Legends of Career Development: A Career Cruising Series
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
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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.