Students from disadvantaged backgrounds need tailored career guidance, supported by key influencers including schools, families, universities and potential employers, new research has shown.
The study, led by Kylie Austin and commissioned by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE), identified best practice initiatives in career education for students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds, including those in regional, rural, and remote areas of Australia.
“Students from low SES backgrounds often face inequity regarding education and employment in comparison with the rest of the population,” Ms Austin said.
“Quality career education delivered from an early age has the potential to lessen the gap in educational and employment outcomes between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds.”
The project recommends moving beyond traditional delivery of career advice, to the adoption of a Career Development Learning (CDL) approach to provide guidance within the broader context of life, personal qualities and experiences, and the world of work.
“Findings from case studies, recent literature, and stakeholder interviews indicated that—whilst career advisers were committed to achieving positive outcomes for their students—career education in schools was often under-resourced, opportunistic, and incongruent with student expectations of these services,” Ms Austin said.
“Our project developed a more sophisticated understanding of CDL for diverse groups, developing pilot programs and a set of best practice principles, as well as sector-wide recommendations to support students’ educational and vocational goals.”
Students, parents, and teachers were all recognised as influencer groups of future career decisions, while a collaborative, multi-stakeholder partnership approach to CDL was recommended to best support students from low SES backgrounds in achieving their goals.
Key recommendations for the National Careers Institute to continue to build upon their existing practices include the consistent implementation of the concept and term “CDL”; the development of a CDL plan aimed at schools, parents, and other stakeholders; collaboration with education departments on a state level; and the introduction of partnership practices within CDL.
NCSEHE Director, Professor Sarah O’Shea, highlighted the importance of this research to inform equitable practices in career education.
“Equity within CDL programs will help students from low SES backgrounds achieve sustainable success within both their educational and professional futures,” Professor O’Shea said.
“This study has illustrated that contextualised, student-focused approaches to career education allow for the diverse needs and experiences of students from low SES backgrounds to be recognised and met.”
Read the final report, Best-practice career education for students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds
This research was funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment under the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) National Priorities Pool (NPP).
