Career Development Association of New Zealand www.cdanz.org.nz The Ezine, Summer 2014, Volume 18, issue 4
2014 AGM Professionalism Workshop
The professionalism team, via Julie Thomas, reports back on the “Who are we, and what does professionalism mean to us?” workshop discussions.
What do you get when seven Professionalism Project working party members run a workshop with 60 engaged CDANZ members? Rich and stimulating presentations and discussions, and a need to adapt the workshop plan on-the-spot!
After Val O’Reilly and Julie Thomas gave the background to the Professionalism Project and workshop objectives, Robyn Bailey posed the question “Are we a profession?” The definitions of “profession” generated much discussion on the elements that have currency and which are less applicable for CDANZ in this next stage of our professionalism journey.
Some of the main discussion themes were around qualifications, competencies and ethics. The international trend for higher level qualifications was raised along with the centrality of
competencies to qualifications and continuous professional development, and the importance of ethical practice across all the membership sectors. Seen as less applicable was seeking to become a legislated profession; and creating the infrastructure for registration, de-registration and censoring of practise.
Andrew Rimington gave insights about the CICA endorsed professional standards. With the ‘broad church’ of career development practitioners, the emphasis is less on a profession and more on lifting professionals and developing professionalism behaviours. Important to this is professional development framed by the seven competency standards. CICA has recently introduced a voluntary registration system for members of member associations and will share with CDANZ how this works in practice.
The voices from professionalism conversations held to date were shared. Sarah Bond spoke to a wide range of community leaders and Lila Pulsford spoke to tertiary career practitioners. Common themes were: recognition (the need to a recognised and trusted brand, and for the public to understand and value career development); having a point of difference (the need for specific qualifications and standards, and to be different from others e.g., recruiters and counsellors) and results (the need to know the “return on investment” and effectiveness of interventions).
Hana-Maree Lambert spoke with Māori career practitioners, and shared insights about
professionalism and cultural identity. Some thought-provoking suggestions in her presentation were the need to: record ethnicity of CDANZ members; establish a Māori body within CDANZ and develop a Māori career development framework. Lee Brodie spoke with private practitioners. Her main theme was around the importance of good quality PD to be better practitioners – with PD on theory, research, big issues and practical hands-on learning (tools and interventions). She
challenged us to run professional development that stimulates and stretches members and raised the idea of a CDANZ professional training centre.
Val O’Reilly spoke to 3 Australian school career practitioners who saw only advantages to professional standards – in enhancing the professional profile of people working in career development and in helping to structure PD activities. She sees similar opportunities for CDANZ through working towards implementing professional standards.
Julie Thomas spoke to the CDANZ survey monkey survey results with strong agreement across membership categories for professional standards, and slightly lower levels of agreement for alternative pathways. The main contentions were around the status of qualifications and competencies in the application process.
In summary there was general support for CDANZ to continue the conversations on our identity, and on our professionalism and acting professionally. The questions to continue asking are “Who are we, and what does professionalism mean to us?”
The Professionalism Project working party will reconvene in the New Year to revise our plan for 2015, so expect to hear more from us nationally and at the Branch level.
Merry Xmas everyone!
Julie Thomas – CDANZ Executive Member & Secretary, Business Development Manager, CareersNZ
Follow at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/julie-thomas/36/58b/6b3
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Conversations on Professionalism
17
thAGM
Auckland 2014
To:
• examine definitions of “profession” from CDANZ
perspective
• share the voices from conversations to date on
professionalism
• continue the conversations.
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Workshop Objectives
Purpose of Professionalism Working Party
• To provide vehicle for collaborative discussion with
CDANZ members about professionalism in the career
industry in NZ.
• Conversations encompass research and leading practice.
