E-learning Applications in Scottish Career Guidance

DREAMING / BELIEVING / ACHIEVING
A 21ST CENTURY UNIVERSITY
E-learning applications in guidance
counselling: a Scottish perspective
Overview:
• Presenter's introduction
• Introduction to the statutory Scottish CIAG landscape
– policy and operational background to e-learning applications
• The My World of Work web service
• Ethical issues in relation to the use of technology in CIAG
practice
• Discussion

Your Presenter
Research Areas:
• Career development theory
• Equality of opportunity in career choice
• Inclusive practice in career guidance
PhD:
• Gendered career decision making
• Contribution to theoretical and practical approaches
to mitigating gender bias in career choice
• Gender tolerances and broader inclusivity of career
development theory
Find me!
www.emmabolger.co.uk
Twitter: @bolger_emma
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bolgeremma
emma.bolger@uws.ac.uk
Emma Bolger
Lecturer:
MSc Career Guidance and
Development at the University of
the West of Scotland
Twitter: @uws_cgd
Programme guide:
https://t.co/ljSLHCZP6I

Career Information Advice and
Guidance in Scotland: Key Points
Skills Development Scotland (SDS):
– Scotland’s national skills agency (1,400 staff overall)
– Formed 2008 (prior to this careers, skills, training and funding services were separate, CEIAG was Careers Scotland)
– A non-departmental national body
– SDS are responsible for the delivery of statutory Career Information, Advice and Guidance in Scotland
– Statutory provision in Scotland is unique – it differs not only from provision across the UK (England, Wales, Northern
Ireland, Channel Islands etc) but also from the Republic of Ireland and other European Countries – e.g. SDS careers
adviser in every state school, no requirement for a teaching degree
– Strategic lead for Scotland’s statutory CIAG provision
Careers roles in SDS (600 staff):
• Schools Careers Adviser / Careers Adviser in an SDS Office / Work Coach / Personal Adviser
Details at: https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/what-we-do/our-products/career-information-advice-
and-guidance/our-whos-who-of-careers-advisers/

Career Information, Advice and Guidance:
Scottish Government Strategy
• In March 2011, the Scottish Government published a Career Strategy (currently
being refreshed), aiming to modernise statutory careers provision across the
country.
• Career Information, Advice and Guidance in Scotland: A Framework for Service
Redesign and Improvement (2011)
– Continues to inform the delivery of CIAG across Scotland.
– The 2011 Career Strategy defines the Scottish Government’s vision for CIAG, as a service to
support economic growth and increase employment.
– It commits to deliver CIAG through “all-age, universal provision”(Scottish Government, 2011,
p6).
– In modernising CIAG provision, the framework defines a move towards innovative and varied
CIAG services, increasing partnership work and better use of resources.
– The vision for CIAG is one of an “independent, high quality, impartial, informed” service,
offering “confidential” and “holistic” support promoting equality of opportunity (ibid).
• An ongoing continuous improvement agenda: modernisation of CIAG provision,
streamlining, greater accessibility and adaptive delivery methods
– Has led to an increased presence of a career management skills approach to CIAG.

The Career Management Skills
Framework for Scotland
• SDS staff deliver careers activity in line with the Career Management Skills (CMS)
Framework for Scotland (2012)
• The CMS Framework responds to the requirements set out by Government Career
Strategy for modernised CIAG provision that transfers responsibility to the
individual to develop his or her career management skills
• Used primarily by SDS, but not SDS-specific; aimed at organisations across Scotland
who plan, manage and deliver services in CIAG and career related learning
• Implemented across SDS CIAG services:
– It shapes the resources used to support SDS career services, to include in person (face-to-face
and telephone), internet and partner delivery.
• SDS defines CMS as a service that “stretches far beyond the traditional way of
delivering careers information” (Skills Development Scotland, nd)

My World of Work
The My World of Work web service launched in
2011 – continuous development since launch.
“The web service My World of Work provides
trustworthy, expert information and advice –
free to access at any time, for people at any
stage in their career. My World of Work is
designed to empower users to make informed,
confident decisions about their future. The
online service is built to complement the Career
Management Skills framework, supporting the
work we do in our centres and in schools across
Scotland. Users can explore who they are and
what jobs they’re best suited to. They can
discover the opportunities they could tap into –
from job profiles, vacancies and courses, to
growth industries – and find out how to get
there.”
Source:
https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/what-
we-do/our-products/my-world-of-work/
Currently:
• More than half a million people are
registered
• 90% of users are happy with the service
• Award winning
• Being replicated in other countries
• Continuous development
• Developed the service in response to user
need
– Additional resources for parents and
partners
– Interactive displays and a mobile unit

