The experienced role of ICT in career guidance services in the Nordic region by Jaana Kettunen, Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

1. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
The experienced role of
ICT in career guidance services
in the Nordic region
Guidance on a distance – Nordic challenges and solutions
12 April, 2015 - Oslo, Norway
Jaana Kettunen, Finnish Institute for Educational Research,
University of Jyväskylä, Finland

2. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Organization of the presentation
 Introduction
 Perceived role of ICT in relation to national Lifelong
Guidance policies
 Experienced role of existing and emerging
technologies in career guidance services
 What competence are needed for effective use of
existing and emerging technologies in career
guidance?

3. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
 The increasing use of existing and emerging technologies (i.e
social media) in career-related activities is placing new demands
on career practitioners and on organizations (Bimrose & Barnes,
2010; Osborn, Dikel, & Sampson, 2011)
 The locus of control in the Web is shifting from experts to a
blend of expert and socially-constructed knowledge.
 Emerging technologies provides new opportunities which were
not possible in the past for practitioners to serve individuals
 A key challenge for the immediate future is to ensure that the
career guidance sector is equipped to respond to these new
demands
 Practitioners´ competency to work in this new mode is an area
of increasing importance.
Introduction
Introduction

4. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Career guidance
 “A range of activities that enable citizens of
any age, and at any point in their lives, to
identify their capacities, competences and
interests; to make meaningful educational,
training and occupational decisions; and to
manage their individual life paths in learning,
work and other settings in which these
capacities and competences are learned
and/or used”
ELGPN (2014) European Lifelong Learning Guidance Policy Network Tools No. 2.
Glossary

5. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
PERCEIVED ROLE OF ICT IN
RELATION TO NATIONAL
LIFELONG GUIDANCE POLICIES

6. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Aim
To provide a basis for
understanding the different ways
of developments in the use of
Information and Communication
Technologies in relation to national
Lifelong Guidance Policies

7. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Policy/strategy
focus
gathering and
publishing information
Rationale
for ICT use
costs
Approach
to ICT
technology focused
Function
of ICT
means for delivering
information
Distance
career services
non-existent
Funding project
Monitoring/eval
uation focus
volume
“There is no
official policy-
supported national
online career
services…”
Category 1: Unexploited

8. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Policy/strategy
focus
developing the
use of ICT
Rationale
for ICT use
widening access
Approach
to ICT
content focused
Function
of ICT
medium for
one-to-one
communication
Distance
career services
asynchronous
Funding programme
Monitoring/eval
uation focus
usability
“Policy makers
are aware of the pending
need for better use of ICT
in guidance and steps are
being taken to change
this…”
Category 2: Emerging

9. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Policy/strategy
focus
maximising
the use of ICT
Rationale
for ICT use
effectiveness
Approach
to ICT
methodically focused
Function
of ICT
space for
career services
Distance
career services
synchronous
Funding co-funding
Monitoring/eval
uation focus
impact
“…different specific
strategic approaches
are integrated in
sectorial services…”
Category 3:
Acknowledged but fragmented

10. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Policy/strategy
focus
systematising the
use of ICT
Rationale
for ICT use
efficiency
Approach
to ICT
systemically focused
Function
of ICT
impetus for paradigm
change and reform
Distance
career services
multi-synchronous
Funding
state
coordinated
Monitoring/eval
uation focus
accountability
“A new law on
guidance is launched
and attention to
eGuidance is
strengthened.”
Category 4: Strategic

11. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Discussion
 If the understood function of the ICT remains solely
as an information delivery channel, the full potential
is not utilized neither in formation of lifelong
guidance policies nor in the integrated service
delivery.
 To avoid fragmentation and to maintain and
strengthen the political momentum of lifelong
guidance policy development, it is necessary to
further enhance the synergies among different
guidance actors and stakeholders at national,
regional, and local levels

12. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
EXPERIENCED ROLE OF
EXISTING AND EMERGING
TECHNOLOGIES IN CAREER
GUIDANCE SERVICES

13. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Aim
To provide a basis for
understanding the different
ways in which career
practitioners experience existing
and emerging in career services

14. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Kettunen, J., Vuorinen, R., Sampson, J. P., Jr. (2013).
Career practitioners ways of experiencing social media.

15. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
DIMENSIONS
OF VARIATION
CATEGORIES
Means for
delivering
information
Medium for one-
to-one
communication
Interactive
working space
Impetus for
paradigm
change and
reform
Role of social
media
Function of
social media
Attitude
Rationale
Intervention
paradigm
Nature of
interaction
Practitioner's
role
Kettunen, Vuorinen & Sampson 2014.
Career practitioners´ ways of experiencing
social media in career services

16. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Category 1: Means for delivering
information
Role of
social media
useful tools
Purpose delivering information
and advice
Attitude reserved
Rationale visibility
Perception challenge
Intervention
paradigm
individual
face-to-face intervention
Nature of
interaction
practitioner  individual
Practitioner's
role
expert role
“It is used as,
kind of like
the first step
to something
real/proper.”

17. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Category 2: Medium for one-to-one
communication
Role of
social media
useful tools viable alternative
Purpose delivering
information
and advice
delivering career services
Attitude reserved careful
Rationale visibility accessibility
Perception challenge change
Intervention
paradigm
individual
face-to-face
intervention
individual
intervention
Nature of
interaction
practitioner 
individual
practitioner  individual
Practitioner's
role
expert role reflexive role
“How do I integrate
these new practices
into old, established
work routine? ”

18. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Category 3: Interactive working
space
Role of
social media
useful tools viable
alternative
space for career
services
Purpose delivering
information
and advice
delivering
career
services
collaborative career
exploration
Attitude reserved careful adaptive
Rationale visibility accessibility interactivity
Perception challenge change opportunity
Intervention
paradigm
individual
face-to-face
intervention
individual
intervention
group
intervention
Nature of
interaction
practitioner 
individual
practitioner

individual
practitioner 
individual/group
individual peers
Practitioner's
role
expert role reflexive role facilitating role
“It provides
possibilities to bring
together people who
are wrestling with the
same problems...”

19. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Category 4: Impetus for paradigm change
and reform
“When you go into
social media you
accept that it is social
media, and social
media works in social
ways...”
Role of
social media
useful tools viable
alternative
space for
career
services
participatory social
space
Purpose delivering
information
and advice
delivering
career
services
Collaborative
career
exploration
co-careering
Attitude reserved careful adaptive proactive
Rationale visibility accessibility interactivity influence
Perception challenge change opportunity reform
Intervention
paradigm
individual
face-to-face
intervention
individual
intervention
group
intervention
co-constructed
intervention
Nature of
interaction
practitioner
 individual
practitioner

individual
practitioner

individual/gro
up
individual
peers
individual
community members
individual
professional
Practitioner's
role
expert role reflexive
role
facilitating
role
participating and
engaging role

20. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Kettunen, J., Vuorinen, R., & Sampson, J. (2014). Practitioners experiences of social
media in career services.

21. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Discussion
 The challenge to guidance practitioners as a profession is to
decide how to fully, and best use existing and emerging
technologies
 We have the opportunity to create new practices and paradigms
to better reach individuals who need assistance with career
exploration and decision making
If ICT is to play an increasing role in career services it is important
 that practitioners function and utilize it in their practice within
their scope of comfort and competence
 to expand the awareness of the varying models of career
interventions with online technologies

22. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
FOR EXISTING AND EMERGING
TECHNOLOGIES IN CAREER
GUIDANCE SERVICES

23. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
 Considerable research has been conducted on
identifying the skills and competencies required for
using ICT in career guidance services (e.g. Barnes
& Watts, 2009; Bimrose, Barnes, & Atwell, 2010;
Cogoi, 2005; Cedefop, 2009; Pyle 2000).
 Careful consideration has also been given to ethical
principles and guidelines related to the use of
technologies in guidance practice (e.g. NBCC,
NCDA, IAEVG).
Skills and competencies

24. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Kettunen, J., Sampson, J. P., Jr. Vuorinen, R. (2015).
Career Practitioners Conceptions of Competency for Social Media in
Career Services

25. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Discussions
 Competency for existing and emerging technologies in
career guidance services in not only about a particular
set of new skills.
 Success in developing competency for existing and
emerging technologies in career guidance services is a
dynamic combination of cognitive, social, emotional and
ethical factors that are interwoven.

26. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ
Kiitos, thank you!
For further information, please contact:
Ms. Jaana Kettunen
Finnish Institute for Educational Research
University of Jyväskylä
Tel. + 358 40 805 4255
E-mail: jaana.h.kettunen@jyu.fi
https://ktl.jyu.fi/en/staff/kettunen-jaana