A Century of Career Education: Review and Perspectives

Although a textbook defining the principles of career education was published in Paris as early as 1957, career education did not actually develop in Europe until a quarter of a century later. Why it eventually came into its own can be explained by a number of factors, including an ideology promoting individual success, and changes in work organisation. The ends of career education practices are seldom defined: are they aimed at making workers more flexible?; are they meant to facilitate personal achievement?Although the theoretical foundations of these educational programs are often fragile and many of them have never been rigorously evaluated, those that have appear to have reached some of their educational objectives. Several factors should determine the future of career education: the evolution of the social function of school, changes in the role attributed to work in personal development, etc.