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Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
An interesting one ! I am not a Connexions PA, nor do I work in a Connexions service, so am perhaps not the best person to answer this, however, I will give it a go.
So far as I am concerned, Carees Advisewr is what I am and do : the precise job title may be different, but essentially I am, and always have been, a Careers Adviser - and the job titles I have had include SENIOR EMPLOYABILITY ADVISER, INDUSTRIAL LIAISON OFFICER, EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT MANAGER. I do think it was a mistake for Connexions services attempt to abolish the term "Careers Adviser" on the grounds that Connexions PA was a different, discrete, profession, and I think some way should be found of identifying in the job title that careers advice is what we do - but I hope we don't have to go to the lengths of a former colleague of mine who used to sihn all her letters " Careers Adviser with special responsibility for disabled young people "! I call myself a Careers Adviser regardless of the actual job title - even when , out of sheer necessity, I worked as an Insurance Salesman, I used to describe myself as a Careers Adviser, which drove my Manager demented - and I only lasted 6 months. Somewhere I havce a certificate of Membership from the ICG which describes me as a Careers Adviser - that will do for me !
COLIN MARSH |
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Re: Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
| Thanks Colin, the response so far shows an interest in the question with different views being expressed. My role for the past 10 years have been 5 as a careers adviser and 5 as a personal adviser (PA). I work hard developing myself on a professional level but I have struggled in my role as a PA this past year. I feel that the role of a PA is so important to have but the need for a reconised, qualified career adviser is equally important. Somewhere along the way these two roles have been fused together but the quality of personal advice and careers advice has been reduced. In my experience, this has had an adverse effect on the young people we serve. |
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| Sat Jun 16, 2007 10:47 pm |
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Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
| There is so much below the surface of your question - a really good topic for debate! I am not sure how helpful it is to get boxed in by job titles: I am sure that some people working in Connexions (and indeed other organisations) may not have the word 'Career/s' in their job title at all - and yet in doing their work they are clear, and anybody else observing is clear that what they are doing is careers work. Perhaps our most eloquent marketing tool is doing our job well, no matter what it is badged. |
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Re: Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
| Thanks Rachel, I agree with what you say. I suppose a concern of mine is in your conclusion, how do we measure how well we are doing our job as career advisers? I have concerns about what young people know in terms of what type/level of personal adviser can give good quality careers advice as opposed to personal advice? |
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| Mon Jun 18, 2007 11:18 am |
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Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
| I'm not keen on a generic job title and never have been. When Connexions surfaced and everyone was branded a Personal Adviser, it was evident when interviewing young people that they were confused by this title especially if more than on PA worked with them. I also think the title Personal Adviser diminishes our professional identity and would be very happy to see Careers Companies revert back to using professional titles that have some meaning and significance. |
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Re: Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
Thanks Mario, I am gradually shifting to your viewpoint but I also value the importance of Connexions and the important work being done by personal advisers.
I am sure the answer will evolve in time, April 08? but I am not sure what the answer will be? |
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| Mon Jun 18, 2007 11:35 am |
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Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
I have worked as both a Careers Adviser and as a Personal Adviser. As a Careers Adviser I felt that I had a very clear job to do which had a professional status underpinned by a professional institution. As a professional I had considerable autonomy to undertake my work in ways appropriate to both my primary and secondary clients. My colleagues from other professions understood what role I had and how it complimented the work which they were doing. The role was underpinned by a range of theories and professional training unique to our profession.
As a Personal Adviser I still considered myself a professional Careers Adviser but the breadth of my role had increased. As I viewed myself as a professional however I still felt that I had status and autonomy. I do not think this is the case with the more recently qualified individuals who have come from various backgrounds. They no longer feel they have a professional identity and I truly believe that their status and role has been undermined as a result. Many PA's no longer feel they have autonomy. Their colleagues from other professions are not always clear about their role. The requirements to become a PA have been eroded in the move to create a training programme which is generic.
