This book is focused on work, occupation and career development: themes that are fundamental to a wide range of human activities and relevant across all cultures. Yet theorizing and model building about this most ubiquitous of human activities from international perspectives have not been vigorous. An examination of the literature pertaining to career development, counseling and guidance that has developed over the last fifty years reveals theorizing and model building have been largely dominated by Western epistemologies, some of the largest workforces in the world are in the developing world. Career guidance is rapidly emerging as a strongly felt need in these contexts. If more relevant models are to be developed, frameworks from other cultures and economies must be recognized as providing constructs that would offer a deeper understanding of career development. This does not mean that existing ideas are to be discarded. Instead, an integrative approach that blends universal principles with particular needs could offer a framework for theorizing, research and practice that has wider relevance. The central objective of this handbook is to draw the wisdom and experiences of different cultures together to consider both universal and specific principles for career guidance and counseling that are socially and economically relevant to contemporary challenges and issues. This book is focused on extending existing concepts to broader contexts as well as introducing new concepts relevant to the discipline of career guidance and counseling.

The Oxford Handbook of Career Development provides a comprehensive overview of the career development field. It features contributions from 42 leading scholars, addressing the context, theory, and practice of career development in the contemporary world. The volume defines career development as an inclusive term that relates to all individuals regardless of class, gender, sexuality, ability, geography, or ethnicity. It contains cutting edge research, theory, and thinking which approach career development as a transdisciplinary field, drawing from sociology, psychology, education, and organizational studies as well as other areas. Chapters explore what personal, political, societal, economic, and cultural factors influence our careers and how a diverse range of theoretical traditions has sought to account for the phenomenon of career. It also addresses what can be done to improve and enhance people's careers through a range of educational, counselling, and employment interventions.

This volume will examine the historical emergence of the concept of career including early ideas about the meaning and role of work and how it fits with life. The concept of career development is of relatively recent origin. It was not until the early 20th Century that serious attention was given to the role of work and career as it applied to the common man. While the concept of “vocation” has historical roots that date back centuries, vocation (or calling) was typically only applied to the professions of the clergy, law and medicine. These individuals had careers, while the common man had a job. Perhaps the most significant event that changed both the labor market and the associated socio-cultural values about work was the 2nd World War. The technological advances that were brought about by the war were profound in terms of changing the nature of work, and the war brought about a significant change in the gender makeup of our labor force as millions of women entered the labor market to support the war effort. The combined effects of technology, a radical new value system, and a burgeoning economy changed everything.

With more than 400 articles, the Encyclopedia of Career Development is the premier reference tool for research on career-related topics. Covering a broad range of themes, the contributions represent original material written by internationally-renowned scholars that view career development from a number of different dimensions. This multidisciplinary resource examines career-related issues from psychological, sociological, educational, counseling, organizational behavior, and human resource management perspectives. Key Features Offers introductory materials prepared by the editors and supplementary appendices on select topics Incorporates global, cultural, and international dimensions of careers and examines the social context of careers such as the contemporary work environment, emerging values in society, gender and ethnicity, social class, and work-family interface Explores the evolution of careers, including career stages, patterns, and transitions, as well as variations in the meaning of career success Discusses career decision-making strategies, and looks at legislative, regulatory, and labor relations decrees that influence career development and decision making Analyzes initiatives used by employers, counselors, and society to promote the effective development of careers The Encyclopedia of Career Development is a leading edge reference tool that is recognized as a "must have" for libraries in the United States and around the world. In addition, corporations and career centers will also want to add this valuable set to their collections.

In response to the complexities of social change that have become evident in the 21st century, there is a need for innovation in career theory that takes into account new perspectives and the fluctuating contexts of people’s lives. Contemporary Theories of Career Development: International Perspectives brings together the contributions of theorists from around the globe whose work represents current, cutting-edge international approaches to career development theory. Emphasizing the new perspectives that are needed for this field to be relevant in a contemporary era, this book considers the cultural applications of theory in a diverse range of populations. Structured in three parts with chapters written by internationally renowned leaders in the field, this collection features a critical examination of the current history of the field; thirteen theory chapters, each enhanced by a case study; and a final chapter that draws the previous chapters together through key themes, broadening the reader’s knowledge of theoretical perspectives and their interrelations. Each theory chapter author comments on and critiques his or her own theory, inviting readers to engage with these theories at both a practical and theoretical level through the case studies. Detailed, with reader-friendly descriptions and supplemented by international research, case examples, and discussion questions, Contemporary Theories of Career Development: International Perspectives is the ideal reference work for students studying the topic as well as a stimulus for researchers and practitioners looking to implement the theories in their work.

