Community Notebook. People, Education and Welfare in the Society 5.0

Orientation and innovation: artificial intelligence to support career decision making

Marco Cristian Vitiello, Francesco Catalano — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The article highlights the psychological prerequisites of the innovative drive that characterises human evolution in all its practices and that today, in the light of rapid digital transformations, calls for careful reflection on how technologies can improve work orientation processes, at a time in history when it is precisely technologies, especially the latest generation related to Artificial Intelligence (AI), that are creating phenomena of social disorientation, an increase in the ‘digital divide’ and ethical encroachment.

Which orientation for which society?

Gabriella Burba — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

According to recent research, symptoms of youth unease have increased exponentially in the post-pandemic period, leading to the risk of social withdrawal and mistrust in the future, perceived as a threat rather than a promise. In contrast to attitudes of resigned helplessness, there is a minority presence of young activists expressing a global critique of the dominant socio-economic model.

The contribution intends to pose some questions on today's widespread guidance practices, which, beyond intentions, implicitly lead towards adaptive solutions to the techno-nihilist context, trying to bridge the mismatch between job demand and supply. With reference to critical pedagogy and Sultana's proposals, a theory and practice of critical guidance is deemed possible and desirable.

Orientation for adults in a changing society.

Emilio Porcaro — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Centres for Adult Education (CPIA) play a key role in the Adult Education system. They not only help to increase education levels among the adult population but also support the integration of individuals with non-Italian citizenship. Additionally, CPIA helps develop basic and transversal skills necessary to exercise the right to citizenship. This article, based on theoretical perspectives and experiences from CPIA, aims to explore the theme of guidance in adult classes. Guidance is a cross-cutting practice that fosters the development of skills needed to consciously exercise rights to citizenship in an ever-changing society.

Review of the book "Orientamento e consulenza di carriera: la soddisfazione lavorativa"

Cristina Castelli — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The book ‘Orientamento e Consulenza di Carriera: La Soddisfazione Lavorativa’ (Career Guidance and Counselling: Job Satisfaction) by Diego Boerchi, published by Edizioni Studium, represents a significant contribution in the field of career guidance and counselling. Boerchi, lecturer and researcher at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, involves 36 authors among researchers and practitioners to enrich the volume with multidisciplinary expertise. The work analyses the criticalities of the Italian labour market, highlighting the importance of a well-structured guidance system managed by trained professionals. The book delves into various theoretical approaches, such as psycho-aptitudinal, constructivist and vocational development models, applying them to improve job and training satisfaction. Intervention models, counselling tools such as tests and interviews, and innovative techniques such as autobiographical storytelling are discussed. Particular attention is given to school and university orientation, skills assessment, career coaching, and orientation for international mobility. The book also deals with inclusive orientation for prisoners, people with disabilities and political refugees. With a preface by Tiziano Treu and an afterword by Pierluigi
Malavasi, the book is a valuable resource for professionals, educators and policy makers, promoting a more effective and inclusive orientation system in Italy.

Orientation and the search for meaning

Daniela Pavoncello — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In this contribution we want to highlight, both from a systemic - interactionist, constructivist and above all logotherapeutic - point of view, according to V. Frankl's model, the relevance of the sense-seeking perspective in orientation activities, especially addressed to young people living in marginalised conditions, also as a tool for preventing discomfort. Recent studies have shown that certain constructs, such as optimism, hope and the search for meaning, promote a positive time perspective. Therefore, it will be necessary to rethink orientation, in an educational key, by virtue of the development of these competences.

New scenarios for orientation policies

Anna Grimaldi, Anna Ancora — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In light of the current challenges, highlighted by the most recent data showing high school drop-out rates, low tertiary education and low employability, especially among young people, it seems more necessary than ever to focus attention on possible new scenarios for guidance policies. The 2030 strategy proposes integrated interventions in the fields of education, employment, social inclusion and civic participation to meet the needs for inclusiveness and social growth. A survey on 3,642 young Italians aged between 15 and 29 reveals a low use of guidance services and a low awareness of the labour market, underlining the need to improve orientation policies. Future prospects suggest a holistic and continuous orientation approach, centred on ‘life-design’ and on the integrated construction of self and career path.

Guidance in the 21st century: approaches and skills for guidance practitioners

Angela Russo, Lavinia Cicero, Giuseppe Santisi, Andrea Zammitti — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Guidance profession: comparative analysis between Italy and other European countries

Diego Boerchi, Simona Benini, Serena Tacconi — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In today’s era, characterized by rapid change and unpredictability, it is essential to count on effective career guidance services in which competent and recognised professionals operate. The article analyzes the situation in Italy compared to other European countries, highlighting how the lack of a structured training path and precise regulation of the educational and vocational guidance profession contrasts with more structured trends in the rest of Europe. This situation contributes to the low effectiveness and fragmentation of the guidance services offered, often distancing them from European best practices. The paper highlights the importance of recognising educational and vocational guidance as a specific discipline, requiring professionalism in service delivery, research, and intervention design to improve the effectiveness and quality of the support offered to citizens.

