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Caroline Jones (Campaign Manager) Blog - 15 June 2010
- adminCareers are important. There is not a doubt in my mind about the veracity of that statement. Think about it ... whenever you hear a story of life transformation it usually has something to do with careers. There is perhaps no better measure of the "Aussie battler" than one who has achieved a better life for themselves through hard work. Whether you live to work or work to live, many of us define ourselves through our work - a common ice-breaker question in social situations being "so what do you do for a living?" I frequently speak to journalists about the National Career Development Week (NCDW) campaign and often it leads to a conversation about their own career - a matter that is close to everyone's heart. As NCDW ambassador Angela Bishop said in Network Ten's The Circle interview for NCDW 2010, she got involved with the NCDW campaign after interviewing ambassador Anthony Field last year for NCDW and (in her own words) "got really caught up in the story and how relevant it was". My son aged "almost five" is currently fascinated by all things Masterchef. This has been the case for a while now, since the last series was screened on Network Ten. This time around, it's spilling over into his lifestyle - he loves cooking. My pre-school son's fascination is such that on a recent visit to our local café, he couldn't be persuaded away from the kitchen doorway where he stood observing the chef and sous-chef and kitchen staff until his own food arrived on the table. From what I've heard, he's not the only one for whom the Masterchef series phenomenon has sparked a passionate interest in all things food. I even heard a caller to a popular radio show last week bemoaning her husband's zeal for his own culinary perfection - whether it was home-made pizza or a more elaborate dish, without a staff to call upon, his unfortunate wife was the one sent to the shops for quarter of a clove of garlic or a tablespoon more of olive oil. The Masterchef series itself is populated by competitors of varying ages, almost all of whom already have careers, some of them clearly have very successful or established careers, but all of them dream of doing something (in this case food-related) that they're more passionate about. So the question is ... at what point does a career dream become a career journey?Recipe for Career Success?
Over two million Australians of all ages and career stages attended the National Career Development Week careers events held between July 2009 and June 2010 across Australia hosted by hundreds of organisations, both large and small - in communities, schools, TAFE, university, industry, small business, government departments and a wide range of other organisations. Many of these organisations hosted a whole week of different activities. Many NCDW registered activities were oversubscribed, proving that Australians need help to make career decisions, from young people choosing school subjects and training courses to adults seeking a change of career, new opportunities or simply to improve their career prospects.
NCDW registered event organisers report feedback indicates that as a result of attending these events participants have an increased understanding of the careers environment and a change in attitude and approach towards managing their own careers. In many cases, participants of NCDW registered events have immediately enrolled for opportunities or training courses as a direct response to attending the activity. A case study provided by the NCDW registered event organisers of the 'Central Coast Career Development Week' evidences participants using the tools, skills, and expertise on offer to apply for jobs and get interviews. All of the feedback provided by NCDW 2010 registered event organisers demonstrates that the NCDW campaign is producing results. More NCDW event stories are available on the website.
In 2010, there have been NCDW Career Information booths at the EOC expos in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra which enabled NCDW/CICA to engage in conversation with Australians needing career information. The Sydney and Brisbane expos alone resulted in career conversations with over 4,500 people. Those visiting the NCDW booths, ranged in age, backgrounds and career stages, but there was a common theme - where do I find information to help me pursue the career path that interests me? Many said the career factsheets were exactly what they were looking for. From my own experience on the booth in Sydney, two of the visitors I spoke with were representative of what other members of the NCDW booth team tell me was the general theme. One was a student who had worked in her family business but did not know how to translate the skills she had into the career path she was interested in or even how to make this experience work for her on her resume. Another visitor was looking for help on behalf of his adult son who had recently been made redundant and who was in a place where it was all still too raw to start seeking new opportunities himself. He was relieved to discover the NCDW resources existed and took some motivation away with him.
So to revisit my original question - when does a career dream become a career journey? Everyone's journey in life is different, but when preparation meets opportunity and is combined with hard work you have a recipe for career success. You only have to look at the results of National Career Development Week 2010 to see the truth of this statement - check out the NCDW event stories and photos on our website.
On a final note, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the support of the Australian Government who last week confirmed they would continue to fund the National Career Development Week campaign into 2011, and without their support all of this great work would not continue to be possible.
Watch this space for more Campaign News as it happens ...
Caroline Jones
Campaign Manager
National Career Development Week celebration week in May each year forms part of a larger year-long campaign and is an initiative of the Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA), with funding from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).
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