Karen R. McFarlane | Career development: The untapped gem in Jamaica’s progress

For too long now, career development has only been mentioned in the Jamaican spheres and no real execution has been made. Unequivocally, research has shown that career development is the backbone of every country’s successful sustainable future.

I want to know what Jamaica’s plan is for the future without efficiently planning for career development. In fact, Kareen Cox, a HEART Trust/NSTA coordinator, wrote, “career development is symbolised by one word: change” (2008).

But is Jamaica ready for the change? I don’t think Jamaica is. Evidently, my graduating colleagues and I are equipped but not working in career development although we have bachelor’s degrees in career development. This is not only disappointing, but it also spells crisis for Jamaica’s development and economy.

The VTDI was mandated to train career development specialists for the education system to ease most of the burden off the guidance counsellors in schools. But today, schools are still not employing career counsellors. Hence, the importance of career development has not been efficiently addressed by the policymakers and stakeholders in Jamaica to date.

Cox, (2008) concurred that “we are currently in the midst of a global economic crisis which has plunged the economy into turmoil, leaving thousands unemployed, uninformed and undecided”. They are experiencing hopelessness, but this is where career development comes in to mend the gap. If Jamaica makes career development as important as guidance and counselling, half its economic problems would be solved.

PLAYING WITH FIRE

As an experienced career development advocate, I am telling you first-hand that Jamaica is playing with fire when it comes to career development, and as a nation, we are feeling the burn. Career development is pivotal from the womb to the tomb, therefore, from as early as the early-childhood level to the retirement period, people need career intervention.

In a study conducted in 2004, Denise Fyffe reiterated my position that; “Jamaica does not boast a perfect education system or an ideal assimilation of career development in education”. There are concerns and complaints from varying sectors of the society for improvement in education. As students are still slipping through the cracks, employers are gravely unsatisfied, the country has a high level of unemployment and accompanying social ills such as crime and violence. Additionally, there are still gaps in the delivery of career education to be filled as the guidance counsellor deals with clinical problems in school and most time have far little time for career interventions.

Although we do not make “one perfect education choice” or find “one perfect job for life” as we navigate our options, make choices without perfect information, bounce back from disappointments and constantly learn from experiences, I know that career development is the untapped gem of Jamaica’s success. And without a doubt, this needs to change.

As we rapidly approach Vision 2030, we need to focus some of our resources on career development to move Jamaica forward with informed career information to help people make profound career decisions. Albeit, “career development is the total combination of psychological, sociological, educational, physical, economic and chance factors that influence the nature and significance of work of people” (NCDA, 2003).

In addition, it is the total lifespan of an individual, encompassing career guidance (the intervention), career counselling (the communication), career education (the teaching and learning) and career coaching. All these processes are key for the lifelong development of an individual through their life, from the womb to the tomb.

It is not a one-time event or process, but Donald Super summated it well; he asserts that career development captures all stages of an individual’s life in stages, from preschool to maturity and right through to retirement and beyond.

- Karen R. McFarlane is a career development advocate and educator. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com