Abstract
Since the 1990s, the concept of ‘career ’ in Japan has changed due to the globalization of the economy, while the perceived importance of active learning in individuals’ career development has increased. Then, how do career guidance practitioners encourage clients’ lifelong learning on their careers in the case when we redefine individuals as “lifelong learners ”? In addition, what kind of knowledge, competencies, and skills should career guidance practitioners acquire? This study has aimed to clarify the above two research questions based on the case of Sweden.
First, we conducted a literature review to clarify the transition of career guidance in Sweden from a ‘teacher-based model ’’ to one founded in ‘Swedish-style social democracy ’. Second, with growth of the learning society in Sweden as a premise, we performed a simulation of the process of how, during social democratic career guidance, practitioners would lead their clients to lifelong learning.
In 2018 and 2019, we carried out interview surveys in Sweden to verify the aforementioned process. As a result, we clarified the following three points.
First, with regard to the stages on which career guidance should focus in an individual’s lifelong development, it was found that consistent career guidance is promoted in Sweden from primary to adult education. In addition, it was found that Japanese career guidance focuses mainly on supporting the transition from education (or work) to work, whereas Swedish career guidance focuses on supporting the transition 54 from education to education (or work).
S econd, regarding the contribution of career guidance to the ‘learning society ’, it is clear that Swedish career guidance focuses not only on young people who already belong to mainstream educational institutions and adults who have stable employment, but also on those who are considered to be socially vulnerable such as individuals from disadvantaged social classes, women, disabled people and immigrants. This could lead to more people participating in education, which in turn could lead to a higher incidence of gaining stable employment.
Finally, with regard to the knowledge, competencies and skills that career guidance practitioners should acquire in order to encourage lifelong learning of their clients, this study newly identified Egan 's ‘skilled helper model ’ as the preferred method of Swedish professionals in their practice settings. The ‘skilled helper model ‘ encourages clients to learn new skills to help them cope with their own current and future challenges. It was also revealed that career guidance practitioners need to acquire knowledge in four areas, education, labor market, individual and society, at the training stage. Furthermore, it became apparent that career guidance practitioners need to constantly update their knowledge of the education system, which is complex and changes with the times.
