Engaging Parents in Career Conversations

Engaging Parents in Career Conversations Presenter/s: Venue: Date:

Acknowledgements • The following have contributed to the development of this resource: • Gray Poehnell • Canadian Career Development Foundation • Career Education Association of Victoria • Source Materials • “Guiding Circles” - R. McCormick, N. Amundson, & G. Poehnell • “Hope-Filled Engagement” - G. Poehnell & N. E. Amundson • “Lasting Gifts” - Canadian Career Development Foundation and • Career Education Association Victoria • www.myfuture.edu.au • www.education.gov.au • www.employment.gov.au 2

Have a conversation Step in Step Out: • Select one person who stepped in with you and have a conversation about: • the experience you have in common • what interested you about attending this workshop

Workshop Aims By the end of this workshop you will be able to: • Better support your teenager in their career journey; • Have a career conversation with your teenager; • Know and understand the High 5 messages • Learn about some useful career resources; • Understand the influential role you play; and • Become a career ally! 4

Concerns About the Future What concerns do you have about your teenager’s future? What concerns does your teenager have about their future? www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2ZPjBRUrCA&lr=1 Source: National Career Development Week 5

Your Future: How many of you… … knew at 16 years of age what you wanted to pursue? … are doing now what you thought you wanted to do when you were 16? … made important career decisions based on researching and reading labour market information? … are where you are now, at least in part, because of a chance encounter or unplanned event? Source: “Lasting Gifts” Canadian Career Development Foundation 6

Positive Uncertainty H.B. Gelatt describes ‘positive uncertainty’ as: • the ability to recognise and accept that the future is uncertain; and • at the same time, be positive about it. Source: Gelatt & Gelatt 7

The Changing World-of-Work What will work be like for young people in Australia today? Minimum of 7 careers in a lifetime Follow your heart Focus on the journey Use your networks Lifelong learning What was work like for you growing up? • Could you expect to stay in the one job? • Were you able to choose the job you did? • Were you able to change jobs easily • Were you able to ask for help and advice? • Did you have to study, and keep learning? 8

Attributes that young people need… Persistence Resilience Enterprise Drive I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And this is why I succeed. Michael Jordan The best way to predict the future is to create it. Abraham Lincoln Desire! That’s the secret of every man’s career. Not education. Not being born with talents. Desire. Bobby Unser 9

Preferred Future Source: “Lasting Gifts” Canadian Career Development Foundation 10

Research CICA Raise parents’ awareness of education and training opportunities. It raises the value attributed to those opportunities by parents. Miles Morgan (2012, March) Face-to-face Parents are the preferred source of career information, advice and guidance for teenagers. Hibbert, T (2010, September) On Track Better careers advice would have encouraged early school leavers to stay at school. State of Victoria (2008) Lost Talent It is important for young people to have a specific occupational career plan and receive comprehensive career development services. Foundation for Young Australians (2010) 11

High 5 Career Development Messages 1. Change is Constant 2. Learning is Ongoing 3. Focus on the Journey 4. Follow your Heart 5. Access your Allies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNHcXl4IbZQ&lr=1 * Developed in 1995 by Canadian career development leaders Source: Career Industry Council of Australia 12

Change is Constant Did You Know…? http://www.splicd.com/cL9Wu2kWwSY/36/74 www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmwwrGV_aiE Source: Karl Fisch 13

Follow your Heart Ring 4: Is it planned (P) or spontaneous (S) Ring 5: Do you do it alone (A) or with someone else (SE) Ring 6: Does it involve your mind (M), body (B), spirit (S) or emotions (E) or a combination Ring 1:What are three things you like to do Ring 2: How long is it since you did each thing Ring 3: Does it cost ($) or is it free (F) Adapted from “Guiding Circles”, McCormick, Amundson & Poehnell

Focus on the Journey • Don’t focus on one destination only • Know what you want, but don’t be too sure • Be open to changing your mind • Recognise that your career journey will be throughout your lifetime • Appreciate and value each experience along the way http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dupKoaFgqGY&lr=1 15

Learning is Ongoing • Where do you learn? • Home? School? Play? Events? Other? • How do you learn? • By: Doing? Reading? Hearing? Singing? Watching? • What about informal learning? • What is lifelong learning? 16

Learning is Ongoing Source: Department of Education 17

Access your Allies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeFQjVP-Vxc&lr=1 Adapted from “Lasting Gifts” Canadian Career Development Foundation 18

Broaden ideas for work and career paths Encourage: • open-mindedness • and discuss their passions and where they could lead • learning, we are always learning • the possibilities and be positive • flexibility • exploring (research information) • www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9KawhtfORI Source: “School A to Z” NSW Government Education & Communities 19

Focus on the Journey Skills and industries Source: “Hope-Filled Engagement” Poehnell & Amundson

Being a Good Listener • Give your full attention • Stop what you are doing • Don’t interrupt • Let your teenager speak • Stay as calm as you can • If you’re caught off-guard by what they are saying, breath deeply • Listen for emotions • Hear what they are saying beneath the words • Give it time • Don’t rush in with your response 21

myfuture • My Guide • Build your career profile • Explore career ideas • Consider career options • Develop your career plan The Facts • Careers • Work and Employment • Education and Training • Funding • Contacts • Skills • myQuiz • 5 activities www.myfuture.edu.au 22

myfuture Mini Career Explorer http://myfuture.edu.au/MiniCareerExplorer/index.html Source: myfuture 23

Key Workshop Messages • The crucial role of parents and others play in the career development of young people • That career development is a lifelong journey • The value of career conversations • Engage young people where they are at in life • Information and resources are available 24

Next Steps • Talk to your teenager • Help them find out who they are, what drives them, what interests them. • Help them to explore their “preferred future” and how they may work towards it. • Help them articulate how they want to contribute to their world. Discuss change • Discuss the changes that are happening in the community and in their world. • What opportunities does change present? 25

Next Steps Network • Use your networks to give your child opportunities to experience and explore different things. Use labour market information • Be aware of the shifting labour market and be predictive about what that may mean for future opportunities. Be an ally • Support your teenager on their journey and remind them, and yourself, that is it okay to be uncertain. 26

Engaging Parents in Career Conversations