Although the term career has an array of meanings, a converging point of view is that career is associated with work (Arthur, Hall, & Lawrence, 1989; Blustein, 2006; Richardson, 2000). This association is complex due to people’s varied experiences with academic preparation, employment, unemployment, and the personal meanings that they associate with careers versus jobs. There are also many variations in people’s cultural norms and values about work, their motivation for participating in the labour market, and how they determine their degree of satisfaction or success (Brown, 2002). Further, people’s career development must be viewed in light of many contextual influences that support access for some members of society to meaningful employment while continuing to pose barriers for others (Arthur, 2005a; Arthur & McMahon, 2005). Career practitioners are encouraged to review some of the excellent sources that detail the historical development of the concept of career, e.g., Blustein, 2006; Collin & Young, 1990).
The purpose of this chapter is to acquaint readers with background contexts and contemporary issues regarding qualification standards for career practitioners. The chapter will begin by reviewing selected changes in the field of career development that represent the driving forces behind national and international initiatives to design and implement qualification standards. The second section of the chapter will discuss the proposed benefits of standards of practice for practitioners, including the changing consumer base. The third section of the chapter will outline some of the difficulties in developing and managing qualification standards. The fourth section of the chapter will focus on recent initiatives to develop international standards for career development practitioners, highlighting promising directions and challenges associated with integrating and implementing tans-national perspectives. The fifth section of the chapter will provide a selected focus on diversity and social justice as an example of how qualification standards can be leveraged to provide leadership for positively embracing changes in the global context of career development. The concluding remarks will summarise key areas for future consideration in the development of qualification standards for career practitioners. Examples of qualification standards and guidelines from several countries will be incorporated into the discussion.
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Arthur, N. (2008). Qualification Standards for Career Practitioners. In: Athanasou, J.A., Van Esbroeck, R. (eds) International Handbook of Career Guidance. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6230-8_15
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