New perspectives on career counseling and guidance in Europe

In industrialized societies, individuals are facing major challenges that mobilize many of their psychological and social resources. The world of work is changing constantly. Adults have to adapt their technical skills and knowledge continuously. For teenagers and young adults, choosing a vocation and constructing their future career paths is becoming increasingly difficult. The migration of people and the globalization of the workforce raise questions about social inclusion and the future of affected individuals. These examples highlight of the importance of the field of Career Counseling and Guidance to support citizens individually and collectively in building their future. The challenges our societies face demonstrate how crucial the development of research in this field is.The European Doctoral Programme in Career Guidance and Counselling (ECADOC), funded by the European Commission from 2013-2016, has brought together PhD students working on burning issues in this field, using various theoretical references and methodologies. The four parts of this book present a selection of innovative research aiming to find answers to the named challenges. Part 1 deals with key psychological processes involved in career construction of young adults. Part 2 presents research concerning transitions over the course of life. Part 3 covers research related to interventions of career guidance and counseling. Part 4 outlines perspectives for the future and proposes a European Research Agenda for our field of research.  Perspectives on Current Research in Career Guidance and Counseling – Building Careers in Changing and Diverse Societies is dedicated to students, researchers and practitioners in the fields of education, career guidance, psychology, human resource management to inform them about very recent work and promote the development of innovative interventions and programmes.

Valérie Cohen-Scali is Professor Professor in Career Counseling and Guidance at Inetop-Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France. She is Researcher at the Center of Research on Work and Development (CRTD). She is deputy Director of the scientific Journal L’Orientation Scolaire et Professionnelle [School and Vocational Guidance].  Her research interests concern identity construction of young adults who work while studying, organisational socialization, and the evolution of identity and competences of professionals of the field of training and counselling. She was member the scientific board of the European Doctoral Program in Career Guidance and Counseling (ECADOC) and of the scientific board of the Unesco Chair on Life Long Guidance and Counseling. Jérôme Rossier is full professor of vocational and career counseling psychology at the Institute of Psychology of the University of Lausanne. He is the editor of the International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance and member of several editorial boards of scientific journals such as the Journal of Vocational Behavior or the Journal of Research in Personality. His teaching areas and research interests include counseling, personality, psychological assessment, and cross-cultural psychology. He published a great number of articles and book chapters and recently co-edited the Handbook of life design: From practice to theory and from theory to practice. He participated actively to many international research projects, such as the personality across culture research or the international career adaptability project.