PPDP is a structured career counselling model combining SWOT, vision building and strategic planning to help young people and adults design and implement a Personal and Professional Development Plan in 8–10 sessions.
Target group:
The proposed methodology for career counseling services is addressed to young adults and adults starting with high school (14th – 16th years). It is an important aspect of applying the model to involve the target group having planning (operational and strategic) competences even as beginners level.
Duration:
The model is recommended to be implemented for groups of 3-5 young adults or adults, combining strategical plan of career and personal development objectives ad activities.
The model is efficient also with large groups when focus will be moved on personal development or as services for individuals focused specifically on career planning.
Based on the model implementation we recommend 10 counseling activities with each group or individual (60 to 90 minutes each); some activities are joining together small counseling groups (3-5 young adults or adults) in large groups (10 participants).
Inspiration for the tool:
Career counselling has been expanding, and it is applied at the large level in the recent years. It performed including in theory, from specific theories from other fields (like psychology or sociology) from its own theories. In this respect we will fit the model proposed, especially the component related to strategic planning career to paradoxes theory of Gelatt, John Krumboltz, Handy; theory based on the idea that the future is complex and unpredictable and this generate a low capacity to decide at the individual level. The approach of the theory is that unplanned events are normal and part of an individual’s career. Not everything can be planned in career development and the multitude of unplanned events that occur in an individual’s life are development opportunities and sources that can be integrated in the development of their careers. The individual has the opportunity to create / generate unplanned events and to turn them into career possibilities. The principle of life proposed by this theory is to make changes when life is going well. In making decisions on career, flexibility and positive attitude are basic concepts and confidence and optimism are stages that can generate personal and career development.
The differentiation we started to do at the beginning trough the suggested classifications is necessary of the two components of the model – component of strategic planning of career. This section proposes a model resulted from a benchmarking process from the economic area where companies make strategic plans on medium or long term. The proposed model combines both methods in economics (SWOT analysis) with classical methods of counseling – application of interest or aptitude tests.
Objectives:
Strategic planning of career. Thinking strategically is one of our shortcomings, in general, and one of the shortcomings of the education and professional training of Romania in particular. Strategic thinking and strategic planning tools used in military or economic environment can be easily adapted to plan our own career or for specialists (career counsellors) in order to use it in their professional work. The model of strategic planning of career is especially a model that supports the DECISION on career development.
Stages of strategic planning of career.
A. Descriptive stage – one where careers counsellor, together with the beneficiary, provides a description of the person / beneficiary; developing a CV (EUROPASS model) can be a useful tool to describe what we are at a time. This stage is a summary of what we are at a time (if we speak of counselling an adult stage, we will describe the experience and professional expertise); CV description as being the most present instrument but also other instruments can be used.
B. Analytical Stage – requires a thorough analysis of the beneficiary’s personal and professional. At this stage we do tests and complex analysis, but a SWOT analysis and a projective test specific for career development (ex. Holland, Clifton etc.) are handy and easy to perform; SWOT analysis is also a tool taken from the strategic analysis in economic area and involves the analysis of internal environment (in this case, a person with experience, expertise, competences and personal qualities in terms of strengths and weaknesses) and external environment, in terms of opportunities and threats.
C. Projective Stage – Vision career – it involves placing in the future that we want to make the career plan and describing that future as the result of a “dreaming process”. It is one of the most important stages of career planning; although it seems rather closer to the ideal aspects – it is actually an important decision regarding the INTENTION of personal and professional development on the long term (or medium).
D. Programmatic Stage – setting professional and personal development objectives – SWOT analysis helps us to set up the professional and personal development objectives. Also, in this stage it develops measures or actions that lead to personal and professional objectives. The objectives will be developed in the two development directions: Personal and Professional – personal objectives are closely related and can support professional development objectives.
E. Operational Stage – phase where are developed career operational plans and projects. This stage means to put INTENTIONS of career development in concrete implementation plans and projects, plans can be found in the following forms / issues:
- Educational and training routes – description of studies that will be followed to reach personal and professional VISION (we will consider both formal education provided by educational institutions, adult education accredited or in the workplace and the nonformal education provided by NGOs and various training programs);
- Vocational routes – description / professional planning various routes that can lead to achieving the vision – including planning tasks of each job;
- Professional (or personal) projects – planning the specific projects to reach our VISION we developed in the Projective Stage.