I don't think that classing all individuals providing guidance as one profession has been a helpful move. This does not however seek to underplay the fantastic work which has been undertaken by PA's around the country. I think there is a need for personal advisers/ personal mentors but I also think that there is a need for professional careers advisers. These individuals should be located within a structure of an all age guidance service and referral systems should be in place to ensure that clients irrelevant of age or personal circumstance are able to access support for their career planning needs. This is a specialist role and I worry that the country is rapidly losing this area of expertise. As this area of work evolves we must be mindful of the competencies developed by our PA colleagues. They should not be undermined in the next stage of our evolution |
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Re: Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
For me its all about functionality ie it depends who is asking the question! I am a careers adviser even though I have not done that job for 25years. It is what my family and friends (both of them!) know as my profession , even though my actual job role is something else.
However in the wider sense I think that would be beneficial to potential and actual customers/clients if the published job title described the function of the person ie careers adviser rather than the generic personal adviser because it helps clarify things for the client. They then can expect the adviser to 'do what exactly it says on the tin' |
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Re: Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
| Thanks Nicki for such an insight into your views with regard to the above question. I agree 100% with the important work that the new personal adviser role brings to young people, what would some young people do without the support of a personal adviser? I suppose the question could be; can a person who is qualified in careers guidance also be trained as a personal adviser? Can they then deliver that same level of quality as previously done under the Careers Service? Also what mechanisms are in place to make sure that careers guidance is delivered to young people by careers guidance trained staff? For example; the learning support tutor at college or a youth worker would not give careers advice to a student, would they? |
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Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
| The question implicitly acknowledges the identity of the Personal/Connexions Adviser. In my experience this role has evolved to support young people through the transition from teenage years to adult and working life. It would therefore make sense that career guidance is integrated into this role; otherwise it could be implied that career guidance is not related to this function? The importance of nomenclature, in my opinion, is what it means to the service user. I can see that using the term Careers Adviser is specific and therefore should be clear to the service user. However, in the context of young people in transition, there can be many issues that need attention as well as, or as a consequence of, considering career options. The professional should be equipped to help the young person deal with these issues in an effective way. It would be more efficient if this could be done without having to refer the individual on, or to only partly enable a career decision to be made due to related issues not being resolved. That said, career guidance is integrated into role of the Personal/Connexions Adviser and if young people equate this role with careers and career related issues then that is sufficient. The evidence from independent surveys of young people indicate that this is the case. |
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Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
| I can see where Keiran & Rachael are coming from, however, I do disagree. I quite like my silo (or box) as it gives me a clear professional identity (just how personal should a personal advisor be?) and I see first hand every day the PA's from a background that isn't careers blatant shift into this 'profession'! I fear, because the role they were originally taken on to do just isn't there in the abundance they were led to believe. So, far from us being protective, I believe its those PA's from a none careers background that are preserving their job status by operating as non (properly) qualified career advisers. Come the revolution eh? |
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Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
| Steve, rest assured that some new PAs have had careers guidance training. I completed the QCG last week and start work with Connexions on Monday 2 July. I will be interested to find out how much careers work I will be required to give. In any event I feel that the qualification will stand me in good stead for the job. |
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Re: Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
Nick
Good luck with your new job at Connexions. I completed my QCG in 2005 and worked at connexions for a year, it was a good place to get a good clear overview of careers work with young people. If I had not had the QCG I think I would have sunk without trace among a plethora of dull courses that would have prepared me for an NVGQ level 4. After a year I moved on to a school where I am a schools-based "Careers Centre Manager". I am not really bothered what I am called as long as I can be challenged im my role. I do enterprise links, work experience, careers advice, HE events and visits and careers education. I think the careers adviser is a wide breadth of roles now and I feel we need to be working with young people earlier if our year 11 and 12 work is going to have any impact. |
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Re: Re: Re: Career guidance V Connexions |
| Anthony, you sound as if you are in quite a fortunate position, for although you are not bothered about being called a 'Careers Adviser' much of the work you describe is exactly that, wheras my (& colleagues within CXS) work is less careercentric, more homelessness, tracking, NEETS, targetted kids with specific learning issues etc. I wouldn't mind not being called a career adviser if I were doing the work you describe, but I aint! |
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