Design and Evaluation of a Career Program in Practice Essay Example

can be conducted either in small groups or individually.

It involves face-to-face interaction between the counselor and the individual or group. This activity is mainly aimed at helping individuals to identify on their own the needs for their careers and learn how to manage them. It also gives people an opportunity to discover for themselves personal life issues and decisions related to work (Phillips, & Bluestein, 1994, p. 66). It therefore makes smooth the progress of application of skills and information in developing the life of an individual, his learning process, work plans and helps in facilitating changes.

Career education is a strategy for career development program. It involves the intentional expansion of attitudes, knowledge and skills. The expansion of the knowledge, skills and attitudes is done through an organized program of learning carried out in educational and training settings. This is important as it enables the students to be rational when making decisions relating to their choice of work, study and help them to engage in active participation in their working lives. Career guidance involves giving the appropriate advice to the students.

It involves both the processes of career counseling and education. This is important as it helps the students to adopt a precise and a realistic recognition of life, learning and work options as opposed to a general understanding of life (Reardon, 1996, p. 283). Career development practitioner refers to the person who is responsible for the provision of the career development program. A career development practitioner is important as he or she makes smooth the process of learning that promotes career development.

They should be very efficient so

that regulate the learning materials according to the competences of the career. This will allow the program practitioners to be clear when giving information to the students, policy makers or those seeking work concerning the results of the program. This as a result leads to less time and energy consumption for both the program providers and the students. Career development services include several and varying services and programs, which are provided in many settings that are designed for career development purposes.

The main objective of the career development services is to help the students to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable them to handle their life, learning and work in their own ways. Career information refers to any form of information whether in written form, printed, in electronic materials or any other source. They are important in making the process of career development program successful because they provide further knowledge and ideas to the students and even the trainers.

The information may be about an occupation, a particular education or training program or may be concerning a certain organization. For example, information concerning labor market can inform an individual on the operation of the labor market including the conditions of work, salaries and the requirements by the industry. Career information services refer to resources aimed at providing information that are related to educational and training programs, the roles in the work place and the opportunities that are available for work.

Examples of career information services resources can be print and media materials, internet, interviews, speakers or computer-based services (Patton & McMahon, 2006, p. 145). Career counseling, guidance and information are not

only provided in employment places or in educational institutions but also in other settings like the work places and the community settings. They assist in giving results to those providing the career development program on the needs of the students that have not been fulfilled and helping the career management to update their skills (Reardon, 1998, p. 321).

This is because the quality standards for the career practitioners are important for ensuring a successful career development program. It helps through contribution to the execution of the policies that supports consistency in learning, labor and social equity. Successful career development calls for a very wide and extensive research taking on issues related to the cultural values and taboos of the population under question for example the cultural values of the Native Americans.

This helps the career developers to learn and know more about the population that they are working with. Such research however is sometimes faced by some challenges, which the people conducting the research must put into consideration. Some of the challenges could be issues of rural and urban, the methods explored in rearing the child e. g. the traditional way of upbringing, which usually affect the vocational interests of the students. Dynamics at the work place The meaning of career development is changing very first to accommodate the always changing nature of work.

With the changing technology, there is change and variation in the provision of the services, programs and resources that are useful in ensuring everyday life of people including their learning activities and their work. This is because career development is a consistent process for learning, growth and work and

exists as long as human kind lives (Lenz et al, 1998, p. 234). The nature of work in different work places has constantly been changing and as a result, the program of career development has received a serious blow. In most cases what changes in the places of work are the skills required for employment.

Some of these Knowledge may also include the capability to work in a group (Railey & Peterson, 2000, p. 123). This enhances a good work relationship among the workers. The second skill required for employment that tends to influence the program of career development is the self-management skill. This enables the employees to feel satisfied with the job that they are doing. Communication skills also contribute to the career development program. It encourages harmony among the workers and their relationship with the customers.

Technology also influences the program of career development as it makes the trainers to consider the students technological expertise before deciding on the career program to offer. For the workers to be accepted at their work places, they are required to hold the initiative and enterprising skills as well as the problem solving skills. In addition, the workers must have learning, planning and management skills. These skills are constantly changing on their requirements and therefore do pose a great effect on the career development program. Conclusion

Career development program is indeed a very important process in the life of every human being as every human need to learn, work and lead a life. Those providing this program should therefore be very careful in ensuring the inclusion of the key elements involved in the process

of career development as the success of the program lies on those key elements. Although program of career development is influenced by some situations at the work place due to the changing nature of work, the program providers should not give up but should rather adjust their services to fit the work requirements.