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Report on the Effectiveness of Career Information Released

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Report on the Effectiveness of Career Information Released
by Lola Lucas

What are the social and economic costs of leaving career decision making to chance? Does investment in a career system actually lead to positive outcomes? In an era of tough budget decisions, policy makers need to know if providing occupational and educational information has a real pay-off.

In the fall of 2003, the American Career Resource Network Association (ACRNA) released The Educational, Social and Economic Value of Informed and Considered Career Decisions. The authors, Scott Gillie and Megan Gillie Isenhour, reviewed 73 sources and concluded that the research shows that informed career decisions are indeed related to more success in education, work, and life.
Students who have access to career information are more likely to graduate from high school and to succeed in postsecondary education. An example of such a system is the Illinois Career Information System, CIS. It’s an information tool that supports career guidance programs and career education for high school and college students as well as adults. (See www.ILWorkInfo.com/icrn for CIS, Countdown and Career Click.)

Other facts linked to informed and considered career decisions included:

• Students who see school being relevant to their lives and future work are better engaged. Seventh graders in a career development program had improved attitudes about school.
  
• Academic counseling, which aids students in seeing relevance of the subject, leads to better grades in mathematics.
  
• There is better articulation between levels of education and between education and work.
• College career development courses lead to fewer course withdrawals and shorter times to graduation.

Students showed better academic performance and behavior and as adults, a higher likelihood of voting and greater community involvement. More education is positively correlated with improved health and longer lifespan. Studies also documented lower poverty rates and decreased dependency on social benefit programs.

The value of career information systems is not limited to students since many adults are in voluntary or involuntary transition. A 2003 report showed that one in five Americans had been laid off in the preceding three years while a Gallup poll found that 17% of Americans change jobs each year. Understanding one’s own skills, values, interests and aptitudes and how these relate to the realities of the world of work makes the difference between finding a job and remaining unemployed.

In addition to the educational outcomes, use of career information to make better choices is linked to social benefits such as higher levels of worker satisfaction and career retention, lower incidence of work-related stress and depression, and a reduced likelihood of workplace violence. Economic consequences range from lower health care costs to higher incomes and increased tax revenues.
The study concludes that, “Investing in career information and services at a level that ensures universal competency in making informed and considered career decisions might be the national investment strategy to enable full participation in the 21st Century workplace.”

For a three-page summary, see http://www.acrna.net/publications/factsheet.pdf or click on http://www.acrna.net/publications/iccd-sub1.pdf for the full report.