Drawing connections between the findings of a research project following young graduates from the Scottish islands of Orkney and Shetland, current international evidence, and theoretical literature, this book argues that understanding rural and island student transitions can expose the wider dynamics of place and mobility at play during student and early career experiences. Highlighting the importance of a career perspective, Rosie Alexander encourages readers to consider how career pathways develop across time and across transition points, unsettling the notion of a straightforward transition through university into the workplace. The book uncovers how student trajectories are developed through interweaving dynamics of relationships, place, and career routes and unpacks the implications for policymakers and practitioners. It contends that a much greater spatial awareness is necessary to understand and support the educational and career pathways of higher education students. This is a crucial read for higher education researchers, policymakers, and students interested in rurality as well as access to and transition from higher education.

Despite examples of vocational guidance practice being evident in Australia since the mid-1800s, there remains a spasmodic and patchwork approach to practice across the country. For decades it is a field which has been paradoxically boosted and challenged by changing economic and political agendas. Repeated international, national and State reviews emphasise the vital nature of a systemic national approach to career development, however authors repeatedly lament the lack of a sustained focus on career activity as a major national priority. There is no broad comprehensive historical reckoning of the history of career development theory and practice in Australia since this early period. Career development theory and practice in Australia has been forged in partnership with developments in an international context. In documenting the shared history with other countries, the author significantly adds to the body of knowledge on career development as a field in Australia and internationally. The book provides new understandings about the historical development of this field of knowledge, and in particular the challenging and cyclical nature of its policy history.

"This is a must-have for any researcher in vocational psychology or career counseling, or anyone who wishes to understand the empirical underpinnings of the practice of career counseling." -Mark Pope, EdD College of Education, University of Missouri - St. Louis past president of the American Counseling Association Today's career development professional must choose from a wide array of theories and practices in order to provide services for a diverse range of clients. Career Development and Counseling: Putting Theory and Research to Work focuses on scientifically based career theories and practices, including those derived from research in other disciplines. Driven by the latest empirical and practical evidence, this text offers the most in-depth, far-reaching, and comprehensive career development and counseling resource available. Career Development and Counseling includes coverage of: Major theories of career development, choice, and adjustment Informative research on occupational aspirations, job search success, job satisfaction, work performance, career development with people of color, and women's career development Assessment of interests, needs and values, ability, and other important constructs Occupational classification and sources of occupational information Counseling for school-aged youth, diverse populations, choice-making, choice implementation, work adjustment, and retirement Special needs and applications including those for at-risk, intellectually talented, and work-bound youth; people with disabilities; and individuals dealing with job loss, reentry, and career transitions Edited by two of the leading figures in career development, and featuring contributions by many of the most well-regarded specialists in the field, Career Development and Counseling: Putting Theory and Research to Work is the one book that every career counselor, vocational psychologist, and serious student of career development must have.

In higher education institutions across the globe, there is a growing interest in integrating classroom learning with experience in practice settings. This interest is the result of an increased emphasis on courses that prepare students for specific occupations in the hopes that upon graduation students will be job-ready. Developing Learning Professionals: Integrating Experiences in University and Practice Settings explores how the integration of student experiences across university and practice settings might best be used to produce college graduates who are adept, critical practitioners. To do so, it draws on the findings of a series of projects in Australia that investigated diverse aspects of work-related learning. Through these projects, a range of scholars and researchers consider different aspects of this educational initiative within the same national higher education context. They address pedagogic and curriculum practices, institutional arrangements and partnerships of varying kinds, and a consolidated set of perspectives.

The Systems Theory Framework was developed to produce a metatheoretical framework through which the contribution of all theories to our understanding of career behaviour could be recognised. In addition it emphasises the individual as the site for the integration of theory and practice. Its utility has become more broadly acknowledged through its application to a range of cultural groups and settings, qualitative assessment processes, career counselling, and multicultural career counselling. For these reasons, the STF is a very valuable addition to the field of career theory. In viewing the field of career theory as a system, open to changes and developments from within itself and through constantly interrelating with other systems, the STF and this book are adding to the pattern of knowledge and relationships within the career field. The contents of this book will be integrated within the field as representative of a shift in understanding existing relationships within and between theories. In the same way, each reader wilt integrate the contents of the book within their existing views about the current state of career theory and within their current theory-practice relationship. [Back cover, ed].