Transcript Document

Career counseling and guidance
education in Iceland
Faculty of Social and Human Sciences
Sif Einarsdóttir
Associate professor
UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND
Career counseling and guidance
program at the University of Iceland
From fall 2010, 2- year MA degree
Overview of talk
•
•
•
•
History
Development
Influencing forces
Revisions and establishement of new 2 year MA
program
• Future development
UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND
The program founded
•
Career counseling and guidance program formally founded in
Education department 1990
– One year program after BA/B.Ed/BS degree (diploma in career counseling
and guidance)
•
Guðbjörg Vilhjálmsdóttir hired in 1991 as program co-coordinator and
instructor
•
Based on the work of the committee –emphasis on career guidance in
schools
•
Program based on four foundations
1.
2.
3.
4.
Career counselling and guidance
Careers education
Personal counselling
Research and development
(Guðbjörg Vilhjálmsdóttir, 1998)
UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND
Changes in the program 1990-2008
Diploma (1 year): (1991-2004)
Theoretical and practical emphasis to meet new demands for trained career counselors.
Practical training increased (1998/9): with more educated and experienced counselors
working in schools
Distance education: (2001-2004 and 2006-2009)
Meet the demands for career counselors outside Reykjavík. More emphasis on employment
counseling.
MA degree two parts, diploma + 2nd year (2004-2009):
Transition stage gives counselors with diploma opportunity to add a 2nd year and graduate
with a Masters degree.
Objectives: expand knowledge in the field and increase research and development skills
Courses offered 2nd year
-Research methods
-Employment counselling and use of assessment instruments
-Elective courses (disability, gender studies, etc.)
-Masters thesis
UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND
The students
• An undergraduate degree is required prefarably in the field of
education or social sciences. Undergraduates in other fields
need to add up to two foundational courses (Individual and
society, education and psychology-developmental)
– Diverse educational background
– Diverse age, experienced adults and recent graduates
– Ethnic, gender diversity?
=> Dynamic educational environment
• 35 new students accepted each year for MA,
• Re-entering counsellors for MA degree total 10-20 a year
• 90-95% women, majority returning students age 30-55 teachers
for example
UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND
Distribution of career counselors over sectors in
Iceland 2012
Other; 13%
Unemployment
centers; 7%
Compulsory
schools; 37%
Continuing
education; 10%
Universities; 8%
Gymnasiums; 25%
N=329
Influencing factors
•
Counselor education at the UI modeled by Anglo-Saxon traditions, knowledge
base and practices more than Scandinavian or Continental
•
Life-long learning in the knowledge based society
•
Special task force on guidance and adult education for working adults with no
formal degrees after compulsory education
•
Growing demand for career counseling and guidance, first in schools now with
employed adults.
•
More complex job-market and educational opportunities especially in higher
education (globalization and competition)
•
Lack of support from authorities and policy makers, until recently
–
–
–
Reports from a committee at the ministry of education 1998 and 2007, little changes in support
system except for MA degree
Law just passed about legalization of the profession
Recent education laws – every student has the right to receive career guidance
UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND
Objectives and aims of program
revisions 2005-2009
• More balance between educational and vocational/employment
counselling (life-long guidance)
• More on-site practical training
• Diversity issues integrated in all courses
• Increase research skills and knowledge in the field
• Public policy?
• Accreditation and quality assurance
• Co-operation with Career Counselor Association, policy makers
and institutions
• Participants in Erasmus-NICE project with 40 European
Universities, development of curriculum and teaching methods
• Direct Nordplus network, with 15 institutions - curricular
development how to educate those that work with adults
• Meet the needs of students living outside Reykjavík-long
distance program integrated
UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND
Competencies of counselors
• Revisions were based on few competency fromaworks for career
counselors
– IAVEG
– CEDEFOP
– CACREP – US
– Nice Core Competencies – European
Erasmus network
UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND
Structure of the 2 year MA degree
First year
.
NSR007F
Counselling Theories 10 ECTS.
NSR008F
Practical training 1 – social context 10 ECTS
FÉL027F* The sociology of labour market and organizations 10 ECTS.
NSR203F* Personal and Social Problems of Students 10 ECTS
*Students can choose between FÉL027 and NSR203
NSR013F
NSR009F
NSR202F
NSR010F
NN#
NSR011F
NSR012F
NN#
NSR303F
Career Development Theories. 10 ECTS.
Career development, intervention and programme evaluation 8 ECTS.
Measurement and assessment 6 ECTS.
Practical training 1 – communication 6 ECTS.
Second year
Research methods. 10 ECTS. Mandatory but the students can choose from many different
qualitative or quantitative courses offered at the graduate level at the University of Iceland or other
Universities
Practical Training 2a – workshop and field work 7 ECTS.
Practical Training 2b – workshop and field work. 7 ECTS.
Free eclectives 6 ECTS. Students can choose from a variety of courses offered within the
University and at other Universities
MA-Thesis. 30 ECTS.
UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND
A profession on the fast track
• Pioneering period fading out – have been
strengthening the educational foundation
• Increased professionalization - integrated
professional self concept
• Increased knowledge base through research
• Better on site-training
• Greater confidence
UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND
UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND