What is Career Development
Career development is the lifelong process of managing and advancing your career over time. It involves acquiring new skills, knowledge, and experiences, as well as making strategic decisions and taking actions to enhance professional growth and achieve long-term career goals.
Career development professionals specialize in helping individuals navigate their career paths, make informed decisions, and develop strategies to achieve their career goals. Those providing career development support may be careers assistants, careers advisers, careers leaders, careers coaches, career counsellors, careers consultants or career development experts.
A Career in Career Development
There are many opportunities to work in career development, from working as careers support, a careers adviser or careers leader in schools, colleges and higher education, to working in careers providers or independently as a careers coach, consultant or counsellor. There are also opportunities to move into careers education and training, from freelance training and assessor roles to working as a lecturer, researcher or policy-maker.
What unites everyone working in career development is their commitment to professional practice and desire to enable young people and adults to thrive in their careers. It is so much more than talking about jobs, it is helping individuals identify what they want from their future career, explore the pathways to achieve it and develop the career management skills that will support them throughout their lives.
How a career professional can help you
Having a career development conversation with a qualified Career Development Professional gives you the opportunity for a confidential, unbiased discussion focused on you. This will help you to gain career development skills which you can use throughout your life and take account of any changes in society, technology and the economy.
Registered Career Development Professionals are qualified to at least graduate level to provide careers advice and guidance to people of all ages and from all communities.
They can inspire you by: enabling you to consider your circumstances, values and aspirations; confront any challenges; strengthen motivation; build resilience, confidence and curiosity; develop new perspectives; learn about relevant careers, jobs and the labour market; justify your thinking and be happy with the plan that you make to achieve your career goal. Skills which will also help you to plan your future career.
Employing a career professional
Registered Career Development Professionals are qualified to provide personal career guidance/coaching to people of all ages and from all communities.
Those who hold a Post Graduate Diploma in Career Development and the Qualification in Career Development or a Level 6 Diploma in Career Guidance and Development, including the three Careers Leadership units can also lead and manage career related learning in organisations.
Registered Careers Leaders are qualified in leading and managing career-related learning in organisations.
Employing/contracting with a RCDP means that your clients can access help to reach a decision about their career goal that is right for them by being: enabled to consider their circumstances, values and aspirations; confront any challenges; strengthen motivation; build resilience, confidence and curiosity; develop new perspectives; learn about relevant careers, jobs and the labour market; justify their thinking and be happy with the plan that they make to achieve their career goal. Skills which will also help them to plan their future career.
