Update

There is little doubt that the environment in which the Members work has changed in the five years since the inauguration of the Federation. An excellent example being that Chartered status was a primary focal point for the Federation 3 and 4 years ago. (In fact, the belief was held that the Federation might be the perfect vehicle to bolster the necessary 5,000 members to be able to go to Privy Council to begin to apply for Chartered Status). Although professional certification/registration has fallen off the Federation’s agenda, certification/assurance of professional competence is definitely seen to be critical in light of recent policy and developments. It is certainly increasingly relevant to the work of practitioners in the private sector; although respectfully seen as being a taboo subject for many organizations in the public sector.

Perhaps certification strata are once again an important dimension and deserve to be reconsidered? This is something that the Federation’s members have a real desire to address – before it is too late! In many ways, both the in the public and private sector, the career profession is under siege.

Currently, there are far too many over-lapping bodies and a dichotomy crossing public and private sector careers work. However, we (the career guidance community) desperately need a forum to bring the sector and markets, if not into full unification, at least together under one roof. The value of networking in this way is irrefutable. We need to know what comprises the career guidance sector and, indeed, which constituent parts want to be a part of our community and get every relevant body involved.

The Federation needs a clearer role in the mechanisms designed to bring about cohesion, collaboration and cooperation. It needs to be taken more seriously. We need senior figures in the professional organisations to support us. Occasionally, we need those senior figures to attend events and add their weight to shared causes. Sometimes, even to add weight to causes that might not particularly seem relevant to them but ones that the sector as a whole needs a show of solidarity.

The Federation needs to build bridges into Government to try and eradicate the prevailing force of ‘them & us’. We need to have dialogue with policy-makers to generate workable, relevant practice more closely related to the needs of the client group and the labour market. We must raise the profile of our work in society, at every age and in every situation.

We are driven to educate society and stakeholders on the benefits of career guidance and how pivotal effective guidance interventions are in underpinning a prosperous economy. We need to popularise the huge wealth of evidence that is available to support this great benefit to the nation’s well-being. We need vision and we need to act upon the indicators of future trends and achieve a state of preparedness in our workforce today and the workforce of tomorrow. There is absolutely no point in trying to argue that an aligned workforce is not more resilient, productive and profitable than a misguided workforce. Finally, we need money to support this invaluable contribution to the longevity and effectiveness of the sector.

Turning people on to their careers has benefits that justify State investment from savings in the National Health Service, to reductions in crime, creating more effective citizenship, more taxes to the Exchequer, reductions in welfare benefits, greater productivity and well-being on a micro and macro basis.

The Federation deserves your support and you, the truly representative careers body, deserve the Federation

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