This book is the product of a series of reflections by career counseling and guidance specialists on a question central to society: "How can career and life design interventions contribute to fair and sustainable development and to the implementation of decent work all over the world? ". This question was formulated by Professor J. Guichard, the director of the UNESCO Chair in Lifelong Guidance and counseling at the University of Wroclaw, Poland. The researchers involved in this Chair's activities proposed answers which form the chapters of this book. These reflections emphasize the need to focus on the study and implementation of certain central psychological processes which can enable individuals to face the main challenges of our society. The contributions also propose new avenues of intervention for career counseling and guidance. The entire book is the bedrock of a program of research and interventions to be implemented in order that the field of career counseling and guidance plays a key role for individuals who must design their lives in a rapidly changing, and ever more complex context. This book is therefore a major scientific contribution and marks a turning point for researchers and practitioners in career counseling and guidance, and for all professionals who support the self-construction of individuals in the 21st century. "The authors draw on a diverse range of disciplines and research traditions and offer readers a rich array of insights, helping them reflect on how career guidance can be mobilised to serve citizens in a world that is increasingly challenged by complex, seemingly intractable problems. A central, crosscutting concern is the ways in which career guidance can foster well-being by facilitating access to meaningful and fulfilling work in contexts that promote equity, social justice, and dignity for all. While engaging the micro-worlds of individuals, and throwing light on their valiant efforts to design a life that realises their hopes and aspirations, it is a commendable feature of many of these papers that they do not eschew the societal - indeed planetary - stage across which personal dramas are enacted." Prof. Ronald G. Sultana, Director, Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Educational Research, University of Malta. "The primary strengths.....are the authors' capacity to provide forward thinking perspectives on the important issue of sustainable lifelong interventions and career design in its broadest sense. The volume offers depth in a way of thinking that is pertinent to the 21st century and provokes both an in interest in the further study of this domain as well as providing tools and references for novice and experienced researchers and professionals. The book is sure to become a major text in the field." Prof. Maurice Taylor, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Canada

In industrialized societies, individuals are facing major challenges that mobilize many of their psychological and social resources. The world of work is changing constantly. Adults have to adapt their technical skills and knowledge continuously. For teenagers and young adults, choosing a vocation and constructing their future career paths is becoming increasingly difficult. The migration of people and the globalization of the workforce raise questions about social inclusion and the future of affected individuals. These examples highlight of the importance of the field of Career Counseling and Guidance to support citizens individually and collectively in building their future. The challenges our societies face demonstrate how crucial the development of research in this field is. The European Doctoral Programme in Career Guidance and Counselling (ECADOC), funded by the European Commission from 2013-2016, has brought together PhD students working on burning issues in this field, using various theoretical references and methodologies. The four parts of this book present a selection of innovative research aiming to find answers to the named challenges. Part 1 deals with key psychological processes involved in career construction of young adults. Part 2 presents research concerning transitions over the course of life. Part 3 covers research related to interventions of career guidance and counseling. Part 4 outlines perspectives for the future and proposes a European Research Agenda for our field of research. Perspectives on Current Research in Career Guidance and Counseling - Building Careers in Changing and Diverse Societies is dedicated to students, researchers and practitioners in the fields of education, career guidance, psychology, human resource management to inform them about very recent work and promote the development of innovative interventions and programmes.

In industrialized societies, individuals are facing major challenges that mobilize many of their psychological and social resources. The world of work is changing constantly. Adults have to adapt their technical skills and knowledge continuously. For teenagers and young adults, choosing a vocation and constructing their future career paths is becoming increasingly difficult. The migration of people and the globalization of the workforce raise questions about social inclusion and the future of affected individuals. These examples highlight of the importance of the field of Career Counseling and Guidance to support citizens individually and collectively in building their future. The challenges our societies face demonstrate how crucial the development of research in this field is. The European Doctoral Programme in Career Guidance and Counselling (ECADOC), funded by the European Commission from 2013-2016, has brought together PhD students working on burning issues in this field, using various theoretical references and methodologies. The four parts of this book present a selection of innovative research aiming to find answers to the named challenges. Part 1 deals with key psychological processes involved in career construction of young adults. Part 2 presents research concerning transitions over the course of life. Part 3 covers research related to interventions of career guidance and counseling. Part 4 outlines perspectives for the future and proposes a European Research Agenda for our field of research. Perspectives on Current Research in Career Guidance and Counseling - Building Careers in Changing and Diverse Societies is dedicated to students, researchers and practitioners in the fields of education, career guidance, psychology, human resource management to inform them about very recent work and promote the development of innovative interventions and programmes.

What are today's main concepts and theories - and the main stakes - associated with the issue of competences in organizations? In this study, various topics are discussed, including: changes in work and competences * professionalization and the development of competences in education and training * the role of professional didactics in skills development for training and education professionals * competence evaluation processes in adult education * competence management and adult education * changes in vocational training and new models of competences for individuals. (Series: Study Guides in Adult Education)