Activities:
Working Tools
T1. Curriculum vitae – it is recommended to use EUROPASS Model; (https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/ro/documents/curriculum-vitae).
CV will be followed by personal portfolio which will demonstrate:
- Professional expertise – diplomas, certificates, brevets etc.
- Professional experience – recommendation, contracts (played jobs, voluntary activities) etc.
T2. Psychological tests – Interest, Talents or Skills – career counselor can use different standardized instruments (ex. Holland – SDS, Clifton – Talents etc.) or can built own personal working instruments for working with beneficiaries.
T3. SWOT Analysis
As a tool for personal and professional development, SWOT analysis is an analytic-descriptive painting as completely aspects linked to personal and professional experience. It supports the building of personal and professional development goals.
| Intern AREA | Strengths | Weaknesses |
| It includes those personal items which are considered strengths. The focus will be on objectives, personal business outcomes, or results of the testing activity. Ex .: Advanced English skills, 2 years’ work experience in youth area; Certified skills for using IT tools; | It will include personal aspects which are not sufficiently developed, and which prevents personal and professional development. Ex .: only one language speaking, weak capacity to have additional funds (exceeding salaries or parents’ money), low spatial mobility; no driving car license; | |
| Extern AREA | Opportunities | Threats |
| It will include aspects related to the external environment of the person (family, community, country, etc.), all of which can support, promote personal and professional development. Ex .: The family that support personal development; school team and school as a positive environment for development; ERASMUS Program; International recognizing of Youth PASS; University funds available for scholarships; | It will include aspects related to the external environment of the person (family, community, country, etc.), issues that can impede personal and professional development Ex .: Weak economic development of community; family which opposes personal mobility, organizational culture of school that opposes / not cultivate personal professional development; low income of family; |
SWOT Analysis as instrument is helping in deciding development strategies and setting the development objectives.
Deciding development STRATEGIES – using SWOT analysis. Development strategy can be offensive, development-oriented, diversified and defensive – depending on the weight of components SWOT analysis.
Development objectives – will be set based on strengths or weaknesses – depending of the strategies we decided to adopt.
T4. The VISION of the personal and professional development – is a descriptive panel consisting of three short paragraphs (maximum 3); it presents a wished situation (INTENTION) in a reporting period. In formulating this vision we use mainly PRESENT. Vision correlates directly with the development directions but subsequently found in all levels of personal and professional development plan.
T5. Personal and Professional Development PLAN. The PLAN will have the following structure:
General elements: dates for beneficiary identification; Personal and Professional VISION, The development strategy;
Specific elements.
D. Development DIRECTIONS (Personal development san Professional development)
O. Development OBJECTIVES – it will be the result of working with SWOT analysis in order to transform STRENGTHS or WEAKNESSES in development OBJECTIVES using the OPPORTUNITIES and avoiding THEARS.
M/A. Measures or Actions – will be developed for reach each development OBJECTIVE.
P. Measures PLAN – presented as a table:
| Measure/Action | Deadline | Necessary resources |
| Development OBJECTIVE 1 | ||
| M1.1/A1.1 – | ||
| M1.2/A1.2- | ||
| Development OBJECTIVE 2 | ||
| M2.1/A2.1 | ||
T6. Professional PROJECT.The professional project – will be developed for specific aspects (ex.: development of a competence-Learning English; or for obtaining a certificate-driving licence).
Components of a Professional project will be:
- S- Scope of the project (AIM or General objective)
- Ob – Specific objectives of the project;
- A – Activities – and GANTT of activities
- R – Specific resources needed – including the Budget of the project
T7. The Educational and Training ROUTE.
The instrument will make operational the strategic objectives linked with professional expertise. The elements of Professional ROUTE can be developed also as professional PROJECTS.
