Introduction to the Blueprint for Careers
Presented by –
Date –
Career is increasingly being viewed as something every human
has, for a lifetime (Gysbers, 1997)
Aim and objectives
Aim:
To introduce the Blueprint for Careers (England) and its
Uses.
Objectives
By the end of the session participants will be able to:
• Analyse support and skills needed to manage careers
• Explain what the Blueprint for Careers is
• Relate it to their own context
• Identify how they might use it themselves.
Your career path
Work in fours – preferably with people you do not
know well
Look at the quotes about careers – select ones that
represent your views and values. If there are none
that appeal to you write your own!
Discuss what this means for careers and the
support required for learners in developing their
careers.
You have 15 minutes for this exercise.
What is a career?
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A career is defined as the combination and
sequence of roles played by a person during the
course of a lifetime Super (1980)
How does this compare to your definition?
What is your organisation’s definition?
What is career development?
Traditionally:
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Preparing for the world of work
Gaining the skills and experience to find one’s vocation
in life
Improving one’s employability.
Currently:
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A lifelong process that influences all aspects of a
person’s life
The knowledge, skills and attitudes that evolve through
the lifelong process
Continually developing relevant skills for both personal
life and work.
What’s changed?
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Changing and fragmented labour market
Less employer support for career development
Less career support for young people and adults
Complex choices and limited funding for learning
More transition points: individuals need to
recognise transferable skills
Individuals need the competence to manage
their own careers.
Learners’ careers
Pedro Ichenko
Karen Beesley
Dennis Bird
Skills for the journey?
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Focus, on who they are, what they have to offer, and
what is important to them
Direction, knowing their options, what appeals to them,
and how to qualify for suitable learning and work
opportunities
Adaptability, the skill of making the best of ever-present
change
Healthy self-esteem and self-knowledge, to counter
uncertainty and doubt.
Richard Froeschle (2003)
Blueprint for Careers
The Blueprint for Careers is a framework that
can be used to help people to manage their
approach to their life, learning and work.
What is it?
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A framework of 11 career competencies for
individuals with indicators describing outcomes
It is flexible and can be adapted to different
settings and circumstances
It is suitable for all ages.
The Blueprint: versions
developed
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1989: Guidelines developed in the USA
with focus on employability skills
1996: Canadian version developed with
focus on on life / work design
2005: Australian version
2009/10: Work began to develop versions
for Scotland / England
2011: Version for England produced.
Developing the Blueprint for England
Employability skills
ICT skills
Mobility
Financial Planning
Social Media
Healthy living
Mobility
Enterprise skills
Environmental
Awareness
The Big Society
Citizenship
Networking
Numeracy
Cultural
diversity
Globalisation
Building self-reliance
Building self
efficacy
The Blueprint for Careers (England)
Exploring life,
learning and
work
Understanding
and
developing
myself
Developing
and managing
my career
Effective
Career
Management
The Blueprint – a version for England
Understanding and developing myself
• I know who I am and what I am good at.
• I interact confidently and effectively with others.
• I change, develop and adapt throughout my life.
Exploring life, learning and work
• I learn throughout my life.
• I find and utilise information and the support of others.
• I understand how changes in society, politics and the economy relate
to my life, learning and work.
• I understand how life, learning and work roles change over time.
Developing and managing my career
• I make effective decisions relating to my life, learning and work.
• I find, create and keep work.
• I maintain a balance in my life, learning and work that is right for me.
• I plan, develop and manage my life, learning and work.
Blueprint activity 1:
Using it yourself
(1) Which of these competencies
have you developed?
(2) What helped you develop them?
(3) What changes in circumstances
might affect your competence?
You have 10 minutes for this exercise
Blueprint activity 2:
Using it with individuals
(1) How could you use the Blueprint
with individuals in your work?
(2) What self-directed activities
could you develop to help your
learners use the Blueprint
themselves?
You have 10 minutes for this exercise
How can we use it in our
context?
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To review an existing career learning programme,
learning curriculum or careers provision
To develop a new career learning programme or career
management competencies across the provider
curriculum
To enable learners to assess the extent to which they
are competent at developing their careers – and identify
priorities for action
To review careers resources and products, and identify
gaps.
How can we use it in our
context?
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To plan career progression across partners (i.e. in a
Diploma Consortium or a local authority) using the
Blueprint to provide a common language and structure
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To help us measure the impact of the services we
provide (i.e. by identifying the increase in our learners’
‘career competence’)
To help evaluate and improve the career services and
provision we offer.
A learner perspective
‘The Blueprint covers what you want from a career,
how hard you are prepared to work/study for it and
how much it will cost you to train/study. It challenges
your own work values and the probability that you will
not have a job for life and that there may be several
career changes. I wish I had received this when I
was at school.’
An adult learner.
pg 31 Career blueprint: supporting an all-age guidance Strategy.
LSIS 2010
What are the benefits?
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Individuals learn how to manage their own
careers throughout their lives
Individuals know where to get information and
support
Providers have a common framework for
planning, development and measuring progress
Providers have a shared language and
consistent practice
One flexible framework for many careers and
transitions.
Blueprint:
What is the philosophy behind it?
“Career management is not about making the right occupational
choice. It’s about equipping people with the competencies (skills,
knowledge, attitudes, character, emotional intelligence) to make
the myriad of choices with which adults are confronted, in all
aspects of their lives and throughout life to become confident,
healthy, self reliant citizens, able to cope with constant change in
the labour market and maintain balance between life and work
roles.”
Phil Jarvis
The Canadian high five messages
for career development
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Change is constant
Follow your heart
Focus on the journey
Keep learning
Build relationships.
David Redekopp, the National Life / Work centre
Blueprint activity 3:
Action planning
(1) Which of the activities discussed
today do you think you would like to
take forward?
(2) What resources will you need?
(3) What will you do immediately?
You have six minutes for this activity
Summary
1. How has the concept of career changed?
2. Where was the Blueprint developed?
3. What is the philosophy of the Blueprint framework?
4. What are three main areas in the Blueprint for careers
(England)?
5. What are you going to do next with the Blueprint?
Thank you for attending, please complete an evaluation form
References
LSIS, (2009) Career Learning for the 21st Century: the career blueprint –
a competence approach.
LSIS, (2010) Career Learning for the 21st Century: Careers Blueprint
supporting an all-age guidance strategy
LSIS, (2010) Career Learning for the 21st Century: mapping the Blueprint
against other frameworks
LSIS, (2011) Career Learning for the 21st Century: The Blueprint for
Careers – evidence of impact
LSIS, (2012) Career Learning for the 21st Century: A guide to the
Blueprint for Careers
LSIS (2012) Blueprint for Careers: Brief guide
LSIS (2012) Blueprint for Careers grid
LSIS (2012) Blueprint for careers and its implementation (available May
2012)
References continued
Canadian Website: http://206.191.51.163/blueprint/
Australian website: www.blueprint.edu.au
LSIS Blueprint materials www.excellencegateway.org.uk/node/1332
Career Learning for all – free on-line CPD module produced by LSIS
Froeschle, R. (2003) Cost of Market Indecision: The Economic Effects
of Insufficient Career Information, Texas Workforce Commission,
Career Development Resources, Austin, TX.
Gysbers, N.C. (1997) Involving Counseling Psychology in the
School-to-Work Movement: An Idea Whose Time Has Come. The
Counseling Psychologist, 25(3), 413-427.