My World of Work
 Web service at: https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/
 Guidance videos on My World of Work available on the SDS You Tube Channels
 Tailored for specific audiences, as is the information on the SDS Corporate site
(e.g. https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/what-we-do/our-
products/our-careers-service-in-schools/my-world-of-work/ and
https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/what-we-do/our-products/our-
careers-service-in-schools/my-world-of-work-p5-p7-digital-offer/ )
Social Media Presence
 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/myworldofwork/
 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mywowscotland/
 Twitter: @mywowscotland

Choose your role as a service user

My World of Work
An introduction and overview of My World of Work, Scotland's online careers
information and advice service
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H10wt58_2OQ&feature=youtu.be

My World of Work
Getting started – introductions to the service for slightly different audiences
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wskKjNxjKf0

My World of Work
My career options
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNTFRHTZXOc

Other videos
Introduction to CIAG available from
Skills Development Scotland
An overview of Skills Development
Scotland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K8M-
5fCSF8&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-
7MxZJ2ICXI

Ethical issues
Key paper: Sampson, J. P. and Panke Makela, J. (2014) Ethical issues
associated with information and communication technology in
counselling and guidance, International Journal for Vocational
Guidance, 14, pp. 135-148.
• Reviews ethical issues raised by ICT in three categories: social
equity, resources and services
– I contend that these are far from the only categorisations for ethical
issues!
– The primary one being rooted in threats to the perception of our
profession.

The use of literature
• I’ve signposted a paper from 2014, which in
terms of the careers literature is pretty recent!
• However, technology moves rapidly
• Any practice-informing research into this topic
should be as recent as possible
– How long should we consider tech-related literature
relevant?

Are the “benefits” of technology really benefits?
Expediency
• Does technology make us more efficient or is it in fact an increased
offer and more work?
Reduced costs
• What are the costs of ongoing continuous development of a good
service? Not cheap!
Expanded service
• Can everyone really access the service?
(These are just some examples – we could challenge others)

Warning:
Avoid being too easily impressed!
Before we consider the actual benefits (by looking at the My
world of Work web service), let’s take a step back and consider
a changed mindset:
• e-learning applications in whatever form are simply a
person-centred approach to delivery for a specific audience
(albeit a large one!)
• they need to be fit for purpose and should meet the same
ethical standards as all practice
The same threats and challenges for career development
professionals persist…

Ethical / professional issues relating to
the use of technology in CIAG practice
Misconceptions:
• “Technology is taking away careers advisers’ jobs”
– Agh! Why am I bothering with this qualification?
• “It’s all online now so why are we bothering with
careers advisers?”
– Great! Stop giving services public money!
• “Anyone can set up a careers website or app”
– This is a big issue. Akin to, “Can’t anyone just call
themselves a careers adviser?”

Ethical / professional issues relating to
the use of technology in CIAG practice
Responses:
• “Technology is taking away careers advisers’ jobs”
– No it isn’t
• “We have no more need for careers advisers”
– We do still need them
• “Anyone can set up a careers website or app”
– Promotion, validation and approval comes from
within the sector – why we advocate

My World of Work:
designing an ethical service
• It is a government funded service
– Brings with it extra scrutiny, not always helpful!
• It is a service designed from scratch
– It is not face-to-face CIAG repackaged for online delivery
• Individuals might use the service “incorrectly”
– It is made clear that it is one CIAG service offer, alongside others
• Is it fully inclusive?
– Can all potential service users access every aspect of the service?
– What of the language and imagery?
– All service offers need to have an equality impact assessment – online offers are no different
– It cannot replace the CIAG service offer for users who cannot access online services – we’ll
always need careers advisers!
• Does it encourage public disclosure of confidential information?
– The site is secure for personal data
– No public forums
– Consider the SDS social media accounts – none of the phrasing (and there are local office
facebook sites too) encourages disclosure

Discussion
Some starting points:
• My World of Work has a team of developers and huge
government investment behind it – does it make all
other e-learning offers look a bit rubbish?
• Can a web service like My World of Work be further
enhanced? In individual practice or in development?
• Is it an effective resource? How do we know?
• It’s a Scottish service but are there aspects you could
use?

References
Sampson, J. P. and Panke Makela, J. (2013) Ethical issues associated with information and
communication technology in counselling and guidance, International Journal of Vocational
Guidance, 14, pp. 135-148 [DOI: 10.1007/s10775-013-9258-7]
Scottish Government (2011) Career Information, Advice and Guidance in Scotland - A Framework
for Service Redesign and Improvement, Edinburgh: Scottish Government
Skills Development Scotland (2012) Career Management Skills Framework, Glasgow: Skills
Development Scotland, available:
https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/34749/career_management_skills_framew
ork_scotland.pdf
Skills Development Scotland (nd) Career Management Skills [online] available:
https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/what-we-do/our-products/career-management-
skills/

E-learning Applications in Scottish Career Guidance

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