Legends of Career Development:

A Career Cruising Series

Legends of Career Development | Page 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREAMBLE ..................................................................................................................................................... 3

FOUR PARENTING TIPS FOR GUIDING YOUTH IN CAREER PLANNING | SARAH NELSON ............................. 3

3 KEYS TO THINKING YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS | H B GELATT ....................................................................... 5

A WHOLE COMMUNITY APPROACH TO THE "ART OF CAREER MANAGEMENT" | RAY DAVIS ..................... 7

ONE MAN, ONE YEAR, FIFTY-TWO JOBS: TAKING THE LEAP, DISCOVERING YOUR PASSION! | SEAN AIKEN

...................................................................................................................................................................... 9

BUILDING A CAREER, BUILDING A LIFE | KEN COATES ............................................................................... 12

3 SOLUTIONS FOR CANADA'S JOB MISMATCH | RICK MINER .................................................................... 15

THREE WAYS TO MAKE HIGH SCHOOL MATTER | JAMES R. STONE III ....................................................... 17

CREATING A 21ST CENTURY LEARNING AND SKILLS AGENDA |JOHN KERSHAW ....................................... 20

A DISCUSSION WITH EXPERTS: ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF CAREER EDUCATORS IN NORTH

AMERICA ..................................................................................................................................................... 22

Legends of Career Development | Page 3

PREAMBLE

We are proud to share with you this series of blogs that have been specially written for Career Cruising

from some of the biggest names in the world of career development. It is our hope that through the

ideas, challenges, advice and personal stories that are shared in these blogs, you will be inspired to

achieve your full potential and help others to do the same.

FOUR PARENTING TIPS FOR GUIDING YOUTH IN CAREER PLANNING | SARAH

NELSON

As a parent, you may not

realize what an impact

you can have on your

child, either positively or

negatively, when it comes

to making decisions about

career plans. Help your

child to be successful in

navigating the world of

work with these following

tips:

Be Open-Minded – Your

child may have career

ideas that don’t match

your vision. To help them reach their true potential, try to be open to everything they are exploring. It

might be tempting to squelch an idea that you think is farfetched. Instead, try to remind them of their

strengths and interests, and how that career does or does not align to them. Try also to open their

minds to careers they’ve never imagined, and find resources that reflect the current local labour market.

Be Encouraging – Making big decisions, like choosing a career, can be very frustrating for youth who are

new to the process. Be your child’s cheerleader as they experience success along the way, such as

finding good career information, working through complicated data, coming to appropriate conclusions

for themselves, and taking initiative or making steps in a positive direction. They need your support,

and being their champion without doing the work for them is critical for their long term success.

Be S.M.A.R.T. – Use the S.M.A.R.T. acronym as your guide:

Help your child be specific about what he or she wants, yet general enough to be flexible within a

career area. If their career exploration is generic, help them specify as appropriate (for example,

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ask: “If you want a science career, do you see yourself working more in healthcare with people or

doing research in a lab?”).

Help them measure their success to date. If they are performing poorly in math, for example, but

it’s a required skill for their career of choice, help them obtain tutoring support.

In order to attain their goal, ensure they don’t drop course requirements that may prolong or

prevent reaching success, even if they don’t think they need that course now.

Help them with realistic career options by being informed alongside of them. Ensure that they are

pursuing a goal that is appropriate for today, that makes sense financially, pragmatically, and that

fits them as the person you know (personality, values, skills, etc.).

If, as parents, you are prepared to support your child in some financial way for a specific time

period, be sure to communicate it. Help them identify a plan that matches your timeline, and if

they want to extend their goal, help them figure out how to reach it on their own.

Be Their Expert – or find one – You probably know your child better than most when it comes to their

personality, values, interests, skills, and preferences. You can be

a great sounding board for them, but it’s also easy to respond

with your own personal bias. Being aware of your bias, keeping

it in check, and recognizing that you might not be the expert

when it comes to careers, will help you be their best

guide. Work with your child’s school guidance counsellor and

consider getting career assessments done with a professional

career development practitioner. Encourage your child to

connect with your network to conduct informational meetings

with people in potential suitable careers, and help them get a

variety of workplace experiences through volunteerism, part

time and summer work opportunities as soon as they can.

Parents generally say that they want their children to grow up having happy and productive

lives. According to Confucius, if you "choose a job you love, you will never have to work a day in your

life.” By keeping these tips in mind, you can help your child find the career they love and find success in

the world of work.

ABOUT SARAH NELSON

Her educational background

includes education, linguistics and

career development.

Professionally a Career

Development Practitioner with a

CHRP, Sarah has a vast array of

work experience including being a

School Trustee, a Learning

Consultant, and a college

instructor.

