Discusses the transition from school to work via what is currently being done by many school counselors and other professionals, and why this assistance for an increasing number of youth has proved ineffective. Outlines some of the underlying basic causes of this transition problem and proposes an alternate approach. (CT)

The need for lifelong career development in Canada is becoming increasingly evident as more people switch jobs. To meet this need, it has been suggested that counseling services for adults should be organized in a three-tiered structure. Such a structure would ensure that individuals have access to a counselor in accordance with their level of…

Professional evaluation of career counseling programs is becoming increasingly important as funding becomes more limited and accountability more pervasive. This digest describes a Canadian approach used by an outside team to evaluate seven small career counseling programs. Evaluators addressed two basic goals: appraise the effectiveness and…

This Portfolio Builder, designed for participants in the Building Better Career Futures (BBCF) program, helps participants explore, work towards, and realize their life and career goals. It is to be used as a tool to help students reflect on their own ideas about career development and to later market themselves in the world of work. This…

Developed by the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission for use in Canada Employment Centres and also ultimately used in schools, CHOICES is a unique employment counseling tool involving computers to match individual interests and abilities with suitable occupations. (MF)

Two prominent themes are inferred from interviews with four Canadian women educators. One theme is the "competing urgencies" of their dual roles in the family and the profession. The other theme is the idea of "late blooming" as their careers developed after their midthirties. (SLD)

It is essential for career counselors working with Canadian Native youth to be cognizant of Native communication patterns, which include non-intrusive listening, story-telling, patience, and respect for family influences. Native students and their parents want non-biased treatment, information, and guidance from counselors so as to ensure both…

Analysis of questionnaires completed by 27 successful Canadian women indicated that these women experienced satisfaction in carrying out research, publishing, and artistic and engineering production, while at the same time maintaining a healthy feeling of equality in a career path. Patterns of career growth indicated inconsistent vertical…

This paper describes a career information center established in a secondary school as a demonstration guidance project. The center is managed by a full-time careers consultant and has been operational since 1974. The demonstration project is designed as a method of delivering career information and related services to students. Goals include…

Canada's school-to-work transition efforts have failed too many youth and adults because there has not been a framework for essential life and work skills for all to learn. These skills are needed to complement the academic and technical skills now required for completion of formal education and training. The Blueprint for Life and Work Design,…

This study examines whether equity graduates (Aboriginal people, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities) of Canadian community colleges achieve employment outcomes that are equivalent with non-equity graduates. There appear to be differences in employment rates and earnings of Aboriginal compared to non-Aboriginal people, of men…

Many assumptions of career counseling theory are rooted in a society based on mass production in an urban-industrial structure. Rural areas have developed social and economic structures which differ from this norm, as do the meanings of career-related concepts held by rural residents. Career development theory must enlarge to apply to the…

Two studies, conducted with 8 able young women in universities and 27 successful Canadian women, examined their perceptions of family interactions, career aspirations, mentor relationships, career and family life, and self-image. Both groups revealed pressures to conform to stereotypical roles, inconsistent vertical development of careers, and the…

The advance of science and technology, the rise of mass consumerism, the deterioration of families, and other factors have enormous implications for career counseling. This digest outlines a constructivist career counseling perspective. This perspective is based on the following concepts: there are multiple realities and no single "God's…

There is evidence that those who seek employment during difficult times, but are not successful, will continue to experience ongoing hardships throughout their working lives, often developing an ongoing dependency on the social safety net. This digest describes two federal programs on the youth employment front: (1) Youth Service Canada (YSC),…