This reflection provides a new perspective on the transition from public sector practitioner to academic faculty in order to illustrate how the VUCA and VUCA Prime frameworks may be used by academic developers to support faculty in transitions. First, the VUCA framework is used to describe the context and characteristics of the transition…

Academic careers have always been competitive, but Europe's higher education sector now faces numerous challenges such as demographic shifts and funding cuts, precarious contracts and working conditions. As European higher education institutions navigate this evolving landscape, this publication presents five key principles for their efforts to…

Career development promotes the development of key life skills, allows students to discover opportunities, connects school to work, encourages collaboration, and is instrumental in preparing students for postsecondary success. Despite this, many elementary educators struggle to seamlessly integrate career development activities into curricula.…

This contribution proposes a fourth paradigm for twenty-first century careers adopting a sustainable development framework. First the evolution of the career development field through three paradigms (individual differences, individual development, life design) of career science and practice is offered. Then sustainable development as a fourth…

In fall 2023, the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the National Association of Colleges and Employers, and the Society for Experiential Education surveyed faculty about their engagement in career preparation and development. The survey examined the extent to which faculty engage students in career development in their courses by…

For organisations to thrive, their employees need to be trained and developed. The training must be specific and targeted to the benefit of both the individual employee and the organisation they serve. The training and development can be for the development of the individual which will directly benefit the organisation. In reverse, whole…

This practitioner reflection shares insights based on our seven-year journey pursuing an ambitious curriculum transformation espousing partnerships pedagogy within the School of Business (SOB) at Western Sydney University (WSU). With a significant proportion of first-generation and culturally and linguistically diverse students, employability is…

This article introduces the construct of personal talent curation. "Personal talent curation" is one's assessment of one's talents--of one's strengths and weaknesses--but also the building of an adaptive match in life between those talents and both one's career pursuits and one's personal lifestyle. Sometimes, this match means pursuing a…

Postdoctoral researchers are important contributors to European higher education, playing significant roles in research, but also in teaching and societal engagement. Despite their valuable contribution, the situation of postdoctoral researchers remains challenging in Europe as issues such as temporary or short-term contracts, high workloads and…

Community colleges serve many critical purposes for residents within their local service areas by providing relatively low-cost (Ma & Pender, 2023), open-access postsecondary education and workforce-focused training (Jacobs & Worth, 2019). A recent national survey of previously enrolled community college students finds that "gaining…

Inspired by a Tolkien quote, "Not All Who Wander Are Lost," the authors introduce the concept of "career wandering" in the context of undergraduate student development. Proposing an alternative to traditional linear career trajectories, we conceptualize a dynamic approach that embraces nonlinear paths, indecision, and…

In this article I propose a theoretical model concerning schemes and interventions relevant to lifelong career and life construction. I use different concepts, such as (1) the VUCA world to define the complex environment and how individuals can respond to this complexity, (2) Life Design which postulates that career construction requires identity…

Recent research documents the positive impact that paraprofessionals have on student learning. Given these strengths, states and districts across the country have developed programs to attract and prepare paraprofessionals to become certified teachers. Despite increased interest in expanding pathways for the paraeducator workforce, research has…

Preparing students with robust life skills, including social-emotional skills, is of paramount importance in today's world, particularly for children growing up in adversity. Dream a Dream was founded by 11 young people who wanted to engage with children who were terminally ill, abandoned, or HIV infected. The idea was to organize activities and…

This practitioner reflection explores our integration of the Relational Employability Framework within the Health Research Project capstone unit of a Bachelor of Health Science degree. To address the historically low quality of student reflections, we incorporated image-based reflective activities to improve engagement and depth. These activities…