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3 KEYS TO THINKING YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS | H B GELATT

When I was invited to

write this blog sharing

what I have learned from

my 50 years as a

counseling psychologist, I

didn’t know where to

begin. So I decided to

begin in 1989 at about

the halfway mark of my

career. Having

experienced so many

changes in the global

environment, counseling

and career development

theory and practice, I was inspired to steer away from the norms and adopt my own decision

making “philosophy” of positive uncertainty, which I will explain below. Since then, change has

become more rapid, more unpredictable and inevitable. Below I have gathered my top three pieces

of advice for you to be successful in this modern, ever-changing environment as a counselor, a

career development practitioner, a parent or as yourself.

1. Let Your Goals Guide You, Not Govern You

In 1974 David Campbell wrote a popular book titled If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, You’ll

Probably End Up Somewhere Else. Later, I offered a Gelatt corollary: if you always know where

you’re going you may never end up somewhere else. From experiences that you most likely

encountered over your career path, somewhere else may be where you wanted to go all along but

didn’t know it. My advice: Let your goals guide you, not govern you. Knowing what you want and

where you want to go is good but don’t be close-minded. Remember to be focused yet flexible

allowing yourself the room to end up…somewhere else.

2. Learn to Plan AND Plan to Learn.

More recently Nike’s motto “Just Do it” became popular in sports and carried over into personal

decision making. However, it isn’t very good advice for successful long-term career development

because you need a plan before every action. My advice: Learn to plan AND plan to learn.

Remember to plan your path before leaping into action but also remember that what you learn

along your path may change your plan. Today information is becoming more readily available, don’t

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ignore it. If you pay attention to the learning opportunities

around you, your plans will be more informed and

effective in achieving your goals.

3. Become as Capable of Change as the Environment

When I began my career I preached and practiced a

rational, linear, “by the book” career decision making

process. So did everyone else. There was no room for

intuition or uncertainty. Today there is no room for the

inability to accept change. My number one advice for you

today is: Become as capable of change as the

environment. You have to be open-minded, receptive to

new ideas, and adopt the idea of positive uncertainty. The

future is uncertain; it is not predetermined or predictable

but it is persuadable. If the future were certain it wouldn’t

be persuadable. Therefore, be positive about the

uncertainty because it is enabling, allowing you to think

about creating your future and to change your mind.

The next 50 years will surely bring more changes,

especially with the expected advances in modern

technology. For those who will be there, I recommend

that you see yourself as your greatest technology. There is

no technological device that can equal the power,

flexibility, creativity and user-friendliness of the human

mind. We all possess right behind our eyes our greatest

resource for creating our future. All we have to do is

believe it and use and think with these three thoughts in

mind at all times:

1. Let Your Goals Guide You, Not Govern You

2. Learn to Plan AND Plan to Learn.

3. Become as Capable of Change as the Environment

ABOUT H B GELATT

For over 40 years H B Gelatt has

been regarded as an expert in

decision making. Most notably he is

the creator of Positive Uncertainty,

a philosophy of decision making in

uncertain times. He has co-

authored a popular decision making

book, called Creative Decision

Making Using Positive Uncertainty.

Throughout his career, H B has

taken on numerous roles including

Senior Research Scientist for the

American Institutes for Research,

Special Consultant and Trainer for

the National and California

Occupational Information

Coordinating Committees, the

College Board and the Kellogg

Foundation Adult Learning Project,

amongst others. H B has received

many honours for his work including

the Lifetime Achievement in Career

Development Award from the

California Career Development

Association. Education wise, he has

obtained a doctoral and master’s

degrees in counseling psychology

from Stanford University and a

bachelor’s degree in psychology

from San Jose State University.

To learn more about H B and his

work or to see some of his writing,

visit his blog or his website.

You can also send him an email.

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A WHOLE COMMUNITY APPROACH TO THE "ART OF CAREER MANAGEMENT" |

RAY DAVIS

I recently got a call from a

college roommate asking

for assistance with his

college graduate son who

was jobless and living back

home with his

parents. No job, no

resume, no career-related

work experience, and

clueless on his future.

Our guidance and career

development profession is

rapidly approaching a

crossroads of critical

concern. Especially as we attempt to retool jobless adults and encourage students and their parents to

prepare for the task of being employed, self-sufficient, and passionately engaged in a challenging global

workforce. While we in guidance and career development love to use the mantra that “we make a

difference,” the task on “making a difference” needs timely re-examination in the 21st century.

First, how do we work with parents and family members who lack knowledge of career development,

which results their child(ren) being saddled with student loan debt, lacking high demand skills, and

completely unaware of the realities of the workforce? Parents harboring career development myths can

mistakenly persuade children to avoid community college options and military career pathways. They

can push their children to focus no further than entrance into the “right university” with the “right

major” as THE magic ticket to lifelong success. We must explore ways to open the minds of parents

(who graduated from college decades ago) to appreciate a skilled career guidance approach. We must

show them the critical advantages wrought by internships and techniques to encourage their child to

develop a passion for lifelong learning and academic and career planning instead of short term thinking.

