Pedagogical Working Life Horizon - How to support students’ working life orientation in higher education PhD Leena Penttinen, PhD Terhi Skaniakos, Dean Marjatta Lairio University of Jyväskylä, Finland Development of Guidance and Working Life Skills in Higher Education ESF-Project 2008-2011 www.peda.net/polku/ohty

Background

Contexts of Guidance, Pedagogy and Work

The employability of students is currently receiving a good deal of attention in Finnish higher

The aim of the model is to provide a broad perspective on pedagogical possibilities, considering a

education. So far, career guidance has neither been well resourced, nor integrated into studies or

number of levels: the curriculum, study programmes, and courses, various guidance and mentoring

as part of other guidance practices. However, in educational policy one of the main goals is to

practices, as well as practical experiences and work contexts. Here, one can identify the roles of

ensure the smooth transition of students from education to working life, and to prolong careers –

individual teachers, career counsellors, mentors and workplace tutors in supporting students’

an important goal, as the need for labour will continue to increase in the future.

development in working life relations and skills. However, the aim is not to emphasize the separateness of the aspects, but rather to map out the bigger picture and to highlight the

Purpose

intersections of the various elements.

Our aim is three-fold: (1) to create an understanding of students' questions concerning their future;

Discussion

(2) to present an outline for a working life orientation within studies, taking into account the stu-

Reflection is a key element in the model of pedagogical working life horizons. The important role

dents’ perspective;

of reflection in learning has been underlined in learning theories for decades (Boud et al. 1985).

(3) to locate means of guidance and pedagogy to support the students’ working life orientation.

However, in the present context, it is important to understand how and where reflective actions

We have constructed a model of the pedagogical working life horizon, which encompasses these

may be facilitated, in order to support the construction of the student’s working life orientation.

three dimensions. The model is based on the idea of Horizons for action (Hodkinson & Sparkes

We believe aspects of the working life orientation can be integrated into any educational

1997) which refers to the social and cultural contexts in which an individual lives and makes

activities, and by all members and bodies in a faculty. Individual courses may have their own goals

decisions. The contexts include conceptions of the self and the surrounding world. What can be

and contents, but within the entire body of studies they can each contribute to a student’s

seen and chosen is based on one’s personal horizons.

proficiency and expertise. Furthermore, pedagogy – i.e. how courses are taught – plays a significant role in strengthening the working life orientation and in inculcating general and

Students’ future questions

transferable skills. At the same time, career guidance can support the construction of an individual

According to a study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä, there are three types of students’

relationship with working life, the aim being to help the student to make his or her study choices

future questions (Lairio et al. 2006). Firstly, there are questions related to personal and professional

in a meaningful way.

identity searching. They are based on own experiences, aptitudes and interests. Secondly, there are questions related to education: the qualifications and competences that the students obtained

All guidance practices should aim at the holistic construction of students’ life-careers,

through studies, and uncertainty concerning the requirements and tasks that would be posed in

in parallel with their well-being and agency, and this should apply both in studies and

real work and in the labour market. Thirdly, the students’ expressed questions concerning the

in working life. The aim should be to strengthen study cultures with this orientation.

possibilities in the labour market. Students’ worry not merely about finding a job, but also about

Having a pedagogical working life horizon can facilitate the creation of meaningful

finding meaningful employment – a job which corresponds to their degree, skills, and competences.

places for professional identity and for a working life orientation. In this way it can support students’ transition from education to working life.

Working life orientation Based on the questions, we have structured working life concetexts for studies in higher education. The individual’s working life relationship refers to that person’s conceptions and experiences of work, which are constructed through socialization, upbringing, education, and life experience. An individual forms personal evaluations of what ‘good’ or meaningful work consists of, and these

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conceptions are far from uniform (cf. the idea of a subjective career, Horn 2009). Working life knowledge and skills involve know-how and expertise that students develop during their studies. The skills in question can be divided into two categories: general skills (i.e. communication skills, language proficiency, and problem-solving skills) (Barrie & Prosser 2004; Assiter 1995; Bridges

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1994) and field-specific skills (know-how that can be attained through education). Employability, refers broadly to knowledge of working life practices, work sectors, and the labour market; it further relates to the ability to find employment suitable to one’s own proficiency (Watts 2006).

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Assiter, A .(1995) Transferable skills in higher education. London: Kogan Page. Barrie, S.C., & Prosser, M. (2004) Generic graduate attributes: Citizens for an uncertain future. Higher Education Research & Development, 23(3), 243-246. Boud, D. & Keogh, R. & Walker, D. (Eds.) (1985) Reflection: turning experience into learning. London: Kogan Page. Bridges, D. (Ed.) (1994) Transferable Skills in Higher Education, Norwich: University of East Anglia. Lairio, M. & Penttinen, L. (2006) Students’ career concerns: challenges facing guidance providers in higher education. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance 6: 143–157. Hodkinson, P. & Sparkes, A.C. (1997) Careership: A sociological theory of career decision making. British Journal of Sociology of Education 18(1), 29–44. Horn, J. (2009) Careers education and career-informed degree programmes in higher education. University of Reading. . Watts, A.G. (2006) Career Development Learning and Employability. York: Higher education academy.