Dr Emma Bolger

Volunteering has always been important to me. I previously volunteered for charities and causes that have been close to my heart; for example, fundraising for and representing Breast Cancer Now and Beat . And long before this, as a child and into my teens I was a cadet with the St John Ambulance . Volunteer work as parent My volunteering these days is more focused on education and advocating for children, parents/guardians. I was asked to set up and I continue to co-chair the parent council for my children's newly established primary school which has been a real learning experience. Having valued their support throughout this, I have long championed the work of Connect  and joined their Board of Directors in 2023. As my children attend Gaelic Medium Education (GME), which is a growing route through state education in Scotland, I've also found myself sitting on number of working groups in relation to GME. Perhaps my increasing volunteer engagement in education would alw...

I will be co-presenting a webinar with Dr. Tania Lyden on ethics and careers practitioner-led research for higher education professionals on 20th February 2025. I am really looking forward to this, as I get to talk about some of the principles and concepts I cover in my forthcoming book on careers practitioner-led research, to be published later this year by Trotman Publishing. AGCAS members can consider this a sneak preview of what will be covered in more detail in my book! Reserve your place here:  ACGAS Webinar Booking Link If you are embarking on a research project and unsure about the ethical consideration then join us to explore key ethical principles and the ethical review process with valuable insights and practical guidance.  

I have been commissioned by Trotman Publishing to write a book this year for careers professionals. It is an introductory guide for anyone working frontline in the careers sector (in its widest sense) on how to get started with doing research. I am currently seeking careers professionals to contribute insightful comments and help me ensure I have pitched the textbook at the right level for what you need. 📖 About the book Many practitioners want to use their workplace as the basis for research but are unsure of where to start. You might have a specific client group whose needs you would like to better understand, or a project to evaluate. You might want to unpick some fundamentals of practice, or propose a new way of working, but you feel under-confident and do not know where to begin. My book explains why it matters that you conduct research, and guides you through how to plan, deliver and share robust, ethically sound research with the right audience. 📖 How you can get ...

It has been another busy week for my volunteer activities!  I am very pleased to have confirmed the date, time and venue for our next additional support needs (ASN) in Gaelic Medium Education meet-up for parents, carers and children which will take place during Seachdain Na Gàidhlig / World Gaelic Week 2025. More information will be coming out via Glasgow Gaelic Medium schools soon, or please send a direct message to me for more information. We will be welcoming exhibitors to this event so please let me know if you would like a stand. Air a mhaoineachadh le Seachdain na Gàidhlig tro Mhaoin nan Tabhartas Beag, le taic bho Bhòrd na Gàidhlig // Funded by Seachdain na Gàidhlig’s Small Grants Fund with s upport from Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

January is over! For those who celebrate the winter festivals, it can feel like the longest month. January is also traditionally a time to take stock and think of the year ahead. I started the year with a review of my own career, thinking about where I am at, what I still want to achieve in the careers sector and what matters to me. It wasn't just the new year that set me off. Late in 2024 I passed a significant milestone: 20 years of working in careers-related roles. It has not been an exclusive career in careers. I have worked in careers posts, undertaken education roles that have integrated an element of career development work and combined careers activity within a wider portfolio (some connections will even remember me as a creative, rather than a careers person). Hello to everyone who has been with me on my journey; January has also been about reconnecting with quite a few of you! What has my work in careers taught me? Readers will already have different views of what “ca...

We all have different reasons for wanting to close down a social media profile. They might be personal, professional, ethical, or simply because a platform has fallen out of fashion. In our increasingly digitally connected working lives, it is reasonable to be worried about the work-related connections you might lose when you shut down a career-orientated social media account. A social media platform may have been invaluable previously. It perhaps helped you cultivate employment-relevant connections, collaborations and networks. It may be where you found opportunities or learnt about ideas, news and topics that matter to you. You might fear disadvantaging yourself somehow if you leave and see starting afresh elsewhere as an uphill journey into the unknown. Metaphorically, your commitment to the platform is akin to being in a job you want to move on from but are struggling to leave. Thinking about handing in your notice? The principles I discuss here apply to any social media site y...

Last week saw the publication of the Support for children and young people with special educational needs report from the UK government’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The findings of the report are stark: “The system to support children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) in England is reaching, or, arguably, has already reached, crisis point.” Against this backdrop, receiving a copy of Jenny Connick’s Big Inclusive SEND Careers Handbook to review made for timely reading. The book is written for an England-based audience, but the story is the same everywhere: when it comes to supporting children, young people and adults with additional needs, systems are overstretched and under-resourced. Policy and practice that doesn’t fully meet the needs of the individual? Long waiting times for diagnosis? Repeated attempts before needs are acknowledged? A relentless cycle of paperwork? Being unsure if your client is located in the right system, at the right time and wi...