economy (Bruce. 1990: Lloyd& Woods. 1987). By making counselors more aware oflabor marketdata within the context of career development theory and the coun­seling process, counselors can provide improved career counselingservices that result ultimately in adolescents and adults makingmore informed and rational occupational choices. The potential jobsatisfaction and productivity improvements resulting from im­proved career decision making would benefit not only individualsbut also families. employers. and society.

The NOICC has provided leadership and funding in the develop­ment of ICDM training materials and workshop procedures. StateOccupational Information Coordinating Committees (SOICCs) havethen coordinated the delivery of workshops to counselors withintheir own state. Participants have included career counselors.school counselors. employment counselors. rehabilitation coun­selors. and mental health counselors. Since the initiation of theprogram in 1981. 23.000 counselors in 55 states and territorieshave completed training (Lloyd. 1990). The training has beendelivered either through in-service workshops or through integra­tion into required graduate preservice counseling courses (Lloyd &Woods. 1987).

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Recently. NOICC and the American Association for Counseling andDevelopment (AACD) have collaborated to conduct workshops tar­geted to enhance the skill of counselors and counselor educators indealing with labor market information. "More than 500 counselorsand counselor educators attended the 24 workshops that were con­ducted by AACD in 1987-88" (Lloyd. 1990. p. 1). ICDM workshopparticipants have reacted positively to the content and process ofthe training (Bruce. 1990). Workshop participants indicated notonly that their awareness oflabar market information was increasedsignificantly but also that they planned to use labor market infor­mation in their work.

Although many counselors and counselor educators have par­ticipated in the training. no systematic evaluation has been imple­mented nationally to study the outcomes of the use of the ICDMtraining package. Schwallie-Giddis (1990) asserted.

that a national evaluation study should be conducted of ICDM workshops todetermine the nature of this contribution and what impact it is having in eachstate where workshops have been presented. This nationwide study could alsodetermine if additional revisions should be made in the agenda guide. thetraining of trainers. or the production of products or resources. (p. 158)

A potential problem exists if counselor educators view the ICDMprogram as limited to the training of career counselors. Althoughthe ICDM program has particular relevance to the practice of careercounseling. ICDM training is also relevant to the practice of othercounseling specialties. By failing to take full advantage of the pos­sibilities for. integrating the ICDM program into preservice and in­service training. counselor educators are missing an opportunity toenhance the provision of a broad diversity of counseling services.This article attempts to identity potential contributions of the ICDMprogram to counselor education. based on the use ofICDM materialsand processes in Florida and South Carolina. and concludes withrecommendations for fostering future ICDM integration.

POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF ICOM TO COUNSELORTRAINING

Preservice Counselor Training

There are a number of benefits possible with the integration ofICDMinto preservice counselor training. First. counselor trainingprograms that have specializations in career counseling can makeextensive use of the print-based and interactive ICDM trainingmaterials in various career courses. If a Council for Accreditation ofCounseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) specialtyaccreditation option in career counseling is approved in the future.

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documented use of ICDM materials could be related to programobjectives as part of an institutional self-study.

Second, by infusing field-tested ICDM materials into requiredcareer courses. beginning students in various specialization areascan be better prepared to effectively integrate concepts related tolabor market information. career development, and career decisionmaking with mental health. marriage and family. and aging issues.This requires faculty members, however. to intentionally integratecareer concepts into mental health specialty courses (e.g., discuss­ing the process of case management for combining mental healthand career counseling). Also. documented use of ICDM materialscould be related to the life-style and career development core areaas part of a CACREP institutional self-study.

Third. ICDM materials may be used to teach counselors how toassist clients to use information effectively in making careerdecisions. The knowledge and ability to use information effectivelyin the career decision-making process can be generalized to othercounseling specialties. For example. by better understanding infor­mation use in problem solving and decision making. a mental healthcounselor could more effectively assist an abusing parent to useparenting information to learn alternative behaviors to child abuse.Also. by better understanding the decision-making process. a schoolcounselor could more effectively help a pregnant high school studentdecide among various options for child care.

