Abstract
M.Ed.
The society we live in is ever-changing. The youth have to orientate and direct themselves in the face of these changes. It appears that schools and school career counselling do not adequately equip the learner for the transition from school to the work environment. This and the shortage of opportunities cause feelings of uncertainty and hopelessness about the future. The educational psychologist career counsellor, with the task of guiding learners in making career choices, is also influenced by the changes in society and the work environment. This study is an exploration of the changing world of work in order to define the demands made on the educational psychologist career counsellor.
The information explosion and the consequent development of information technology, globalisation and the liberalisation of society, cause significant changes in the world of work. The industrial world of work is now characterised by several changes, additions and adjustments. The move towards a changing world of work implies that workers have to change their conception that
organisations ensure security and long-term positions. Work is no longer perceived as permanent and standardised. The world of work can't be seen as stable, constant and predictable any more. It should rather be viewed as entrepreneurial, competitive, urgent, fragmented, diverse, unpredictable and short-term-directed. Even the concepts work and career have undergone a change in meaning.
The changing conception of work demands more from workers than that of the industrial conception. It becomes increasingly difficult for workers to establish an individual identity. The workers' self-worth can no longer be measured according to a specific job or a specific position within the hierarchy of an organisation. The demands on the workers' personal, interpersonal and career management skills are also increasing. These demands require that workers be directed towards life-long learning and training.
A critical evaluation of the exclusive use of the trait-factor approach to career counselling in the changing world of work proves that it is no longer deemed an adequate approach for the responsible career counsellor. This requires that educational psychologists have to make changes in their approach to career counselling. Guidelines for the move from vocational guidance towards a facilitative career counselling approach are presented. This implies a move from an industrial conception of work towards a changed conception of work; from objectivity towards perspectivity; from experts towards co-workers; from work identity towards a more complex identity; from fitting towards empowerment and from individual interventions towards group interventions. The task of the educational psychologist career counsellor thus becomes more comprehensive and demanding.