Ashes or Phoenix: where now for adult career development?

A personal view

Stephen McNairPresident NAEGA

Director Career Development Institute

The context: can capitalism save itself (again)?

• The end of “growth” – resource constraints• Global rebalancing – the third world strikes back• Inability to pay for what we need• Ageing populations• Rise of inequality – insiders and outsiders• Privatisation of the public realm• Contracting out and micromanagement• Choice and powerlessness, the democratic deficit• More complexity: less certainty

A world of profound insecurity

• Unpredictable labour markets and social environment

• Growing sense of lack of control and security• Poor career decisions more risky• Need for continuous learning and continuous

career review• Reluctance to find resources to pay for it

Building a careers profession: who are we?

• Our common bond is an aspiration to help individuals to find the most satisfying and effective ways of using their time, across the lifecourse, in and out of paid employment.

• This is a difficult, time consuming, and demanding professional task

The task

• Helping people to find their own answers to the questions:– Who am I?– Who do I want to be?– How might I get there?– What are the limitations and barriers and can I

overcome them?

Being a profession

• Our primary ethical commitment is to the individual, not the employer or the state

• This implies a strong, broad and autonomous profession, embracing many skills and talents, at many levels, in public, private and third sectors

The Government’s model

• An informed free market in goods, services and labour• Guidance as a market maker• Guidance providers as free agents in market• Self regulating profession to manage standards of

individuals working in services• Regulated providers through Matrix• National Careers Service as a “beacon”

But?

An aspiration

"The bursary fund is exciting and new and will allow us to address some of the perfectly properly argued concerns of Opposition Members, but more than that, I wanted to accept NIACE’s proposal of a mid-life learning health check, so that we could look at people at the age of 40 and 50 perhaps and use the national careers service to gauge when and where they could study to upskill or reskill. That there is a need for that has been argued by the sector for some time, and we have taken it on board as part of this package.“

John Hayes, Hansard 17 July 2012

How adequate is provision

for:• preparing for adulthood• entry to the adult world• returning to work • retiring from paid work• overcoming disadvantage • countering underemployment • managing talent

NCS – some concerns

• Micromanagement of NCS could inhibit professionalism

• Reluctance to promote the service suppresses and distorts demand

• Limitations of resources• Unclear role and independence of National

Careers Council

Challenges for the career development community• Do we have evidence to build public & political support?• How different are adults and young people?• What is our role in countering inequality? • What is the role of the public sector – provider, market

maker, “beacon”?• What is the role of the private sector – workplace and

independent?• Who is going to pay? - resources, priorities and rationing• What is the role of Government?

Challenges for a “new profession”

• A new world – are we looking backwards?• Autonomy v viability• Governance - reach and balance• Government need v client need• Diversity, standards and quality