Second, we have to be attuned to legislative issues and funding initiatives that affect our ability to

program career guidance in our schools. Within the next year or so, the reauthorization of the Carl D.

Perkins Act, the Workforce Development Act, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act will

determine the future of guidance. Can we empirically prove that counselors and career specialists

longitudinally track outcomes of guidance and career development? Can we correlate our work with

our schools’ improvement plans, workforce development, and school report cards? Do we ally ourselves

with teachers, administrators, school boards, and community leaders to understand guidance? Does

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accountability frighten us as guidance leaders or do we see it

as a chance to parade our successes before our

stakeholders? This year’s programming at ACTE will look

extensively into exactly this all-important concept: guidance

accountability.

Finally, how do we view community involvement? We must

link our curricula to our country’s workforce needs and

economic development. Business and industry input is

critical for course standard development. Every career

pathway and CTE course needs input from community

leaders on standards, course design, project-related learning,

and work-based learning. Guidance professionals must

extend the hand of collaboration to the business sector to

help us develop job shadowing, internships, mentoring, and

educators in industry opportunities. The landmark 2005

Education and Economic Development Act would never have

opened a cornucopia of guidance opportunities in South

Carolina without the active craftsmanship of business and

industry leaders.

Measuring guidance effectiveness takes time. Success does

not come overnight, or without all stakeholders at the table

working together to teach the next generation “the art of

career management.” Let’s ensure that the next eighteen

months or so sees our profession building bridges that

enhance realistic guidance awareness and preparing our

students and nation for the challenges of international

workforce competition.

ABOUT RAY DAVIS

Ray has been the Education Associate

for Career Guidance in the Office of

Career and Technology Education in

the South Carolina Department of

Education since 2000. He is the

current Vice-President of ACTE’s

Guidance and Career Development

Division. Ray worked from 1985-

2000 at the University Career Center

at the University of South Carolina-

Columbia as assistant director. He

has been the professor of record for

over 450 GCDF-certified completers in

his state. He directed the writing of

the standards-based South Carolina

Career Guidance Model. Ray served

on the National Career Development

Guidelines Rewriting Committee with

the US Department of Education,

where he served as IPA in the Office

of Vocational and Adult Education in

2008. He also served on the States’

Career Cluster Initiative contributing

to the establishment of the national

Business, Management, and

Administration career cluster.

CONTACT RAY

You can learn more about Ray and his

involvement at the Association for

Career and Technical Education

(ACTE) at their website.

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ONE MAN, ONE YEAR, FIFTY-TWO JOBS: TAKING THE LEAP, DISCOVERING YOUR

PASSION! | SEAN AIKEN

My toes creep over the

edge of the metal bridge

to which I’m attached only

by a thick elastic bungee

cord.

“How did I get into this

situation?” I think to

myself.

“OH yeah, passion,” I

nervously determine,

trying to build up my

courage to step off

the perfectly safe bridge.

“To find a career I love. Gotta try new things. Gotta take the leap.”

The bridge spans a river canyon. I glimpse towards the mountains on either side covered in old growth

forest and rugged basalt column cliffs. For a moment, I forget my current reality lost in appreciation of

the beauty that surrounds me. The countdown of the cheering crowd, who wants nothing more than to

see me jump, jolts me back to the task at hand. I peer past my toes. The river, 160ft below, eagerly

awaits my descent.

Two years earlier, I’d struggled with a different leap. Having recently graduated with a Business

Administration degree from Capilano University, I found myself tormented by the ultimate question:

“What should I do with my life?” I scoured various job boards and flipped through newspaper classifieds

– all the different industries and ambiguous job titles sounded cool enough, but I had no clue what the

jobs would actually be like.

I thought back to the advice my dad gave me in my senior year at university. “Sean, it doesn’t matter

what you do; just make sure it’s something you’re passionate about. I’ve been alive for nearly sixty years

and have yet to find something I’m passionate about besides your mother.” Sage advice we often hear,

but what we don’t often hear is how we can find our passion. My idea was to start what I’d call The One-

Week Job Project . My goal: to work 52 jobs in 52 weeks to find my passion.

The first day of my first job, I found myself about to jump off a 160-foot bridge as a Bungee Jump

Operator at Whistler Bungee in Whistler, British Columbia. During my 52 weeks, I trekked more than

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46,000 miles, slept on 55 couches, raised over $20,000 for charity, and tried every job I could: Baker,

Teacher, Real Estate Agent, Advertising Executive, Hollywood Producer, NHL Mascot, Radio DJ, and

more. Wherever I could find work, I’d go there, find a couch to crash on and immerse myself in

whatever profession was at hand. And then I’d move on.

