Career guidance is often discussed in terms of individuals’ educational and work-related choices. At the COCAG conference in Porto, WG2 members examined the policy conditions in which those choices took shape. The central research question was: “How did education systems, public services and digital working environments affect career options?” The programme listed Petra Elftorp under “WG2: Policy”. Alexander Nunn’s keynote, “Challenging the Idea of Career and Paid Employment in the Changing Global Economy”, also gave the discussion a wider frame. Nunn asked how shifts in the global economy were changing working life and how career guidance could respond to them.
On the first day, Roland Lami examined employment policy and career guidance in Albania under conditions of structural insecurity. In his presentation, “Career Making under Structural Insecurity: A Critical Inquiry into Employment Policy and Career Guidance in Albania”, he discussed how migration and insecure working conditions intersected with career decisions. The relationship between public services and social justice featured in Julie Sikin Bhanji Jynge’s presentation. In “Developing Critical Career Theory: Governing Public Services to Champion Social Justice”, she examined the implications of how public services are governed for career guidance. Stacey Mottershaw discussed the influence of class on career formation in higher education and the role of advocacy in her presentation, “From Habitus to Advocacy: Critical Perspectives on Class, Career Formation and Social Justice in Higher Education”. At the session on policy, justice and futures, Kübra Yenel questioned career guidance policies in education systems. Ferid Azemi linked policy gaps to social inequalities; Theo Zacharis focused on how European policies could be put into practice. Yi Wang discussed the implications of artificial intelligence and platform work under conditions of digital insecurity. Nuala Whelan considered the relationship between adult guidance and conditionality in public employment services. Victoria Metcalf chaired the session. Later, Tristram Hooley and Ingela Bergmo Prvulovic considered the future of careers from the perspectives of theory, policy and practice. Ghazal Vahidi also joined the discussion on future collaborations. This part of the day brought policy discussions into conversation with the possibility of joint work.
A shared thread in the WG2 presentations was that career guidance could not be considered apart from institutions and policy. Understanding the options open to an individual also requires attention to the education system, employment services and working conditions.
Recordings of WG2 presentations can be viewed on COCAG’s YouTube playlist.
Evrim Erol, PhD, Research Scientist, Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Kütahya Dumlupınar University, Türkiye, evrim.erol@dpu.edu.tr