One the very simple format of the Educational and Training ROUTE is the following:
| Institution/Organization | Deadline | Necessary resources |
| Developed competences / Certification – Development objective from PLAN | ||
| Institution/Organization 1 | ||
| Institution/Organization 2 | ||
| Developed competences / Certification – Development objective from PLAN | ||
| Institution/Organization 1 | ||
| Institution/Organization 2 | ||
Counseling process STEPS – counselling in 8-10 sessions
Session 1 – Contract with client
1. Establishing the relationship with the client or beneficiary (it can be a different person – parent and child) – include the presentation of the general framework in which the counselling process (project presentation – if it is part of a large project);
2. Establish the contract with the client – a contract can be verbal or written one (especially if a project). The contract will include client expectations and the beneficiary expectation on one hand, and what the counsellor can provide as counselling services and the work rules, on the other hand. Will be completed and the necessary documents initiating the counselling process (including in the target group of the project, agreements with client for minor beneficiaries etc.).
Session 2 – Motivation
- Motivation INTERVIEW – group interview which enables beneficiaries to do the first general personal presentation and to answer counsellor questions and questions of the other group members;
Session 3 – Self assessment
- Testing instruments – interests, skills, talents etc.
- Personal and Professional SWOT analysis.
Session 4 – Professional and Personal VISION and Development PLAN – PPDP
- Dreaming process – Professional VISOIN;
- Personal and Professional Development PLAN.
If necessary – will be planed more sessions for the issue; the recommended working groups should be 4-5 participants – but it can work with 3-8 participants group. For large participants group will be necessary more than one session for this issue.
Session 5 – Finalizing the PPDP and – Measures Plan
- Finalizing the PPDP
- Development of Measures Plan
Session 6 – Professional Projects and Educational ROUTE
- Professional projects – the counselor will help participants to develop a professional project and to decide what another project should be developed.
- Educational and Training ROUTE.
Session 7 – Personal and Professional Marketing
- Elements of Personal Marketing
- Preparing for an INTERVIEW
Session 8 – Finalizing the Professional and Personal Development PORTFOLIO
- Finalizing the portfolio elements: CV, Letter of intent, marketing element (e-mail, personal online image etc.)
Session 9 – Simulation of a professional interview
- Group interview – organized with 10-15 participants;
Session 10 – Follow-up. Process evaluation
- Future steps for each participants;
- Evaluation of counselling activities and process.
Reflections/Consolidation of learning: Set out questions or activities that could be used to help people to reflect on this activity or experience. e.g. What did you learn in this experience? How can this be transferred to you life? How does this impact how you think about your career?
Results with model implementation
Romanian Association for counselling and support is implementing the model starting with 2010 with following results:
- More than 150 career counsellors working in educational system (from two development regions from Romania) followed an advanced training on using the MODEL in students’ career counselling.
- More than 1.000 teachers from Romania followed a training for implementing the career counseling model as class master;
- More than 1.500 high school students from Romania was beneficiaries of the hole career counseling model – in 4 different projects with EU funds;
- More than 30 Youth workers from different countries from Europe followed a training on the ARCS Model – Professional and Personal Development Plan.
Bibliography.
- U.E., 2006. Progress towards the Lisbon Objectives in Education and Training. Report 2006. Bruxells, European Commission;
- Buckingham, M., Clifton D.O.; Discover your strengths with Clifton test (Strenghtsfinder), București, Alfa, 2012;
- Deac, V., Career counselling services adapted to community needs, MJM, Craiova, 2008;
- Gibson, R.L.; Mitchell, M.H. Introduction to guidance, Mac Millan Publishing Co. Inc., New York, 1981;
- Hawthorn, R. – A quality standard Framework for Guidance Across all sectors, RSA, London, 1995;
- Hough, M. Counseling skills and theory, Scotprint ltd, Great Britain, 2003;
- Jigău M. (coord.) Career counselling. Compendium of methods and techniques, Afir, Bucureşti, 2006;
- Jigău M. Career counselling, Sigma, Bucureşti, 2001;
- Petri M.; Bourkhardt G. An organizational and educational system approach to secondary school development, Regional Laboratory for Educational Improvement of the Northeast and Islands, Andover.
Contact person: Vasile DEAC, Romanian Association for Counseling and Support; office@arcs.ro