Perceptions of Training Needs of Career Guidance Personnel Before and After a University Program

Recent reports have highlighted the need for comprehensive career development programs for people of all ages. Results of a national survey in America (Hoyt & Lester, 1995) highlighted the dearth in provision of career guidance and the comcomitant lack in provision of training of career practitioners. This dilemma between the need for services and the lack of appropriate and comprehensive training is at the heart of this study. This dilemma is rendered more complex with findings from studies indicating dissatisfaction with the nature of training available for career practitioners (Heppner, O’Brien, Hinkel-man, & Flores, 1996). This article will focus on changes in the world of work which are having implications for the demand for career guid-ance practitioners, explore aspects of the training dilemma, and re-port on outcomes of one particular training program. Within this pa-per a number of terms will be used interchangeably, including career coordinator, career facilitator, and career development practitioner;