The media covered the story extensively. The New York Times, The Rachael Ray Show, Good Morning

America, CNN, 20/20, Time, CBC, MTV and countless other outlets around the world. Yahoo.com sent

over 30,000 visitors to the website OneWeekJob.com in under an hour (crashing the server in the

process).

I admit, my idea was a little wacky, especially when compared with the traditional route: Go to school,

get a job, buy stuff, start a family, buy more stuff, retire. But far more wacky is the number of people

who get out of bed in the morning and absolutely dread going to work because they hate their jobs. I

was trying to avoid that fate. I wanted to find something that I’d love. Something that I’d gladly spend

forty hours of my life doing each week and that would allow me to pay the bills. Whether this was

possible or simply the unrealistic hope of an inexperienced, idealistic twenty-something, I wasn’t sure.

But I worried that this same hope could easily become regret if I didn’t find out for myself. And so, I did

just that.

I soon realized that I wasn’t the only one kept up at night struggling to decide what I wanted to do with

my life. Thousands of people began following my journey, looking for inspiration in their own lives.

College students were relieved to find others uncertain of their careers. Baby boomers wrote how

they'd found the courage to change their jobs, or go back to school and discover their passions once

again.

We often hear people complaining about their jobs - how much they hate waking up each morning and

going to work or how they can’t wait for the weekend to come. Albeit in today’s economy, most are

happy to simply have a job. But, whether in dire or prosperous economic times, how do we find a career

we love?

I’ve learned that often times a leap is required.

Not many jobs require that we jump off a 160-foot bridge attached with an elastic chord, but in order to

truly find a career that we are passionate about, some concessions are required - we must be willing to

step outside of our comfort zone, take risks, and try new things. We must be willing to take a leap.

Launching the One-Week Job project was my leap into the working world, the “real world” so to speak.

Each week I put myself in unfamiliar situations, continually operated out of my comfort zone and was

presented with new challenges and increased uncertainty. As a result, I’ve been able to learn what I

need in a career to be happy. I’ve seen myself grow and develop in ways I would never previously have

Legends of Career Development | Page 11

thought possible. In the past where I may have avoided situations that required I step outside my

comfort zone, now I suddenly find myself seeking them out. Now I simply view them as another

opportunity to overcome my fears and learn something new.

I think that many succumb to a fear of failure and the inevitable uncertainty that accompanies risk.

When there is a family to feed and a mortgage to pay, I imagine many feel they can’t afford such a risk.

As a result, we elect for the safe routine where we are not asked to challenge ourselves and know

exactly what is expected of us. It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there with an uncertain

future ahead and I am sure we all know the associated feeling very well; whether it resulted from a

career decision, a relationship, moving out of the house, taking that trip around the world or any other

situation which requires us to step outside of our comfort zone. It is a leap many are not willing to take

and so end up choosing to settle into comfortable, secure positions that we may or may not be happy

with.

Yet, I think it is important to remember it is in these situations of uncertainty that we learn the most

about ourselves and are provided with the opportunity to uncover our true potential. And if it doesn’t

work out as planned, life will often times give us a second

chance.

I’ve met thousands of people since I began The One-Week

Job Project; I’ve never met anyone who regrets pursuing his

or her passion. They may not have ended up exactly where

they thought they would, but it led them to uncover

different opportunities they would have never otherwise

explored. Most held a humble confidence with their life –

creators of their destiny, captain of their ship, comforted

with the reassurance that they will never be haunted by the

question, “What if?”

Back on the bridge, I gaze behind me at the energetic crowd,

smile and give thumbs up, then turn back to the raging river

below. I take a deep breath and check my harness one last

time. “I’ve put this off much too long,” I think to myself.

“Ready or not, it’s time to take the leap.”

ABOUT SEAN AIKEN

Sean graduated from Capilano

University with a degree in Business

Administration. At the top of his

class, with a 4.0 cumulative GPA, he

was voted the class valedictorian. He

started the One-Week Job project in

February 2007, at age twenty-five,

and finished his 52 weeks in March

2008. His book, The One-Week Job

Project: 1 Man, 1 Year, 52 Jobs, was

published by Random House USA and

Penguin Books Canada. Sean

frequently speaks about what he

learned from his experience and is

currently developing a program to

empower others to discover their

passion by taking on a series of “one

week jobs”. He currently lives in

Vancouver, Canada.

CONTACT SEAN

Learn more about Sean and his work

at: www.oneweekjob.com

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BUILDING A CAREER, BUILDING A LIFE | KEN COATES

Early in my term as Dean,

Faculty of Arts at the

University of Waterloo,

Canada's leading

institution and one

renowned for its

connections to the world

of work, I was asked to

speak to two groups in

rapid succession: high

school students

considering the University

of Waterloo and the

graduating class from the

Faculty of Arts. I

remember both presentations vividly. It was 2007. The North American economy was firing on all

cylinders. The forthcoming wave of retirements was going to clear out the middle class for the

thousands of eager graduates coming out of Canadian and American universities. This was the age of the

knowledge economy. Graduates in all fields were sure to be in high demand. My message was simple:

get a university degree, work hard, plan carefully and a world of opportunity (and a high income)

awaited.

