Guidance on career development in vocational education in the Netherlands

Abstract

This paper explores which learning environments – geared towards career learning in students –contribute to the acquisition of career competencies in students attending pre-vocational, secondary and higher vocational education. The learning environment is laid out into the organization of the curriculum and career guidance. The study makes a distinction between three career competencies: career reflection, career forming and networking. Two quantitative studies (8325 students and 537 teachers in total) in pre-vocational, secondary and higher vocational education took place in order to study the relationship between aspects of the learning environment and career competencies. A case study in secondary vocational education provides a description of what happens in conversations between the student, the teacher and a mentor from placement. Conversations are observed and analysed from a career learning perspective for formal characteristics, content, form, and relational components. The results show that career-directed guidance at school and on the job – including a dialogue with the student about concrete experiences that are focused on the future – contributes most to career competencies in students. Also a learning environment which is practice based and in which students have the opportunity to have a say in what and how they learn, contributes to career development of students.