My iCeGS colleague Tom Staunton and I have just published a new paper entitled International approaches to career development for working people.

In it we argue that despite the central importance of working life to adults, in most countries career development support is primarily aimed at those in education or at adults who are outside the labour market. Public policy provision of career development services typically overlook that most people make their most consequential career decisions while employed.

The study was funded by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation (Gatsby) to explore approaches to career development for working people in nine countries: Austria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Ireland and South Korea. The research was conducted through consultation with 12 experts in these countries.

It is intended to inform the development of new provision in England, where Jobcentre Plus and the National Careers Service are currently being merged into a new service. The study draws on research by Hutchinson and Hooley published in 2025, which identified six features of effective adult guidance systems: vision and leadership, collaboration and cooperation, a qualified professional career development workforce, coherent national
and local delivery, clearly understood and accessible services, and robust labour market
information. The current report uses this framework to examine the programmes, initiatives
and delivery approaches available in each of the countries listed above.
In every country examined, career development support for working adults is less developed
than that available for those in education or who are unemployed. In most cases provision is fragmented, inconsistently funded and often confined to isolated pilots rather than that delivered through a sustained policy commitment. Strategic visions for adult career development rarely extends to working people. Mechanisms for coordinating the range of services that working adults might require are also often lacking.

A consistent finding in all the countries was low public awareness of available services. The services that do exist are sometimes inaccessible because their opening hours conflict with standard working patterns. Funding instability also limits their ability to develop, market themselves and achieve sustainable impact. Nonetheless, in the nine case study countries there is a wealth of good
and interesting practice that provides insights into what a better system might be.

Find out more at International approaches to career development for working people

Adventures in Career Development

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