Fall 2006

By Khaled Islaih

New technologies are changing the way we think, live and work. In the new world, growth opportunities are created by using knowledge and technology. A knowledge based economy refers to the capacity and the capability to create new ideas, thoughts, processes and products and translate these into economic value and wealth. The new economy is about abundance with creativity and brainpower as key resources. Accordingly, resources are unlimited and usually increase with sharing and application. In contrast, traditional economics is about scarcity and limited physical resources.¹

By Hilary A. Schuldt

“IT’S A WIN WIN” – COSTI Launches its New Online Courses for Internationally Trained Nurses and I.T. Professionals

By Jane Harnadek

I’m standing in line with my badge and materials, and I’m waiting to get into Unit Five. There are two people ahead of me and I quietly ask myself, “What is taking them so long?” Finally, I am buzzed through the first door. I empty everything in my pockets as well as my materials into a try which is then put through an X-ray machine. Then it is my turn to walk through a metal detector. Next, I walk through a series of doors – one, two, then a third one, and then…a final clang. I am inside the walls of a prison.

Demanding Work: The Paradox of Job Quality in the Affluent Society
Francis Green
Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 2006
ISBN: 0-691-11712-8

By Dr. Roberta Neault, CCC, RRP

Our world is increasingly complex – influenced by a global economy, satellite television, the Internet, and, in Canada, a “cultural mosaic” rather than “melting pot” approach to diversity. In Toronto, Ontario, 25 years ago only “one in seven residents was a visible minority while today the ratio is more than one in three. Fourteen per cent of GTA dwellers have some form of disability; an estimated 450,000 are gay or lesbian; 42 per cent are in the religious minority; and 2.1 million were born outside of Canada”.¹ As career management professionals, to help diverse clients, do you have to come from the same ethnic or cultural background? Do you have to be one to help one?

By Sue Furs M.A. and Kristen Tippin M.Sc.

Introduction

Due to the increased focus on brief counselling models over the last 20 years, the use of solution-focused therapy (SFT) has been extensively applied in the realm of personal counselling (Lewis & Osborn, 2004). Despite the fact that very little research has been produced on the application of SFT techniques in the realm of career and employment counselling, recently Bezanson (2004) has suggested the SFT model may be an effective approach to employment counselling. Recent articles by McKenna & Mackey Jones (2004) and Strong (2005) provide limited support for the effectiveness of SFT in realm of employment and career counselling. In this article, we will briefly summarize some of the major assumptions and techniques of the SFT model as outlined by Bezanson (2004). Additionally, we will briefly discuss the benefits and limitations of SFT as a method for employment and career counselling.