L'orientamento nel XXI secolo: approcci e competenze per gli orientatori

Abstract

Career development is a dynamic process that begins before individuals engage in professional activities and significantly influences personal well-being. Modern careers, characterized by the absence of defined boundaries, are increasingly shaped by transitions and intra- and inter-organizational changes. In planning for the future, individual desires intersect with contextual factors, sometimes conflicting with them: risks, uncertainty, and abrupt changes can hinder career planning, often requiring significant personal resources to overcome such challenges. Faced with these changing contexts, reflections are necessary regarding the most suitable approaches in the field of 21st-century career guidance and the competencies of those who engage in these activities. Approaches and theoretical models such as positive psychology (Seligman e Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), life design (Savickas et al., 2009), and the System Theory Framework (McMahon e Patton, 1995; Patton e McMahon, 2021) have identified psychological resources and processes useful for addressing current challenges in planning for the future, considering the reciprocal influence between individuals and their contexts. Furthermore, the importance of promoting career planning that contributes to building inclusive and sustainable future contexts has emerged (Di Maggio et al., 2020). Regarding the competencies of career counsellors, they are increasingly required to consider the individual and contextual realities of their clients and address complex constructs and issues, different from those traditionally characterizing the history of career counselling. For this reason, the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (2018) has identified 12 core competencies and 14 specialized competencies that career practitioners should possess, defining future worthwhile developments. In summary, this contribution aims to outline the main approaches in the field of career guidance and define the profile and characteristics of professionals who wish to engage in career counselling.