In-Service Counselor Training

There are several benefits possible from integrating the ICDM pro­gram into in-service counselor training. ICDM materials can be usedas a resource in designing workshops to assist National CertifiedCareer Counselors to meet their continuing education requirementsfor recertification. Another place to use the ICDM materials mightbe in workshops for various counseling specialties, with the intentof sensitizing counselors to career issues and improving their casemanagement skills in integrating career counseling with existingservices. Additionally, the use of ICDM materials provides a struc­tured method for conducting training workshops that can providea concrete focus for improved practice and that are based on theNational Career Development gutdelmes. This use would be espe­cially pertinent in states that have adopted the NOICC gutdelinesfor the design and implementation of career development programs.

TWO EXPERIENCES WITH THE ICOM PROGRAM

ICOM in Florida

The ICOM training experience in Florida has provided an environ-

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ment for collaboration and a synergistic, mutual learning experiencefor both state and local participants. When the Florida State Depart­ment of Education received a grant from NOICC in 1987 to conductICDM training, the planning team that was formed included theSOICC Director, state-level Department of Education staff (Directorof Career Education. Director of Student Services, State VocationalFollow-Up Specialist). and the state-level Labor Market InformationAdministrator. The following assumptions gUided the developmentof the ICDM approach for this group in Florida:

1. The opportunity for collaboration between local school coun­seling staff and local job service staff is maximized.

2. The training in use of labor market information proceeds froma sound conceptual framework regarding the counseling pro­cess. The training is a positive experience.

3. The participants leave the training with real data describingthe state and local labor markets.

4. The training has major experiential components.

From these initial assumptions, the group developed the followingthree objectives for the training:

1. The targeted counselors' ability to improve the realism andquality of career plans for clients will be enhanced.

2. The counselors' knowledge of labor market information andresources will be improved.

3. Local services will be improved by promoting linkages betweenthe counselor groups.

In a recent doctoral study of the effects of the ICDM workshops inFlorida (Schwallie-Giddts, 1990). it was found that counselors en­thusiastically received and used the training. and that for the mostpart the training met the stated objectives. The study included threeprimary areas of inquiry. The first question involved the investiga­tion of the usefulness of the labor market information and productspresented in the workshop. The products all received positive com­ment by the participants. The products considered most useful weresimple in format and concise. The second question concerned howthe labor market information and products were used in careergutdance programs. Responses indicated wide usage in the schools.including community colleges. The third question prompted studyinto factors encouraging the effective use of labor market informa­tion in career counseling. Analysis of the data reflected strong sup­port of the workshops as catalysts of effective career counselingpractice. The participants reported an increased awareness of the

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importance and use of information in career counseling. The evalua­tion results of the training also supported the collaboration ofprofessionals from different areas in improving career services (e.g ..counselors consulting with representatives from business or in­dustry and counselors from different settings and agencies col­laborating).

ICOM in South Carolina

The ICDM experience in South Carolina provides additional ex­amples of how the program can be used successfully to train coun­selors in the skillful use of occupational information in careerdecision making. At the invitation of the state SOICC director. threecounselor educators were invited to join a team including membersfrom the SOICC office to participate in the training. This team thendeveloped statewide workshops using the materials provided duringthe training. The workshops have been delivered to several groupsthroughout the state. including the Vocational Counselor divisionof the South Carolina Vocational Association, the South CarolinaSchool Counselor Association. the South Carolina Association forCounseling and Development. the State Technical College system,and the public schools of Dillon. South Carolina.

As an example of the adaptability of the ICDM program, the Dilloncounty school ICDM training was actually the first day of a 2-dayworkshop to involve teachers and counselors in a districtwidedemonstration project for implementing the state-developed Com­prehensive Career Guidance Program. The day devoted to ICDMtraining was spent discussing the changing work force with presen­tations by labor market specialists. counselor educators, and SouthCarolina Occupational Information System representatives. Themost current state and regional labor market information wasshared with the teachers, including the impact that unexpectedevents such as hurricane Hugo have on the economy and the shift­ing of employment statistics.

The counselor educators invited the participants to study theirown career development and to reflect on the process as they reactedto the material presented during the 2-day workshop. Careerdevelopment theories were addressed. including the application ofthe theories in a school setting. Results of the recent Gallup poll oncareer development. cited earlier. were presented.

