Imagine a hall filled by a selection of leading thinkers and doers, sharing ideas, challenges, professional practices, and national policies reflecting their nations’ aspirations for educational and labour market outcomes. They all met in Seoul at the 8th Symposium of International Centre for Career Development Public Policy (ICCDPP), hosted by the the Republic of Korea’s Department of Education and KRIVET. Evidently, career development is high on the agenda of many nations seeking to improve the employability of their citizens.
This ICCDPP 2017 coordinated the presentations and deliberations of 26 countries represented by Country Teams made of no less than 120 delegates. Their deliberations were planned into an action-packed agenda. This was no talk fest. Country Teams worked with one another and then crossed over into blended teams to formulate strategies and Action Plans for their respective countries.
Widening the Scope
Unemployment and underemployment are a scourge of international proportion that have devastating effects on health and well-being (Kossen & McIlveen, 2017). Knowing the destructive effects of the lack of decent work, the delegates described the usefulness of career development services for adults aiming to enter the labour market or transition from one job to another. Career development services are proven to be effective and necessary for youngsters making career decisions about their futures (Whiston, Li, Goodrich Mitts, & Wright, 2017). Preparing for their transitions from learning to earning is vital and their socio-economic prosperity and to a sustainable labour force. In all nations, there is a pressing need for policies and programs for transitions throughout the whole of life, from formal schooling to retirement.
ICCDPP Country Teams’ Action Plans
In the coming weeks, Countries Teams will share their Action Plans with fellow delegates and key stakeholders in their homelands. Their Action Plans will signal an international agreement emphasizing the benefits of career development services to individuals, their communities, and the productive industry sectors in which they work. Stay tuned for more updates.
The ICCDPP delegates were treated with extraordinary courtesy. The Korean hosts offered glorious hospitality and respect for peoples from other parts of the world. Hosts of the next symposium of the ICCDPP, the 9th, would do well to learn from Korea’s format and experiences.
The Key Messages
With such a diverse array of participants and topics from across the globe, it is necessary to condense the findings into a short and precise message: The Communique 2017
This year’s Communique captures several important themes. One theme close to ACCELL’s interests is employability. Read the Communique with your own nation in mind. Consider the issues, trends, and consider how employability intersects with these important dimensions of your industry.
References
Kossen, C., & McIlveen, P. (2017). Unemployment from the perspective of the psychology of working. Journal of Career Development, 0(0). doi: doi:10.1177/0894845317711043
Whiston, S. C., Li, Y., Goodrich Mitts, N., & Wright, L. (2017). Effectiveness of career choice interventions: A meta-analytic replication and extension. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 100, 175-184. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2017.03.010
ACCELL Research Team 