NGRF - UK National Guidance Research Forum

Since 1992 Careers Europe, an organisation based in Bradford that offers a range of services and resources to the guidance community in the United Kingdom and further afield, have been part of a large European network with access to various funding streams.  The seminar provided an overview of the projects in which they are currently involved, provided practical tips for those seeking European funding and explained how practitioners can become involved in the various projects.  For further information, please see Andy's PowerPoint slides above.  If you have been involved in a European project, please share your experience with other practitioners by responding to this below. 

Further information on the CGRF is available from the CeGS website. 

A date for your diaries!  A CGRF seminar, titled Learning from European IAG Innovation, will be held at the University of Derby on Friday 28th September 2007 from 2.00-4.00pm. 

This seminar will be facilitated by Andy Shorey, Project Assistant at Careers Europe, an organisation that offers a range of services and resources to the guidance community and educational institutions in the United Kingdom and further a field.  Further information regarding Careers Europe is available from www.careerseurope.co.uk.  Andy will introduce participants to the European Commission’s new Integrated Lifelong Learning Programme, which will run from 2007 to 2012, and explain how guidance practitioners and researchers can become involved in elements of the programme.  In addition, Deirdre Hughes, Director of CeGS and Head of the Research and Knowledge Transfer Unit (RKTU), will introduce the European Guidance and Counselling Research Forum (ECGRF), funded by Leonardo.  The Forum offers transnational perspectives on equl opportunities in support of lifelong learning.  This is a highly innovative development which uses weblogs and social bookmarking to support professionals and students in their work.    

To book a place at this event, please email Jennifer Dean at J.Dean1@derby.ac.uk or telephone 01332 591267.  There is no charge to attend this event. 

Based on fieldwork conducted in Lancashire between May and October 2006, the findings of this research indicate that gaps remain in provision for Year 7, 8 and 9 students.  This has implications in light of the curriculum and qualification reforms introduced as part of the 14-19 Education and Skills White Paper (DfES, 2005), which will see young people choosing personalised pathways that suit them and form the basis for their progression.  With increased choice and complexity, young people need good quality information, advice and guidance (IAG) to ensure they are effectively equipped with the skills they need; however, in the absence of a clear strategy and curriculum for careers education and guidance (CEG), they supplement their knowledge and understanding from unmediated sources including family and friends.  The full Occasional Paper can be downloaded from the CeGS website at www.derby.ac.uk/cegs

A date for your diaries!  A Central Guidance Research Forum (CGRF) seminar at the University of Derby on Thursday 15th November 2007 will further explore parental influence on young people's transitions.  The seminar, entitled 'Parents: A Positive Influence to Career Decisions?', will present a thematic review across a range of recent research projects undertaken by the Centre.  This event is free to attend - please contact CeGS for further information.

My son is doing a thesis on the global road haulage, shipping and air freight.  Trying to get free research off the web in impossible.  Everywhere we go there is an huge charge for this.  Anyone got any idea's where one would be able to go for this??

'Who cares about career?': the theme of Career Guidance Week 2007 aims to stimulate a debate on attitudes towards the concept of ‘career’.  As a starter some key challenges to the career guidance world are: 

- Is ‘career’ always to be the property of the socially included?
- More young people are immersed in careers education at school today and it seems that relatively more young graduates are rejecting the traditional graduate career routes and looking for self-fulfilment in ‘wanderlust’.  Are these two trends related?  Is there a dichotomy here?
- How can managers balance the managerial agenda and ethics?
- Does ‘career’ make sense to some older workers having to find ways to keep financially afloat following redundancy or retirement?
- Is managing a career still possible in days of tumultuous change?
- Is there a virtual careers adviser and a virtual career?
- Do guidance practitioners have a career?

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above and why?  Post your comments below for the opportunity to engage in this important debate and inform the agenda for Guidance Week.  For further information about the event, visit the CeGS website or contact the Centre directly by emailing cegsenquiry@derby.ac.uk

How to attract young graduates?? As per survey the industry clearly lacks of highly qualified people.
 
On average, the workforce in the distributive industry is not highly qualified, with only 37% of the workforce holding S/NVQ Level 3 or higher (compared to 52% in the whole economy). Almost one fifth of the workforce holds no qualifications, including 8% of managers in the sector. 12% of the workforce have NVQ Level 1 as their highest qualification. (http://www.guidance-research.org/future-trends/logistics/ed-training/)


Being experienced in transport / freight industry doesn't make one a good manager or supervisor and knowledgeable how to motivate employees to perform. Many companies in freight industry don't have any QMS in place and managers are daily dealing with solving operational problems ... doing work for employees. No wonder the industry doesn't go anywhere. If there is  no motivation then how can someone find this attractive. Those who work in freight forwarding do you recognise these words from manager: "we need to get a good salesman in who can bring more business on board"... hope is placed on single individuals instead of looking the whole picture. This reflects the culture and it is not attractive.

Thank you for following the link in your email and agreeing to respond to my questionnaire.  As I explained in my email this small scale research survey is being carried out as part of the course requirements of MA Career Education, Guidance & Development.

Please could you complete the attached questionnaire - it should only take a few minutes.

You will need to double click on the link above to access the document, you may need to double click again to open it in word to complete and save.  Please then complete it and return it to me.  You can do this as an email attachment, by letter or by hand - all is explained in the attachment.

If you require any further information, do please contact me. In due course, you will be able to see the completed research project in the Careers Resources Room, Medway Building.  Your contribution will not only help me with my MA studies, but will also contribute to providing a better careers education service to future students!

With best wishes

Jenny Walters

P.S.  If you are student seeking to complete the questionnaire you can ignore the comments box that is displayed below, thank you.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Jenny has now completed her research survey, so the questionnaire has now been removed from this entry