Career education: what we know, what we need to know

Two major influences are impacting on the nature of educational and career services in Australia, and indeed worldwide. First, well-documented changes in the world of work have changed our understanding of 'career' and increased the importance of, and changed the nature of, education and career services. Second, changing theoretical paradigms have challenged the traditional nature of practice. Challenges to the way career work is conducted are therefore theoretically and contextually driven. Career work needs to be reconceptualised as lifelong learning if individuals are to construct satisfying life careers for themselves within changing environments. This paper will outline the changing context in which career education operates, provide some clarification about definitions within this field, and outline a brief history of career education in Australia and the strengthening points of rationale for its inclusion in career development contexts. Finally this paper will detail the research support for career education, posit some questions that we still need to address, and provide some insights into its future.

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