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"Using advanced Internet technology, the authors can adapt the Career Key to other countries and places ..."  Drs. Ting and Jones meet with career counselor Mr. Raysen Cheung at City University of Hong Kong. The Career Key
Hunger and Public Action |
The Career Key Career counseling and guidance services are comparatively under-developed in Hong Kong and as a result, there is a great need among youth and adults for this kind of help. At present, no career-testing instruments are used in the secondary
schools. The Asian financial crisis has seriously affected this city. It is suffering from an economic recession with a 5.5% unemployment rate, which is the highest in 17 years. The Gross Domestic Product decreased 5.2% in the second quarter of this year. Therefore, the introduction of the Career Key in Hong Kong is timely and needed. This project will serve as a pioneering effort to establish a career development and testing Web site for Hong Kong. It will be the first of its kind on the Web. This new Web site will also be applicable for the rest of China, Taiwan, Singapore and other countries with Chinese populations.
The Hong Kong Association of Career Masters and Guidance Masters (HKACMGM) initiated a Chinese version of the Career Key. In May of 1997, the authors completed groundbreaking work directed towards understanding career development and services in Hong Kong. During a trip to Hong Kong, the authors visited universities and government offices, met with HKACMGM officials, counseling professionals, and secondary school teachers, and also presented a paper on this topic in a public university seminar. The responses to the project have been positive and encouraging.
Support for this trip and the project has come from a diverse group of organizations. Besides the HKACMGM, this group includes North Carolina State University's College of Education and Psychology, the Counseling Services at the City University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Department of Labour, and the Hong Kong Rotary Club. In addition, student services at other universities are very supportive including the Office of Student Affairs at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Career Services at the University of Hong Kong.
Author Dr. Ting is leading efforts to find funds to translate and test
the CK in the field in Hong Kong. The authors plan to set up the Web site by September, 1999 and select the secondary schools in Hong Kong to participate in the field-testing.
The CK has strong potential for worldwide use. Using advanced Internet technology,
the authors can adapt the Career Key to other countries and places such as Hong Kong. Many countries already have a Web site similar to the one the U.S. Department of Labor has for its Occupational Outlook Handbook
(www.bls.gov/ocohome.htm), or a site could be created. Once established, hyperlinks between occupational descriptions and the CK can be easily set up. In the process of developing new versions of the CK in other countries, the authors look forward to collaborating with counseling professionals in preparing accurate translations, developing superior CK websites and conducting field-testing studies of their effectiveness.
The CK can play a valuable role in strengthening the economies of developing countries. For example, the 1998 Nobel Prize winner in economics, Amartya Sen (Dreze & Sen, 1998), has brought to our attention the vital importance of employment creation and democratic institutions in famine prevention. The decisive role of public action is illustrated not only by the elimination of famines in India since independence, but also by the unsung and underappreciated achievements of many African countries. These experiences firmly demonstrate the potential to end famines if public support (e.g. in the form of employment creation) is well planned on a
regular basis to protect the entitlements of vulnerable groups.
By providing accurate, practical employment information to all its citizens, a country empowers those citizens to make informed decisions and act in their best self-interest and, ultimately, the best interest of the country.
Counseling professionals agree that effective career guidance and services can enhance job satisfaction, reduce changing of jobs and increase job stability. To help prevent famines in developing and underdeveloped countries, career guidance and services can enhance job placement and full utilization of employment opportunities. The Career Key can contribute
to: raising individual's aspirations; making informed career choices; and having easy access to services. In light of this perspective, the Career Key has unlimited potential to be developed for international use to benefit youth and adults in different countries of the world.
American School Counselor Association. (1997). Sharing the vision: The national standards for school counseling programs. Herndon, VA: ASCA Publications. |
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