Quality assurance: framework of indicators and evaluation models for career guidance

Concetta Fonzo, Enric Serradel-Lopez — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Based on the already explored domains of guidance, the literature shows how to get informed about new research and developments in quality assurance and evidence-base in career and guidance-related interventions. The current work was situated within the devolved theories about quality (Plant, 2004; Sultana, 2012) and indicators (Hooley, 2014) for effective career guidance provision. A large body of research has been conducted to show how to analyse the quality of guidance and manage measures for
ensuring the quality of lifelong guidance services. The study focused primarily, though not exclusively, upon research findings from European quality assurance models and frameworks aimed at identifying, gathering and analysing quality indicators for different guidance providers. Accordingly, the paper focuses on the lessons learned from the research findings designed to inform and consolidate professionals’ understanding and articulation of what constitutes effective guidance-related services.

The RMA methodology at the service of guidance counselling

Filippo Sani — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

We aim to go more deeply into the process whereby, using a maieutic approach in the management of orientation interviews, it is possible to get on the same wavelength as young people and adults, and address the deeper reasons for their difficulties. As an orientation guide and facilitator, the consultant tries to help the person to equip him/herself cognitively and emotionally to deal with a sustainable – or maieutic – task that can draw the appropriate resources from within the person that are realistically able to face the situation and to find new paths.

Self-efficacy in life skills, career adaptability and school competences: an exploratory study

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Exploring self-efficacy in life skills, career adaptability, and high school skills that help students make responsible choices for their future was the main purpose of this study. Sample: 6.250 students attending Secondary Schools in Eastern Sicily. Measures: the Career Adaptability Inventory, the Perceived Self-efficacy Scale in Life Skills, the High School Competencies Scale. Results: high sense of self-efficacy in life skills corresponds to a greater ability to anticipate changes and imagine the future in changing contexts, also in the light of non-cognitive school skills that predict success and support psychological growth, integrity, and well-being.

What do adolescents think about decent work and inclusion? A qualitative study

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Recently, within the Life Design paradigm, particular attention has been given to the construction of inclusive and sustainable futures and the design of counselling interventions for the promotion of a decent life for everyone. In this perspective, decent work is conceptualized as productive, innovative, creative, safe and protected work, but also as the opportunity to build inclusive and sustainable societies. Among the challenges of the future that young people will have to face are those of inclusion and difficult access to decent work. The aim of this research was to explore the ideas of inclusion and decent work of a group of adolescents (N = 300, age between 17 to 19) from eastern Sicily in transition phase between secondary school and the world of work or university.

Editorial

Speranzina Ferraro — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

"Future Guidance" is the theme of this call, a theme we consider central in the current landscape. But why future orientation and why centrality of orientation? And above all: what orientation for the future? These are some of the questions that the call has brought to the attention of interested authors, together with a reflection on the society in which we live. The entry of the new millennium has brought radical changes in society, in the world of work, in the way we live and relate to each other, in the way we communicate and in the economy. In addition, increasingly advanced and innovative technologies are permeating people's lives and have become indispensable in everyday life, as well as in professional life, changing the way we relate to others. These radical changes have contributed to the introduction of disruption and uncertainty into people's lives, to the extent that the perception of ‘being on the move’ is becoming more and more important. people's lives, so much so that the perception of ‘precariousness’ has become a constant in the lives of both young people and adults. The moment that humanity is facing has been well described by Z. Bauman (2011), whom he calls ‘liquid modernity’:
‘Modern civilisation was based on trust, first of all in one's own abilities.... Secondly there was trust in others, as rational human beings, and then in institutions.... All these three types of trust have disappeared. And if you lose this trust, you simply believe that you have no control over the future and that is a paralysing idea...'.

Indeed, whereas in the past it was possible to plan and build with hope and confidence, in the knowledge that one could look to the future without hesitation and difficulty, today this is no longer the case. It is evident that this loss of certainty, combined with the awareness of the collapse of the system of values that until recently had shown everyone the way forward, has determined the disorientation that characterises the present historical moment. Faced with this scenario of complexity, marked by discontinuity and fragmentation, the need to support people, young and old, in acquiring a strong personal and professional projectuality that, by consolidating hope and trust, makes them capable of facing the challenges of an uncertain future, is central. The call recognises the centrality of the role of guidance and emphasises its main characteristic, i.e. the capacity for evolution clearly mentioned in some contributions, which accompanies social changes and upheavals.