Towards a Model of Career Guidance and Counseling for University Students in China
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Towards a Model of Career Guidance and Counseling for University Students in China Dengfeng Hao & Vincy J. Sun & Mantak Yuen
# Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015
Abstract This paper examines the evolution of career guidance and counseling in Chinese universities. In particular it highlights how national and cultural influences in China have interacted with longer-term influences and practices from the West, producing a unique BFive Aspects in One^ model of delivery. Current career guidance and counseling practices in Chinese universities are outlined, and suggestions made for future directions. Keywords Career guidance and counseling . China . Five Aspects in One Model
Introduction Although career guidance and counseling in higher education institutes in China has a relatively short history, it is already developing its own unique style. Drawing in part from basic theories and practices in Western countries, career guidance and counseling in China is influenced also by cultural traditions, recent economic growth, and social developments. In particular, rapid economic and social changes have affected the career prospects of all university graduates. As a result, it is now recognized that to enhance their employability these students should be guided to plan their study paths deliberately, select their major subjects carefully, and then strive to increase their academic levels. Prior to the 1980s, university students experienced little difficulty obtaining jobs under a national university graduate job allocation system, first implemented in 1949. Over the intervening period there was no incentive for universities to develop sophisticated career guidance systems and services, as the number of students graduating each year was not large and employment was not difficult to find. It was not until the late 1980s that some higher education institutes began to recommend specific preparation for graduates; for example, by D. Hao Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China V. J. Sun : M. Yuen University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China M. Yuen (*) Centre for Advancement in Inclusive and Special Education (CAISE), Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China e-mail: [email protected]
Int J Adv Counselling
them meeting with potential employers directly. Career guidance, as the term is generally understood, was not implemented until around 1998, with the advent of a graduate ‘job selfselection system’. The system has been running for around sixteen years now, and two stages can be observed in its evolution (Sun and Yuen 2012). The first stage, from 1998 to 2001, marked the ‘employment guidance’ period. During that time students were mainly guided in ‘how to find jobs’― for example, they were coached in how to write application letters and résumés, and how to prepare for job interviews. However, pressure soon began to increase for a more comprehensive service, to match the rapid expansion in enrollment in higher education institutes in China. The number of graduates surged in 2001, wit
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