What a difference a few years has made! The world of work has turned sour. The financial crisis of

2008-2009 stripped hope and optimism from the economy. The stock market crash convinced

thousands of would-be retirees to rethink their plans to leave the work force. Companies reconsidered

their investment plans, as they were concerned about the remarkable rise of China and about the slow

decline of the North American economy. Canada seemed to be doing much better -- producing natural

resources at a time of high commodity prices is a recipe for at least short-term success -- but even here

the forecasts were disappointing. The 2012 American presidential election turned into a referendum on

the preservation of the American middle class and the long-touted "American Dream." Governor Mitt

Romney referred repeatedly to the high rates of unemployment and student debt among university

graduates, a situation that is mirrored in Canada but rarely discussed. Uncertainty reigned.

There is a new message for young people, rooted in simple realities: a sharp and seemingly permanent

decline in middle management employment, the over-production of university graduates in general, the

underproduction of university and college graduates with specialist, science-based credentials, and

serious questions about the work ethic, motivation and determination of the young adults of today. The

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so-called "Entitlement Generation" has few supporters among the adult population, including sadly

many parents who raised their children to assume that they were very good at everything and that the

world would unfold in their interests. To a large number of employers, most university graduates lack

the qualities that are essential for success in the highly competitive global marketplace. We are entering

a world of unpaid internships, substantial unemployment, mass underemployment, low salaries, short-

term jobs, and youth dissatisfaction with their life chances.

The message -- and I fear that this one is going to last -- is simple. A university degree is no guarantee of

a good job, an exciting career and a high income. University provides an opportunity to prepare for the

world of work, but it is up to the individual to determine if that opportunity will be seized. The job

market will remain tight and it will be hard for an individual to rise above the wave of new graduates

leaving the universities and colleges every year. So, the future for a young person working their way

through post-secondary education rests on very careful and deliberate steps. Students should select

their academic programs carefully. Students with

specialist or science and technology-based degrees have

the best prospects. Entering university with solid Math,

Physics and Chemistry credentials is essential to keep

doors to these high demand programs and careers

open. Science aversion is increasingly a serious

impediment to a career. Business schools are very

crowded, and there are prospects of over-production of

graduates. Once in school, young people should also

dedicate themselves to their studies. Excellence and

achievement, and not exclusively in academics are the

sine qua non of a highly successful career. Students have

to pay attention to their volunteer activities, part-time

and summer jobs, and extra-curricular

activities. Employers are interested in future employees

of broad accomplishments and interests, not book-

learning drones who never had a life outside of their

course work.

There are challenging times ahead, and we have not

prepared the young people of today for the economy and

workforce of the future. Not only have the adults saddled

future generations with a crushing debt load, they have

led North America into an economic morass filled with

uncertainty and change. In this environment, young

people need to seize the future, look for opportunities for

personal development, give serious thought to

ABOUT KEN COATES

Raised in Whitehorse, Yukon, Ken

attended the University of British

Columbia and the University of

Manitoba, receiving his PhD in Canadian

history from UBC in 1984. He

subsequently taught at Brandon

University and the University of Victoria

before starting an administrative career

that took him to the University of

Northern British Columbia, the University

of Waikato (New Zealand), the

University of New Brunswick at Saint

John, the University of Saskatchewan,

and the University of Waterloo. He is

now the Canadian Research Chair in

Regional Innovation in the Johnson-

Shoyama Graduate School of Public

Policy, University of

Saskatchewan. Ken's research covers a

variety of topics, including Native-

newcomer relations, Northern history,

Arctic sovereignty, science and

technology and contemporary Japan. He

is the President of the Japan Studies

Association of Canada.

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entrepreneurship and self-employment, and take

responsibility for their career and earning

outcomes. Universities and colleges can be part of the

puzzle, or they can be holding pens where young people

and families put off discussing the inevitable transition to

the world of work.

We are in, I truly believe, a time that rewards the bold, the

hard-working and the creative and that punishes the

passive, the entitled and the unmotivated. Making one's

way in the world has never been easy, and it is tough

enough at present. It seems quite clear, to me at least, that

the future promises greater difficulties and puts even more

of a premium on self-direction and a rediscovery of the

work ethic that once made North America the envy of the

world.

He has written and spoken extensively

about post-secondary education,

drawing on his years of administrative

experience and his work at very diverse

institutions. In 2011, he published

Campus Confidential: 100 Startling

Things You Need to Know About

Canadian Universities (with W.R.

