History of Guidance Movement Research Paper

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History Of Guidance Movement: 1900 to Date

Prior to the final decades of the nineteenth century, there was very limited literature to which job seekers could make reference with regard to career guidance which was, at the time, referred to as vocational guidance (Ford & Alao, 2011). Knowledge of prospective work opportunities mainly resulted from close contact with the community, friends, family, church, and the education system (Ford & Alao, 2011).

Frank Parson, the founder of vocational guidance, in 1907, provided the stepping stone for career counseling with the formation of the Vocational Guidance Movement, which gave rise to the Vocational Bureau of Boston in 1908 (Ford & Alao, 2011). Parson used self-study and vocational counseling to make people more compatible with their interests, aptitudes, skills, and occupational demands, thereby leading them to the right careers (Ford & Alao, 2011). The bureau sponsored a number of national conferences; the third of which was the most significant, giving rise to the National Association of Guidance.
The mid-twentieth century was characterized by massive workforce changes, and changes to the career guidance industry. By the end of World War II, the workforce comprised of a significant percentage of veterans and women, and the levels of technology called for higher levels of education and technical skills (Ford & Alao, 2011). The government began attaching more significance to vocational guidance and education, with the passage of facilitative legislation such as the National Defense Act, the 1963 Vocational Educational and Higher Education Facilities Acts, the Economic Opportunity Act, the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, the Career Education Incentive Act 95-207, to mention but a few (Campbell,1971). Today, carrier counseling is an ongoing process, focusing more on an individual's work-life balance, rather than age (Ford & Alao, 2011).

Date/Year

Events

Significance

1908

Formation of the vocational bureau of Boston

Dealt with the occupational adjustments difficulties that faced adults and youth. The facility, being the only one of its.....

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