CAREERING IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC: AN OVERVIEW ' OF CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING POLICV AND PRACTICE IN

This article provides an overview for an international audience of the polley directions and current practices relating to career guidance and career practice. The focus of the Australian information Is primarily on the career education and guidance area of the education sector, although other areas are addressed, while the focus of the New Zealand information is on both the education and the employment sectors. Latest developments in the use of technology, comments on professional standards and activities and some of the latest issues or tensions are also provided. Major differences in the approaches taken by each country revolve around the centralised (New Zealand) and decentralised (Australian) nature of much of the key decision-making In the careers fields in each country. NEW ZEALAND As a small country of3.8 million people i