We will be hosting the Career Guidance and Development CPD Conference Scotland at UWS next
week, and as ever have been focusing on accessibility, inclusion and thoughtful
design as we plan and deliver this new format conference.
The event builds on and amalgamates the CDI Student
Conference Scotland with the UWS/ENU/SDS Research Symposium and in addition
offers a broad CPD opportunity for selected practitioners in the sector in
Scotland.
This conference is designed to highlight the latest
developments in the sector and is presented by a range of expert keynote
speakers and workshop presenters all of whom are leaders in their field. The
keynotes and workshops are focused on issues of equality, diversity and
inclusion in the careers sector. The final version of the conference programme is available
here (note that workshop rooms will be
advised on the day).
Our audience will be students undertaking
postgraduate studies in career guidance and development in Scotland, selected staff
from Skills Development Scotland and invited guests from across the careers sector in
Scotland. The event is free for delegates to attend.
We could easily
have filled this event twice over, and have accommodated as many invited guests
as possible. But as a pilot, please do not be offended if you were not invited
or your organisation was offered limited spaces and please do access the keynote and workshop presentations which are publicly available (see link below). We hope to be able to replicate this event in
future years, with an even larger in-person audience.
Our aim here at UWS has been to host a sustainable
conference. Delegates are encouraged to bring reusable water bottles (water
stations available) and to have a copy of the conference programme on a mobile
device. The final version of the conference programme is available
here.
Our partners from the CDI will be bringing packs for
delegates, but otherwise handouts will not be used. Electronic copies of
presentations are available via the CDI website if for accessibility delegates wish
to download in advance [
link].
I will be delivering two workshops on the day:
Dementia in the Workplace: the implications for career
development practice (with Dr Louise Ritchie, Lecturer in Dementia
(Research), Alzheimer Scotland Centre for Policy and Practice, University of
the West of Scotland)
Dementia is, and will increasingly be, a workplace issue. At
present, many individuals leave the workplace before, or on receipt of, a
diagnosis of dementia. More attention needs to be given to supporting employees
with dementia to either remain in work or exit the workplace, and career development
practice has a key role in this. We consider the role of careers practitioners
in the development and implementation of coping strategies to aid the continued
employment of persons with dementia. When continued employment is not possible,
the role of careers practitioners in the range of decisions, which extend
beyond the cessation of work, is considered.
Domestic abuse and career guidance practice (I will
be joined by one of our current students who has provided research support for
this project whilst on placement with the CGD team at UWS)
‘Building Equality’, a project run by Scottish Women’s Aid,
worked to challenge economic discrimination and develop effective models to
improve and protect the economic independence of women experiencing domestic
abuse. The learning from this is now being used to develop best practice
approaches for clients experiencing domestic abuse. The workshop will enable career professionals
to challenge their own perceptions, understand how domestic abuse affects an
individual’s career decision-making and develop new competencies in how they
can manage their own practice when working with clients in this group.
On behalf of all partners involved in bringing this event to fruition, I hope everyone enjoys the day and finds it an enriching and engaging CPD event.
Firstly, thank you to everyone who, despite it being the
last workshop of the day, stayed to fill the room and engage with the topic. I
think this demonstrates how permeating this topic is. As I said in my
presentation 1-in-4 people will encounter domestic abuse in their lifetime, this
includes all of us, practitioners and clients alike. 