Morrison); a revised edition of this book

will be published in 2013, as will a

"users' guide" to Canadian universities.

CONTACT KEN

You can visit Ken's website to learn more

about his work.

Legends of Career Development | Page 15

3 SOLUTIONS FOR CANADA'S JOB MISMATCH | RICK MINER

Three years ago, when I

published People Without

Jobs Jobs Without People I

had no idea of the interest

the report would

generate. To date I have

made over seventy

presentations, typically as a

keynote speaker, to a wide

variety of audiences

(educators, labour planners,

career counselors,

businesses, government

officials, etc.). As a result, it

has become increasingly

obvious that we have to do a lot better at matching people with jobs. Frustration among of our youth is

setting in and that is not a good thing.

Consider the following:

Youth unemployment is about 14% and levels of dissatisfaction are rising.

The number of university graduates enrolling in colleges after their graduation is on the rise

resulting in even higher and higher student debt. One college reports that that 25% of their full-

time enrollment is comprised of university graduates.

Canadian businesses spend less on educating their employees than their US and European

counterparts.

Our universities and colleges do not cooperate with each other to the extent they should with

credit transfer issues being a major problem.

Our labour market information (LMI) system needs a major overhaul. We spend so much time

looking in the rear view mirror (the past) and missing all the opportunities in front of us (the

future).

We are the only G-8 country without a ministry of education or a national education strategy.

So what are the options? What should we do? Unfortunately, space does not allow a full discussion of

all the issues but let me pick a couple of the bigger ones.

First, we need to reform our post-secondary education (PSE) system. Here we have a supply based

model where 17 and 18 year olds, with limited LMI knowledge, defining the make up of our labour

Legends of Career Development | Page 16

force. It is no wonder we have a mismatch between

graduates and career opportunities. At the same time,

we have the colleges and universities actively recruiting

students, the more the better, since they need the tuition

revenue to balance their budget. The availability of jobs

and careers does not get into the equation.

Second, we need a Pan-Canadian labour force discussion

and a subsequent strategy. Let’s not get hung up on the

issues around Constitutional jurisdictions. This is too

important an issue not to be able to find a way to work

together.

Third, we need to become far more sophisticated in

talking about and understanding how jobs and careers

will evolve. Yes, it is hard to do but when you only look at

the past you miss a lot of wonderful opportunities. If

more educators, parents and employers took advantage

of Career Cruising's ccEngage resources to help students

thoughtfully explore viable 21st century career options,

more would likely exit the educational pipeline prepared

for the jobs of the future.

Obviously, I have only scratched the surface on this

extremely important topic. But if you want to learn more

you can go to my web site (www.minerandminer.ca)

where you can access (use the research link) the original

People Without Jobs report and the new report: Jobs of

the Future: Options and Opportunities.

ABOUT RICK MINER

Dr. Rick Miner brings a distinguished

record of more than 40 years’ experience

within post-secondary education to his

position at Miner and Miner.

Recent involvements include: Presidency

– Seneca College; Member – federal

panel evaluating Canada’s labour

market information system;

Commissioner – review of the post-

secondary institution system in New

Brunswick; Contributor – ground

breaking studies of Ontario and

Canada’s labour market needs through

2031; assessment of university and

college access programs. In 2012 he

published a report entitled Jobs of the

Future: Options and Opportunities.

Dr. Miner holds a Bachelor of Arts in

History from Gettysburg College, a

Masters of Business Administration from

the University of Utah and a Doctorate in

Management from the University of

Minnesota.

CONTACT RICK

To learn more about Rick and his work,

please visit his website at

. www.minerandminer.ca

Legends of Career Development | Page 17

THREE WAYS TO MAKE HIGH SCHOOL MATTER | JAMES R. STONE III

In 1983, the publication of

A Nation at Risk

inaugurated a 30-year

wave of reform in the

United States that has led

to a system of education

that is increasingly narrow

in focus and has reduced

high school to a mere

stopping point on the way

to the next level of

education – college. In

response to the popular

perception that the United

States is losing out to

other nations whose children score better on academic tests, we have convinced ourselves that good

jobs require a college degree. In the “college for all” movement, high school has become the new middle

school.

How did this happen? Over the years, on the assumption that more (academics) must be better, states

began to increase the academic requirements for graduation. One year of required high school math

became three, and in many states, four. More science was demanded of students. Despite the addition

of the equivalent of one full year of core academics to high school requirements since the early 1990s,

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test scores in math, science, and literacy have

remained essentially flat. In the meantime, although the high school graduation rate has been slowly

improving, between one in four and one in five students starting ninth grade does not finish high school.

