Digitalisation and career guidance
The research project aimed to analyse existing forms of career guidance, particularly in relation to the use of digital media. It also sought to determine which digital networking and information options young people use in everyday life for career guidance, how they do this and what the effects are.
Young people’s educational and career choices are heavily influenced by social background (Becker & Lauterbach 2016). In Switzerland, over 20% of learners drop out of their vocational apprenticeships prematurely (Federal Statistical Office, 2021) which can also be attributed to poor decisions due to insufficient information. From an education policy and social perspective, a better match between individual inclinations, abilities and interests in relation to career choice is a worthwhile goal.
Young people use digital media intensively to obtain information and guidance (Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest (Southwest Media Education Research Association, 2022). There is little knowledge available about the extent to which this media interest is systematically and efficiently used to support career guidance and choices. It is also unclear which type of information acquisition would be beneficial pedagogically in this context. This is why the research project explored the digital information behaviour and career guidance of young people in Switzerland.
The study was guided by the following research questions:
- How can digitalisation contribute towards improving career choice processes for young people?
- What role does the use of digital information and tools play in career choice processes?
- What options for action does digitalisation provide for the various stakeholders in the career guidance process?
Existing digital applications were examined as preliminary work for a pedagogical conceptualization and design of digital career information as well as the digital facilitation of career choice processes.
The first exploratory interviews were conducted with over 20 experts from companies, vocational school teaching staff as well as teaching staff and management at general education schools. A literature analysis was carried out on the topics of career guidance, career choice and the use of digital resources in this context. To obtain the perspective of learners at various decision-making stages, young people in general education schools and vocational schools were surveyed using a four-stage discussion model.
BeLEARN is a Swiss association promoting the digitalisation of education in which five Swiss universities are participating – SFUVET, Bern University of Teacher Education (PHBern), Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), the University of Bern and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). BeLEARN aims to provide innovations, networking opportunities and solutions in the fields of digital skills, digital tools and data sciences.
Sources
Becker, R., & Lauterbach, W. (2016). Bildung als Privileg – Ursachen, Mechanismen, Prozesse und Wirkungen. In R. Becker & W. Lauterbach (Hrsg.), Bildung als Privileg. Erklärungen und Befunde zuden Ursachen der Bildungsungleichheit (5. Aufl., S. 3–53). Wiesbaden: Springer VS.
Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) (2021). Lehrvertragsauflösung, Wiedereinstieg, Zertifikationsstatus. Resultate zur dualen beruflichen Grundbildung (EBA und EFZ), Ausgabe 2021.
Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest (2022). JIM-Studie 2022 - Jugend, Information, Medien. Online abrufbar unter https://www.mpfs.de/studien/jim-studie/2022/ [05.04.2023]
Lots of young people in 7th and 8th grade are inadequately prepared to make career choices. They require more support with evaluating their interests, skills and abilities. In addition to first-hand experience at host companies through work placements, videos (including those made by learners for pupils at school) can provide additional benefits. A wide range of information should be provided, especially for occupations where there is a shortage of specialists. Opportunities for using AI in career guidance require further analysis and testing.