a national approach to career navigation for working learners phil jarvis vice president, global...
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A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
Phil JarvisVice President, Global Partnerships
National Life/Work Center
New Brunswick, Canada
Why a National Approach to Career Navigation?
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
• 2-year institutions - 2 in 10 graduate within 3 years.• 4-year schools - 4 in 10 students get a degree in 6 years.
(With Their Whole Lives Ahead Of Them, Public Agenda report for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Survey May/June, 2009)
• 28% of U.S. students believe schoolwork is meaningful and only 39 percent believe it will have any bearing on their success later in life.
(Condition of Education 2002. National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education)
What We’re Doing Isn’t Working
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
• Half of students are engaged, involved and enthusiastic about school. The other half are going through the motions or actively undermining the learning process. Student engagement peaks in elementary school and decreases until the 10th grade where it tends to plateau – after those who can legally dropout do.
(Gallup Student Poll for America’s Promise Alliance, March 2009)
• Although ASCA, ACA, APA, AMA all recommend a pupil-to-counselor ratio of 250-to-1, the national average is 460 students to 1 counselor, with some school districts as high as 1,000-to-1.
(ASCA, March 2010)
What We’re Doing Isn’t Working
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
• Of 100 students that enter the pipeline (talent supply chain) in grade 9 each year 20 or fewer will graduate on schedule from post-secondary programs and receive degrees, diplomas, or certificates. 50% will not in jobs directly related to their programs of study 2 years after graduation.• Responses from 600 higher education students surveyed by Public Agenda suggest the existing high school guidance system is a perilously weak part of the nation’s efforts to increase college attendance and ramp up degree completion.
(With Their Whole Lives Ahead Of Them, Public Agenda report for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Survey May/June, 2009)
What We’re Doing Isn’t Working
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
What We’re Doing Isn’t Working
• Is it any wonder that when adults lose their jobs, as so many have in the last 18 months, many are totally adrift – without the wherewithal to safely navigate completely uncharted waters?• Many of those who still have jobs are underemployed or in inappropriate, unfulfilling jobs and feel trapped because they can’t quit to explore alternatives or upgrade their knowledge, skills and qualifications• Yet they must work harder than ever at something they don’t like!• 70% of adults would choose otherwise (NCDA/Gallup)
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
The 1% Difference
• Productivity $ 150 Billion• Education $ 9 Billion• Health $ 11 Billion• Social Services $ 15 Billion• Protection, Prisons $ 5 Billion• Government Revenues $ 60 Billion
Total: $ 250 Billion annually .. not to mention human costs
Economic Consequences
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
Demographics
• The U.S. is unique among advanced countries with a growing population, even without immigration.• Due to aging populations and declining birth rates since 1967 (birth control pill) most other G8 countries will have declining populations (despite immigration).• However, U.S. population growth is largely among Hispanics and African Americans.• Prospects are for high unemployment among the underskilled side-by-side with massive unfilled demand for workers with 21st century skills.
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
New/Changing Jobs
• Nano-mechanic• Old age wellness manager• Memory augmentation surgeon• Weather modification police• Waste data handler• Environmental Awareness Coordinator• Social networking worker• Personal brander/communications advisor• Stem cell bank manager
Career Clusters/Pathways/Industry Sectors
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
Career Management Paradigm Shift
• Young people now entering the workforce will likely have 10 to 15 or more jobs, in different occupations, even industry sectors, during their working lives.• How can they confidently answer the question, “What will you be when you grow up?”• How can adults identify their next most promising prospect before they are blindsided?
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
Choosing
Career Management
Paradigm Shift
Learning
Occupation Skills & Character
Work Life
Information
Imagination
Lists
Introductions
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
1. Know yourself, believe in yourself, and follow your heart
2. Focus on the journey, not the destination - become a good traveler (Stepping Stones)
3. Change is constant, and always brings new opportunities
4. Access your allies, and be a good ally5. Learning is lifelong
The High FiveCareer Management Principles
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
Promising Practices
• Panelists –Virginia Community College System’s Education Wizard, Springboard Forward (engaged employment)
• DoL’s Career Onestop and O*Net, National CIS, Xap’s Choices, ACT’s Discover, Career Cruising, CareerZone (NY, CA, PA)
• Stephanie Pace-Marshall – IMSA (Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy) - alumnae founding leaders of Netscape, PayPal, YELP and YouTube, among others
• Real Game Series – California, North Carolina (Futures Inc., Pipeline, CIS, Chamber of Commerce) - 100 BMOA, STEM Connection
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
Promising Practices
• Multiple Intelligences: Smart Options – It’s not if your smart, it’s how. Self esteem – new eyes
• Academic Innovations – Career Choices and 10-Year Plan – Need national career development curriculum guidelines for primary grades, middle school, secondary, post-secondary and employers
• Internationally – IAEVG, Symposia, Standards and Guideline for CD Practitioners (Service), Blueprint for Life/Work Designs (Agency), MyFuture/My Guide (Australia)
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
Conclusion
• Brilliant and dedicated people and initiatives exist across the nation, but they tend to be isolated fragments of a potentially much larger solution.• What is needed is a coherent National Career Navigation Approach for Working Learners, indeed citizens of all ages, into which existing exemplary resources, programs and curricula, and new ones, fit, and which employers, educators, and the public at large are aware of and support.• It cannot be prescribed but must be created through research, consensus-building and collaboration.
A National Approach to CareerNavigation for Working Learners
Conclusion
• Hats off to the Center for American Progress for championing this vital national initiative to make the American dream attainable for many more citizens and ensure America remains a beacon of hope for the world in this new millennium.