Facilitating Career Guidance for the Unemployed: Supporting the Return to Work

It is against the backdrop of dynamic change presented in chapter one that the role of career guidance within the lives of individuals is undergoing considerable change. Traditionally, career guidance was provided predominantly at crucial exit points of school and university, with clients predominantly being those who were experiencing difficulty in choosing an occupation. However, the changing nature of career and the context of career development means that the ‘potential consumers of career counselling are more comprehensive than has historically been typical and they occupy all stages of life and all settings’ (Herr, 1992, p. 269). Therefore, the role of career development practitioners needs to be broadened, away from the traditional role of counselling for workforce entry into a job-for-life world, to the provision of a variety of career-related interventions for a broad range of individuals throughout the lifespan