• Three questions form the basis for conversations:
1. What is professionalism?
2. Why does it matter?
3. For whom?
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CDANZ Professionalism Journey
1997
• CPANZ formed
• No careers specific tertiary level quals
2008
• Name change to CDANZ
• Introduction of career-specific level 6 qual for Professional Members
2011
• Realignment of membership categories • Annual PD hours for Professional Members
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Definition of “Profession”
Key/common elements/components from definitions:
• Ethical standards/code of ethics
• Education and training at high level
• Credentialing
• Competencies
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Definition of a Profession 1
Professions Australia
“A profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are accepted by the public
as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognised body of learning derived from research, education and training at a high level, and who are prepared to apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in the
interest of others.
“It is inherent in the definition of a profession that a code of ethics governs the activities of each profession. Such codes require behaviour and practice
beyond the personal moral obligations of an individual.
“They define and demand high standards of behaviour in respect to the services provided to the public and in dealing with professional colleagues.
“Further, these codes are enforced by the profession and are acknowledged and accepted by the community”
Definition of a Profession 2
• “….having a body of knowledge based on abstract
concepts and theories and requiring the exercise of
considerable discretion, an occupationally controlled
division of labour, credentialing procedures, training
programmes and an ethic which emphasises doing good
rather than economic gain.”
(Freidson, 2001 cited in Scanlon, 2011)
and …
“Making connections between the world of study and the
world of work is considered significant.”
(Scanlon, 2011 p.246)5
Professionalism
Professionalism is quite a different standard, and more to do
with the actions and process of those engaged in practice.
Profession is an objective, externally devised standard.
However, professionalism suggests actions and attitudes
that career practitioners themselves control.
Professionalism is not so much what a practitioner does as
the manner in which it is done.
(Furbish & Ker, 2002)
Voices - Sarah
What Is Our Brand?
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What Is Professionalism?
Voices - Lila
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I agree that you deserve some recognition. Who are you?
Courtesy: Roy Delgado
Photo courtesy: Nick Baker http://www.appyhotel.com Photo courtesy: Chris Jobson http://www.thisiscolossal.com
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Voices - Hana
17
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Speak so we
may hear the
divine essence
in your voice
4 conversations with M
āori professional
members of CDANZ
• Professionalism and cultural identity – is there a conflict?
• Where do we as Māori sit within the profession? Who are
we? How can we develop and tautoko other Māori in Career
Development and CDANZ?
• Visibility. Leadership. Mentoring. Networks
• Māori Career Development Framework to support all
practitioners working with Māori clients and groups
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• Cultural guidelines for working with Māori clients and
communities
• Raising the profile of the work we do in the Career
Development industry
• Perception of Career Development is narrow and siloed and
that we are a luxury, add-on rather than a necessity
• Standards or Guidelines critical
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Voices - Lee
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Voices - Val
• 3 in-depth interviews with 3 Australian school career
practitioners
• Questions:
– What advantages do they perceive of Professional
Standards?
– What disadvantages do they perceive of Professional
Standards?
Key Findings
• Professional Standards enhance professional profile of
people working in career development
• Professional Standards help to structure Professional
Development activities for career network groups
• No disadvantages identified
Challenges and opportunities
• Opportunity to professionalise through Professional
Standards
• Opportunity to map PD activities with Professional
Standards
• Opportunity for collaboration with “like” associations
• Challenge to write, publish, educate about, and implement
Professional Standards within time and financial
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Voices – Julie
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Voices – Survey Monkey
• What are your views on CDANZ progressing towards the
adoption of Professional Standards?
26 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
In favour Against Unsure
Professional Associate Member
Voices – Survey Monkey
• What are your views on Alternative Pathways to
Professional Membership?
27 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%In favour Against Unsure
Professional Associate Member
Professional Standards: some views
CICA professional standards too complex – keep ours
simple
What does CDANZ stand for, what is it’s role – loose association, registration body?
Why spending more time of this?
Need more research and discussion.
Professional standards essential for credibility, pride & to assure funders
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Alterative Pathways: perspectives
Against
• Career specific quals essential • Lv 6, 7 or degree?Possible
• If robust, fair, transparent, well thought through • Difficult to measure -RPL?For
• Too much emphasison quals • Recognise
relevant skills, exp. & other quals