Because the workshop took place on the grounds of one of thelargest employers in the area. it was appropriate for the manage­ment of this industry to address the teachers and provide them withan extensive tour of the plant. Teachers had the opportunity toquestion employees to determine their career paths and to ask how

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professionals in the schools could be helpful in assisting studentsto make appropriate career choices for the future. Several teacherson tour saw former students and were able to quickly associate whatgoes on in the classroom with real world work experience.

Unlike other ICOM workshops delivered to counselors. which em­phasize career counseling. the Dillon workshop focused on careerdevelopment and career education. This workshop approach wasan example of how ICOM can serve as the core for various audiences.such as counselors, teachers. parents. or others. The participantspositively evaluated the 2-day training. indicating that they hadgained information and skills in career development.

Another example of ICOM in-service training is a workshop thatwas conducted for practicing school counselors at an annual meet­ing of the South Carolina School Counselors Association. The train­ing was delivered as a l-day preconvention session. The structuredICOM presentation and materials were modified and shortened toaccommodate the I-day schedule and the special needs of the group.which included elementary and secondary school counselors. Ashort unit on the career development needs of elementary-agechildren was included as well as ways to implement career guldancein the classroom. Other topics included (a) an overview of the ICOMprogram. (b) occupational information. (c) the use of occupationalinformation in career decision making. (d) career developmenttheories, and (e) the "future" ofthe world of work. Use of experientialactivities enriched the I-day training session. Because all the topicsin the ICOM could not be covered adequately in the session. eachparticipant formulated an action plan regarding how the ICOMmaterials could be studied further and implemented in their respec­tive settings.

Recently. there has been much emphasis in education on buildingpartnerships between schools and their "customers" (I.e.. parents.employers. and postsecondary institutions) (Bailey & Rotter, 1987).The focus of such partnership building is to create a common un­derstanding between school staff and the larger community of whatthe results of schooling should be and of what the current resultsare. The ICOM program. as presented in these examples fromFlorida and South Carolina, can be used to build such bridges atthe practitioner level, the level at which student capacities andneeds are best understood and influenced.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COUNSELOR EDUCATION

Given the experiences of applying the ICDM program in SouthCarolina, Florida, and other states, the ICOM program can con­tribute to counselor training. We offer several recommendations for

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counselor educators. First, counselor education faculty may wantto evaluate the extent to which materials used in career developmentcourses are contemporaneous. The ICOM program represents asystematic approach for using current labor market information incareer counseling. Integrating the ICOM program and materials intocareer development instruction, therefore. is one way to bridge thegap between training and the real world of current career develop­ment practice. Second, counselor education faculty may need toevaluate the extent to which students in varying specializations areobtaining the knowledge and skills necessary to integrate careerissues into their counseling practice. If additional integration isneeded. the ICOM program can provide one resource to assist indoing so. Third. an analysis needs to be completed that establisheshow ICOM materials and processes relate to existing standards,such as the NOICC Guidelines. the newly revised National CareerDevelopment Association counselor competencies. and the pro­posed CACREP career counseling specialty standards. Fourth, theefforts of NOICC to provide leadership in the occupational informa­tion area of career development are significant for the entire area ofprofessional education. This leadership is an impetus for educators.including counselors, to ensure that students graduate from thesecondary schools with the capacities to further their education andto compete in an internationally competitive labor market.

REFERENCESBailey. W. R.. & Rotter. J. (1987). Educators in industry. Dubuque. IA: Kendall/Hunt.Bruce. T. A. (1990). ICDM: A partnership for improving career decision making. In

Employment and training policy and practice: Beyond traditional knowledge anddogma (pp. 225-233). Washington. DC: The Partnership for Employment andTraining Careers.

Lloyd. V. (1990). Improve career decision making program (NOICC Fact Sheet 007).Washington. DC: National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee.

Lloyd. V.. & Woods. J. F. (1987). Occupational information: The supporting role ofNOICC and SOICCs. Perspective. 3. 69-82.

National Career Development Association. (1990). National survey of workingAmerica. Alexandria. VA: Author.

Schwallie-Giddis. P. (1990). An investigation of the impact of the Florida improvedcareer decision-making workshops on the delivery of career guidance services.Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Florida State University. Tallahassee.

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