As professionals, we often need guidance and counselling to make informed decisions that forge a profitable career path. This counselling expertise is not just required during the initial stages of career development, but is also useful mid-career when desiring to take on a new role, or explore an entirely different work field. Having sound career guidance can greatly impact career adoptions as well as help professionals successfully launch themselves in their chosen profession. Career counsellors and Career advisers serve a necessary and important role in aiding in this process. They can create individualised career development plans, or offer aid in the best approach to smoothly transition into a new role or industry.

Who are career guidance advisors or counsellors?

Career guidance advisors and counsellors are professionals with years of experience and knowledge in the field of career development. As professionals, they are often the first ones to guide us on the requirements of the concerned role or industry and the right type of skills and qualifications required to take up the role. Career counsellors are required to keep an up to date knowledge pertaining to various professions across various industries and hold industry specific knowledge to guide professionals in that field. They are also required to maintain networking relationships with industry professions to understand the specific skill set required in the concerned industry. The primary role of career advisors or counsellors is to help professionals identify their strengths and weaknesses, and how to best translate that to their choice of career.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Career Development and how it helps

 In order to practice as a counsellor or an advisor for career development, professionals need a postgraduate qualification or a certificate in the field of career development. The Edinburgh Napier University is one of the well ranked universities in the UK offering a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Career Development.

 Students joining this online certificate will uncover knowledge pertaining to the various practices in organisations that impact career choices of professionals. Concepts such as labour practices, public policy, workplace equality, gender balance and social justice are taught in this certificate.

The programme also sheds light on the various psychological and societal factors that contribute to individual career development choices and will allow students to critically evaluate concepts and debates centring around this theme.

As students progress towards the final stages of this qualification, they will be encouraged to explore the various interactions with clients that foster guidance and counselling in this field. Upon successful graduation with this postgraduate certificate, students can establish careers as career advisors, counsellors, career coaches, international student advisors, placement advisors as well as career or student mentors. The programme is completed just over a span of 12 months and uses case studies, assignments, essays and reports as assessment methods to assess students.

Stafford Global offers students a large portfolio of HR degree courses. You can also speak to a Higher Education Consultant for more information