Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA)

Response:

Around the world, governments, employers' associations, and trade unions are working to increase the employability of workers, move young people into productive and decent work, and increase the productivity of businesses through improved training that is of higher quality and more directly applicable.

Career guidance and counselling, career education, and the continuous development of skills for employability throughout one's life are essential to achieving success in learning activities, making effective career transitions, effectively planning one's livelihood, successfully engaging in entrepreneurial endeavours, and increasing one's participation in the labour market. They play an important role in advancing the utilisation of talents, as well as recognition of prior learning (RPL), and boosting business human resource management.

CICA believes that JSA has a role to play in providing advice to the government on building integrated lifelong career development support systems for learners, employees, and vulnerable groups. The undertaking of research and policy collaboration supports the improvement of institutional arrangements, stakeholder cooperation, quality assurance systems, funding systems, staff development, and digital capacities in career services.

Under the proposed structure and governance of JSA, we believe that it is essential to ensure that the career development industry is represented on the Advisory Board and/or that a specific sub-committee be created to provide career development research, evidence and practice that includes modern career development theories and approaches to inform the work of JSA. 

 

Response:

Career development support comprises activities such as career guidance, career education
and staff development for workers. 

Career development support is key to the implementation of lifelong learning, and active labour market policies and instrumental to successfully achieve social and economic targets. 

In the face of mounting challenges brought by global trends in technology, demography and environment, career development support has become more important than ever.

We would encourage JSA to engage with career development stakeholders through the Career Industry Council of Australia as the National Peak Body in developing a deeper evidence base on the role that career development and the work of career development practitioners in addressing the identified economy-wide perspectives as they relate to the changing nature of the Australian Labour Market and the skills required to address the economy-wide transitions currently underway.

Response:

The Career Industry Council of Australia would welcome the opportunity to work closely with JSA to facilitate engagement and input from the career development industry.

Response:

No response provided.

Response:

As the values-led economy is appreciated, career development practitioners would support a life-wide, life-long approach to collecting data about work and skills. 

This could consider job satisfaction and well-being factors, which would aid understanding of role fit.

Response:

The value offer of engaging with JSA should be developed, and new modes of dissemination be engaged, including innovative and inclusive engagement strategies.

Response:

The Career Industry Council of Australia would welcome the opportunity to work closely with JSA to provide opportunities to increase the visibility and useability of its products and services.

To date, we have found it very difficult to find previous NSC and now JSA staff to present webinars on the work of the JSA.

The work undertaken by the JSA is of high quality and of great benefit to the career development industry. 

Response:

Labour Market information and forecasting is a critical part of career development work and the presentation of all data types is of upmost importance to our profession. 

However, data items that are easily understandable to end users, being citizens are critical. 

It would be useful if there were career development experts engaged in the production of data sources.

Response:

Policy interest in career guidance activities has emerged from a series of international reviews
which examined career guidance as a strategy and a practical measure that could foster
skills development and lifelong learning for all.

The reviews focused on the interface between career guidance practices and public policy. In
most countries, career guidance services are mostly publicly funded and represent both
public and private good. The policy rationale for career guidance services includes learning
aims, labour market aims and social aims.

As in many countries, the responsibility for career services is often fragmented across different
ministries and branches, there is a need for strong coordination and leadership mechanism
in order to develop a strategy for lifelong access to career guidance. 

CICA believes that JSA has an integral role in providing the coordination needed to bring together relevant stakeholder groups and guidance providers to develop a sustainable infrastructure, quality guidelines and marketing strategy for career services.

CICA would also note that in Australia and the career development industry, the term, career practitioner and not career adviser' is industry-accepted terminology per the Professional Standards for Australian Career Development Practitioners and would request that in publication and work moving forward, this is reflected.