CERIC to publish new companion guide to popular Career Theories and Models at Work book

Building on the success of Career Theories and Models at Work: Ideas for Practice, CERIC has approved funding to develop a “companion” book that will provide career professionals with theory-informed principles for everyday application. This sequel project called “Career Theories and Models in Practice” will be led once again by Dr. Nancy Arthur, University of South Australia (formerly University of Calgary), Dr. Roberta Borgen (Neault), Life Strategies and Dr. Mary McMahon, the University of Queensland (Australia).  

The new project will see the authors conduct a qualitative research analysis of the practice points at the end of each of the 43 chapters of the original Career Theories and Models at Work book to organize them into guiding principles for theory-informed career practice. The new guide – slated for release in January 2024 at the Cannexus conference – is intended for both current practitioners and as well as those just entering the field. It will provide a practical primary resource to gain knowledge about foundational principles for career development. 

Filling a gap in the field, this will be the first book that addresses foundational career practice principles, ensuring that techniques used by practitioners are linked to actual theoretical underpinnings. Readers will have the opportunity to learn about foundations of the principles and follow their interests back to the practice points that are used as examples in the chapters. The project advances the effort to increase the theoretical and practical knowledge of career practitioners by emphasizing practice-to-theory connections.  

Specific goals for this project include:  

1. To advance the field of career development by identifying practice principles that cut across multiple international theories and models; 
2. To stimulate career practitioners’ interest in linking their practices to theoretically derived principles; 
3. To update career practitioners about practice principles derived from contemporary theories and models of career development and career management; 
4. To provide practitioners with a foundational resource they can use to build upon and enhance their approaches to career interventions; and 
5. To provide career practitioners with an accessible resource to add to their toolkit. 

Published in 2019, the initial Career Theories and Models at Work: Ideas for Practice book features more than 60 authors from nine countries. The book has been translated into three languages so far (including the award-winning French edition published by CERIC last year) and resulted in a popular series of free webinars (recordings still available), each one drawing 1,000+ participants. Likewise, the follow-up manual is expected to have broad appeal nationally as well as internationally and will include podcasts. 

CERIC provides funding and other support to develop innovative career development resources. Individuals and organizations are welcome to submit project proposals for career counselling-related research or learning projects. This project aligns with one of CERIC’s four priority funding areas: New emerging career development theories and career service models.