New Programs and Initiatives

By Paul D. Smith

A New Career Education Model for Students

Queen’s University Career Services, with the generous support of the Counselling Foundation of Canada, is developing a new model for Career Education that will integrate on-line and in-person support for their students. The impetus for developing the integrated model is the need to provide services to students when and how they want them with the resources available. “We are extremely excited to receive this support from The Counselling Foundation of Canada,” says Paul D. Smith, Queen’s Director of Career Services, “because it will allow us to solve a problem that is universal – How do you meet the needs of thousands of students with a handful of staff?”

Queen’s Career Services has four Career Counsellors to serve nearly twenty thousand students and thousands more alumni. The challenge to provide adequate counselling with the resources available is evident, yet they are committed to serving students. Smith believes that “adopting a counselling service model that integrates out-reach through electronic communications with in-person counselling we will experience a multiplier effect, enabling us to meet the needs of our students and alumni.”

The key to the success of such a model is an effective intake process. The site will offer differing levels of support, reflective of the student’s need or stage of career development. Through an interactive interface designed to help the students match their need with the services available, the students will then be directed to the service that is most appropriate. Queen’s Career Services enters into this project with the following three goals:

• To equip Queen’s graduates going into careers, confident in the decisions they have made;
• To create an integrated Out-Reach / In-Person Career Counselling Service; and
• To ensure that the Integrated Out-Reach / In-Person Counselling Service offers students support that is proven to be effective.

The Counselling Foundation of Canada grant will provide $196,840 funding over three years allowing Queen’s Career Services to research, develop and test an innovative service delivery model. Once the model is developed, it will be made available to colleagues working at colleges, universities, and in the larger field of career education. “We are looking forward to hearing about the success of Queen’s Career Services at the CANNEXUS Conference in April 2008” says Jean Faulds, the Executive Director of The Counselling Foundation of Canada.

Paul D. Smith (M.Ed) is the Director of Career Services at Queen’s University. He has more than ten years experience as a career educator at colleges and universities.