ABSTRACT
Changes in work patterns and practices have strong repercussions in individual lives and experiences. Many organizations, in both private and public sectors, have undergone radical restructuring to become slimmer and flatter, with fewer tiers of management, fewer core staff and more contractual staff. Political responses to these conditions have included more emphasis on vocational elements in the curriculum, such as the Technical and Vocational Educational Initiative (TVEI), National Vocational Qualifications, and the creation of the Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs), independent companies led by local business people to tackle training needs and improve business performance. These changes have had implications for all those involved in careers counselling and guidance. Practically, there are problems in maintaining a current information base of labour-market and of training-scheme information. One broad model of careers guidance with a wide currency is a three-stage process model: reviewing, goal-setting, and action planning.
