The Nature of LMI and its role in Career Guidance

An understanding of Labour Market Information (LMI) is widely accepted as being a fundamental knowledge requirement for those involved in delivering guidance services to practice effectively. Just have a look at some job specs for the role for confirmation. Yet, how often do we pause to really reflect on why that is and how we use it?

This section is intended to encourage you to think about what sorts of LMI you value in your work and why. Concerned with the Nature of LMI and its role in career guidance, this section is a good place to start to give some context to working with LMI!

The Changing Labour Market: key issues for guidance

It is uncontroversial to state that the labour market is changing, but what does this actually mean and what are the implications for guidance?

If research evidence supports the claim that one of the things that clients value most about Careers Guidance is access to professional knowledge and networks and that means helping individuals to make sense of an increasingly complex and unstable labour market, then the onus is on practitioners to be up to speed in a world of change.

This module identifies some recognised trends in labour market change and points out some implications of these changes for guidance practice.

LMI for guidance: locating sources

It's all very well saying LMI is important, but how do you go about finding the labour market information you need? Here some key resources you can use when researching LMI are identified, whether that's for finding out about future trends in the labour market, accessing vacancy information or understanding qualification structures.

Top Tip - use this section in conjunction with the one on 'choosing between sources of LMI' to avoid suffering from LMI source overload!

LMI for guidance: choosing between sources

You already know the crucial importance of high quality, reliable labour market information (LMI) for effective advice and guidance. There is no shortage of websites and other sources claiming to offer authoritative LMI for all sorts of sectors. You don't want your clients to miss out on all this extra intelligence, but how do you know which LMI to trust?

Recognising that more information isn't always better, this section of the website is concerned with helping you critique LMI sources for yourself. Become more confident in stating 'what's hot and what's not' in relation to LMI sources, and being able to state why!

Different approaches to using LMI as part of the career guidance process

This section gives an overview of some of the more recognisable frameworks that inform practice. This underpinning theory demonstrates that, whether practitioners consciously recognise it or not, it is likely that the way LMI is used reflects a particular approach.

This matters, because the approach used will both influence the type of relationship formed with a client, the type of LMI that is considered to be most appropriate and the manner in which it is accessed and used.

Implementing good practice - working with opportunity providers

Here you will find a range of resources that explore issues, ideas and practicalities around working with opportunity providers and other stakeholders.

That means employers, training providers, colleges, universities, voluntary bureaux, charities, sector skills councils - any organisation that you or your organisation might want to link with. So whether you are debating whether you should bother visiting an opportunity provider at all or wondering how to go about arranging to do so this section is for you!

LMI Competency Audit - start here

Working effectively with labour market information requires a variety of skills in all sorts of areas. Skills are needed in information gathering, interpretation and dissemination - plus you need to be competent using questioning and counselling skills to make sure you use LMI sensitively when working with clients at one end of the spectrum, or employers and opportunity providers at the other.

You may already be accomplished in many areas of using LMI, but how often do you take the time to carry out a personal audit to see where your particular strengths and possible areas for development are?

This personal LMI audit provides you with an opportunity to think about where you are at in terms of working with Labour Market Information effectively in a career guidance context. From here you can decide which other areas of this online learning resource for LMI would be most helpful for you.