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Showing posts from 2017

NVL Career management skills conference - keynote

From 23-24 November 2017 I attended the NVL Career Management Skills conference in Malmo, where I delivered a keynote speech, The blueprint framework for career learning in Scotland. Presentations and additional material from this highly informative, discussion and thought-provoking conference are now available here .

CDI Student Conference Scotland 2017

On 22 November we hosted the annual Career Development Institute Student Conference at the University of the West of Scotland. I presented a workshop, Equality Aware Career Conversations.  The   slides to accompany this workshop are available at:  https://www.slideshare.net/secret/cOTYoKwscAsb49 The slides to accompany all keynote speeches and workshop presentations are hosted on the CDI website at:  http://www.thecdi.net/Student-Conference-2017-Presentations

Welcoming student-parents into libraries

A few years ago, I wrote a blog post about the difficulties of library access for student-parents. So I am absolutely delighted to see this news story today about the new family study lounge at the University of Glasgow library. https://universityofglasgowlibrary.wordpress.com/2017/09/07/new-family-study-lounge-uofglibrary/  I didn't name and shame at the time but it was in fact at the University of Glasgow library where I had the demoralising experience that set me off looking into the issue.  I can only hope other universities take note and follow suit. What a fantastic addition to the service offered and much-needed acknowledgement of how many students have to balance their studies with having the responsibility for children. 

Equality, inclusion and the career development professional: Keynote

An abridged audio recording of this keynote speech I delivered at the University of the West of Scotland, Edinburgh Napier University and Skills Development Scotland annual career guidance research symposium in March 2017, is now available on my YouTube channel at:  https://youtu.be/16y40HftwO8

Annual Career Guidance Research Symposium 2017

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The annual U niversity of the West of Scotland (UWS), Edinburgh Napier University and Skills Development Scotland Career Guidance Research Symposium  was held yesterday, 15th March 2017, at UWS in Paisley.  The theme of the symposium was equality and inclusion in career guidance and development, with the title:  Supporting Inclusive Professional Practice Through Research My Keynote speech will be available here in due course. In the meantime, here is a news story about the event from Skills Development Scotland and a couple of photos from the day.  Selected Speakers (L-R):  Dr. Pete Robertson (Napier)  , Susan Meldrum (Napier),  Emma Bolger (UWS),   Dr. Marjorie McCrory (UWS), Professor Chik Collins (UWS), Leann Kelly (UWS/SAMH) Emma Bolger, Keynote Speech

Why would someone choose to be a careers adviser?

One of the modules I’m teaching this trimester at UWS is Career Development Theory, examining the theories that explain how and why people make career decisions. A career decision I often wonder about is “Why would someone choose to be a careers adviser?” I’m not being flippant; I see few reasons why the media representation of the role would influence anyone to become one. From the outside, it’s not a job that gets good press. There is a heck of a lot of bad-mouthing of the careers profession and its purpose, the occasional high-profile media story (nobody mention  Mary Poppins ) and then there’s the section in every celebrity life story ever: “They told me to/not to do it, the clueless adviser, and they were so, so wrong.” We know that high profile TV programmes boost the profile of certain careers.  CSI  led to a raft of wannabe forensic scientists.  Call the Midwife  and  One Born Every Minute  respectively give young people a dramatised and fairly realistic view of the midwif