Critical Reflections on Career Education and Guidance: Promoting Social Justice within a Global Economy

The provision of effective career guidance has been presented as the answer to economic and social problems in young people, and has been seen by governments around the world as essential in ensuring economic competitiveness and prosperity. Policy discussions have centred on individuals' development of "self-managed" careers within a global labor market, placing employability skills above all other concerns. This book goes beyond the rhetoric of careers guidance by exploring it from critical and radical standpoints. The contributors question the economic underpinning that has driven social inclusion agendas around the globe, arguing that career education and guidance needs to place greater emphasis on approaches that have a greater social awareness and within a global context. They discuss career guidance in consideration of a range of issues including social class, race, and gender, and raise questions about the implications for policy and practice.