Buried within these data is an alarming trend regarding boys. In a July 2012 New York Times opinion

piece, David Brooks noted that fewer boys than girls finish high school, go to college, complete college,

enter graduate school, or finish graduate school. Boys have the most discipline problems in schools and

are awarded 75% of all the Ds and Fs. If there were any doubt, we have a very real boy problem in U.S.

education.

So where is this getting us? Requiring more academic courses is not improving academic skills and may

be pushing boys out of the education pipeline, but we may be getting more students to finish college.

Since 2001, according to the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, we have seen a 31%

increase in the number of associate’s degrees awarded, a 24% increase in baccalaureate degrees, a 45%

increase in master’s degrees, and a 43% increase in doctoral degrees. The problem is, 47% of those

Legends of Career Development | Page 18

graduates now have jobs that do not require a BA or BS—more than a third of these graduates have jobs

that require only a high school diploma. The amount of postsecondary education one has does not

affect the hourly rate at Walmart or Starbucks.

Although more education is intrinsically a good thing, the “college for all” movement has ignored both

the costs of acquiring a college education and the realities of the labor market. Reports increasingly

show the mismatch between what a college degree offers and what the labor market demands. Labor

market signals strongly suggest the existence of a skills mismatch, and in some cases, a skills gap.

Industry decries a lack of technicians, welders, and machinists to meet rising manufacturing demands.

There are not enough medical assistants, pharmacy technicians, and health information workers to

meet the extraordinary growth of the health care field. Many other jobs are going unfilled that require

not a four-year degree but an industry-recognized credential (IRC). IRCs may require anything from 10

weeks of intensive training for a welding certificate to two years of postsecondary study for an

associate’s degree in nursing, for example.

Given the realities of the labor market and the challenge of keeping young people engaged in education

and getting them prepared for the job market, how can we make high schools matter to more youth?

1. Schools can engage young people by providing education that is both rigorous and more relevant.

Recent research from the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE) shows

that including CTE as part of the high school experience keeps kids in school and is linked to higher rates

of high school graduation. As cited in this Education, we found a stronger connection between high

school CTE course-taking and graduation for boys when they take three or more CTE classes in a focused

program area. Finding meaning in learning is important for all youth, but it may be even more important

for boys.*

2. Another way to make high school matter is to provide opportunities to acquire IRCs while in high

school as part of a robust CTE program. States like Florida, Kentucky, and many others are expanding

these opportunities. If done well, students can start a career pathway built upon stackable credentials

beginning in high school that articulate seamlessly with postsecondary credit- and credential-earning

opportunities.

3. Finally, if we want high school to matter, youth need to begin the career development process well

before high school. Emerging research from the NRCCTE is pointing toward the importance of engaging

students in thinking about their future selves no later than 8th grade. Many states now require

individualized graduation plans that are predicated on career inventories or other strategies to start the

conversation with students and parents in planning their future career pathway.**

Legends of Career Development | Page 19

According to the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s

Pathways to Prosperity report, more than half of all ninth

graders will never complete a two- or four-year college degree.

This means that their high school diploma has to provide them

with the necessary preparation to continue their education and

training when needed as they begin their journey to a

successful and productive adulthood.

There is more to making high school matter for all young

people, especially robust career development and distributed

guidance strategies that begin no later than seventh grade, but

that’s the subject of another blog.

*Ask us how we provide CTE tracking for students and

administrators in our course planner, ccPathfinder.

**Using a platform like Career Cruising’s ccInspire which allows

students and employers to build meaningful connections through

work-based learning opportunities can be another way to make

high school matter. Through ccInspire, students can connect with

mentors and discover opportunities in their industry of choice to

better understand the impact of their education on their future

career. However, the industry also has an important role to play to

increase the relevance of education. Through ccInspire, employers

can effectively prepare their upcoming workforce by connecting

with students early to allow them to explore opportunities and

show them the education required to pursue those careers. For

more information on how you can integrate CTE as a part of course

planning, contact Career Cruising.

ABOUT DR.JAMES R. STONE III

Dr. James R. Stone III, Ed.D., is

the Director of the NRCCTE at the

University of Louisville. Dr. Stone’s

research has focused on strategies that

improve the capacity of CTE programs to

improve the engagement, achievement,

and transition of secondary and

postsecondary CTE participants,

including longitudinal studies on the

effects of work-based learning and the

effect of whole-school, CTE-based school

reforms on educational outcomes of

youth in high-poverty communities.

Dr. Stone led an interdisciplinary team in

conducting a randomized controlled trial

of an innovative pedagogic and

professional development strategy to

integrate mathematics into high school

CTE curricula (Math-in-CTE). A former

editor for the Journal of Vocational

Education Research, he has published

numerous articles, books, and book

chapters on CTE. Prior to joining the

faculty at the University of Louisville as a

Distinguished University Professor in the

College of Education and Human

Development, Dr. Stone held faculty

appointments at the University of

Wisconsin-Madison and the University of

Minnesota, where he directed the

previous NRCCTE (2002-2007).

