Building research networks: where next?

By Deirdre Hughes, Chair of the Institute of Career Guidance (ICG) Research Committee and Director of the Centre for Guidance Studies (CeGS), University of Derby and Neil Toyne, ICG Research Committee Member and Personal Advisor Connexions Lincolnshire and Rutland.

Without an understanding of the impact of career guidance interventions, we cannot hope to improve them…without research we cannot hope to get such an understanding. Without evidence of the effectiveness of career guidance, we cannot hope to convince others to fund and support our services…Without research, we cannot hope to get such evidence.

Roberts, 2006

[1]

The interim report on the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy, Education and Training 2010: the Success of the Lisbon Strategy Hinges on Urgent Reforms [2], identifies career guidance as one of four key actions to create open, attractive and accessible learning environments. It calls for the strengthening of the role, quality and co-ordination of career guidance services to support learning at all ages and in a range of settings, empowering citizens to manage their learning and work. Throughout the UK, a major challenge for advisers working with graduates and non-graduates is the extent to which they can articulate, with confidence, the impact and added-value benefits of their work.

Good evidence is hard to come by, when it comes to clearly demonstrating the impact of careers work (Hughes et al, 2002) and how this benefits individuals, communities and UK PLC [3]. For example, there are research design problems such as:

• defining guidance;
• defining outcomes;
• isolating the effects of guidance;
• long term effects; and
• bias in evaluation.

These aspects are often contested in differing settings depending on perceptions of what constitutes ‘real evidence’, i.e. making a difference. There are problems with the literature base underpinning careers work. There exists:

• inaccessible academic language within publications;
• a wealth of work not published; and
• a growing use of ‘consultants’.

Research can be used to:

• stimulate critical thinking and new ideas;
• improve training and professional development;
• complement quality assurance;
• improve practice either 1-1 or in groups, at an institutional and/or service level;
• keep up to date with labour market changes; and
• inform/influence policymakers.

If successful, it should inspire and motivate others to ask questions and to gather further evidence on what works and what does not work along with the reasons why:

From a practitioner research perspective, there are many options available as a useful starting point, i.e.

• Client groups - Investigating needs, expectations, characteristics, problems.
• Labour and education markets - Exploring opportunities, barriers, structures, changes.
• Techniques - Applying screening and assessment methods, counselling approaches etc.
• Contexts - Reviewing the effect of institutional settings.

Lessons learned from everyday practice must be set within the context of ‘the real world’ whereby effective guidance operates not through superhuman individual knowledge, but through knowledge networks. In June 2007, findings from an Institute of Career Guidance (ICG) on-line survey indicated strongly that members value research as a means of informing their practice [4]. This has stimulated discussion on finding new and better ways of connecting guidance practitioners to dynamic knowledge networks operating at a distance, i.e. ‘virtual’ and/or through face-to-face meetings.

Use of new technologies which offer flexible ways of creating, gathering and disseminating knowledge through social bookmarking, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, on-line discussions and access to user-friendly research are making a significant contribution to building virtual communities of practice, e.g. the National Guidance Research Forum (NGRF) and European Guidance and Counselling Research Forum. This, combined with facilitating face-to-face events attended by individuals from differing sectors, disciplines and/or associations, opens up further possibilities for ‘knowledge creation’ within a cross-sector approach.

The ICG is the UK’s largest professional association supporting over 4,000 individuals working with adults and young people. It is developing a research culture in career education and guidance by:

• reviewing and promoting research findings from within and outside the UK;
• extending the work of the Institute’s Research Committee to form a new ICG Practitioners’ Research Forum;
• exploring collaborative links with other UK and overseas professional associations; and
• identifying employers committed to building ‘knowledge networks’ with career guidance professionals.

The ultimate goal is to ‘develop effective mechanisms for ensuring that robust evidence is used to influence both practice and policy developments’ (Davies et al, 2000) [5]. There are many challenges ahead that need new solutions and tactics to further improve careers provision for all UK citizens.

For further information on practice, policy, research and theory, visit:

• Institute of Career Guidance (ICG)
• National Library Resource for Guidance
• National Guidance Research Forum
• European Guidance and Counselling Research Forum

Contacts

Deirdre Hughes, email: d.m.hughes@derby.ac.uk; Neil Toyne, email: neil.toyne@connexionslr.co.uk

Note

The National Guidance Research Forum and European Guidance Research Forum websites are led by Professor Jenny Bimrose, Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Employment Research, Warwick University and Visiting Professor of Careers Research and Practice, Centre for Guidance Studies, University of Derby.

References

1. Roberts, P. (2006) Developing a Research Practitioner Network. Institute of Career Guidance (ICG) National Conference, Glasgow. November 2006.

2. Communication from the Commission COM (2003) 685 final.

3. Hughes, D., Bosley, S., Bowes, L, and Bysshe, S. (2002) The Economic Benefits of Guidance. Derby: Centre for Guidance Studies, University of Derby.

4. Institute of Career Guidance (2007) On-line Survey: Constructing the Future Publication. ICG: Stourbridge.

5. Davies, H.T.O., Nutley, S., & Smith, P. (2000) What Works? Evidence-based policy and practice in public services. Bristol: The Policy Press 16. p.362.

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