CONTACT DR.STONE

Dr. Stone regularly posts his reflections

on news from the field in his popular

Jim’s. Want to receive updates on his

latest entries? ! Join his mailing list

Legends of Career Development | Page 20

CREATING A 21ST CENTURY LEARNING AND SKILLS AGENDA | JOHN KERSHAW

In today’s innovation

driven and competitive

world, highly skilled

people are the new

economic and social

drivers. In this context,

there are two core

questions facing leaders in

Canada and the United

States: How to nurture

creative and innovative

talent; and how to address

the current skills gap.

Along with C21 Canada,

Career Cruising is poised

to play an important role on both fronts.

In the knowledge and digital age value added knowledge creation drives innovation. Thus, the demand

for creative and innovative people is escalating and is emerging as one of the key elements of the global

skills gap. C21 Canada is a national coalition of education and business leaders advocating for changes

in Canada’s public education systems to address this reality. Our Shifting Minds document calls for an

enhanced focus on 21st century competencies and use of modern technologies to position Canada with

creative new leaders and a highly innovative workforce. The Partnership for 21st Skills is active on this

same front in the United States (http://www.p21.org/).

Better understanding the complexities of the skills gap is a prerequisite to collaborative action. Despite

its growing public profile, few fully understand the nature and scope of the issue. In addition to fostering

the aforementioned 21stcentury competencies, other elements of the skills gap are noted below.

In his book People Without Jobs Jobs Without People Rick Miner explains how Canada's aging

demographic means fewer people available for the workforce, creating a gap in available talent for

employers. Exacerbating this issue is the relatively low literacy levels of some workers, limiting their

ability to upgrade their skills to stay current with changing work requirements.

A gap also exists in the field of trades, partially resulting from many parents and educators discouraging

youth from pursuing this career path. Mike Rowe, a popular actor in the United States, is speaking

extensively on this topic and has founded an organization to address the issue. Fewer entries into

trades coupled with baby boomers retiring are creating a gap between supply and workforce

requirements.

Legends of Career Development | Page 21

Similarly, too few youth are pursuing the fields of science,

technology, engineering and math (STEM). Most of

society’s technology innovations originate in these fields

and increasing the number of STEM students is a

prerequisite to any country’s future competitive position.

On October 8, 2013 the OECD will release the findings of

its inaugural international survey on adult competencies.

The survey will provide an unprecedented glimpse into

whether the participating countries are equipping their

citizens with the competencies and skills they need for

success in the 21st Century.

What does this all mean? It means that what we teach,

how we teach and how we assess learning, must change. It also means we must do a better job of

educating people of all ages about career opportunities and how to adapt in a world where innovation is

creating a complex and constantly shifting environment. C21 Canada is building awareness of the need

for more relevant and engaging models of learning and Career Cruising is offering a suite of programs

and services designed to better align people’s interests with existing and emerging careers. If we are

successful on both fronts, instead of suffering through an ongoing skills gap we will instead create a

learning and skills agenda for the 21st Century.

ABOUT JOHN KERSHAW

John is the President and CEO of C21

Canada, and the former Deputy Minister

of Education for New Brunswick. He has

served on OECD’s Centre for Education

Research and Innovation and was

recently appointed to AANDC’s National

Selection Committee on Aboriginal

education funding.

CONTACT JOHN

To learn more about C21 and

John, please visit their website.

Legends of Career Development | Page 22

A DISCUSSION WITH EXPERTS: ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF CAREER

EDUCATORS IN NORTH AMERICA

Last year, we were very

excited to host an

exclusive online event for

our Career Cruising

community as a way to

show our appreciation for

their continuous support!

We hosted a live

conversation with some of

the most respected names

in the world of career

development. They

discussed the challenges

facing career educators,

practical coping strategies, and implementation plans with concrete examples.

The panelists included:

Mark Franklin (Facilitator): President and Practice Leader, CareerCycles career management social

enterprise, and Career Buzz radio show host

Bill Symonds (Panelist): Director of the Pathways to Prosperity Project by Harvard Graduate School

of Education

Pam Gabbard (Panelist): Past President of American School Counselor Association (ASCA)

Norm Gysbers (Panelist): Past President of the National Career Development Association (NCDA)

and Editor Emeritus, Journal of Career Development

Rich Feller (Panelist): President, National Career Development Association (NCDA)

In addition to addressing specific questions from attendees, we had asked panellists to discuss the

following topics:

The role of career guidance and career education in schools and post-secondary, and practical

ideas to connect the dots between education and career

Successful implementation models of career programs in education

Common challenges faced by career educators and practitioners and practical strategies to

overcome those challenges

For a full recording of the event, please click here. For the complete PowerPoint deck used during the

presentation (containing references to resources mentioned during the presentation) please click here.