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Career management skills (CMS)

 

The Council Recommendation on key competences for lifelong learning (2018) outlines the set of eight key competences necessary to ensure personal fulfilment and development, active citizenship, social inclusion and employment. In this new framework, personal, social and learning to learn competence is the “ability to reflect upon oneself, effectively manage time and information, work with others in a constructive way, remain resilient and manage one's own learning and career”. This includes the ability to identify one's capacities and to focus, deal with complexity, critically reflect and make decisions. It also includes the ability to learn and work both collaboratively and autonomously, and to organise and persevere with learning, to evaluate and share it, to seek support when appropriate and to effectively manage one's career and social interactions. Additionally, individuals should be resilient and should be able to cope with uncertainty and stress.

 

Career management is part of the above-mentioned personal, social and learning competences. ELGPN (2015b) defines Career Management Skills (CMS) as “a range of competences which provide structured ways for individuals and groups to gather, analyse, synthesise and organise self, educational and occupational information, as well as the skills to make and implement decisions and transitions.” The concept of CMS has proved difficult to translate into other languages; literal equivalents such as ‘career’ or ‘management’, may make no sense, may be understood differently or may have a slightly negative connotation. In resolving the language issue, and being aware of the possible semantic alteration, the CMS definition can be customised in the language of a country to reflect relevant existing national documents and strategies, the vocabulary of citizens and employers, and to give guidance and CMS a wider perspective based on recent career theories (ELGPN, 2015a).

 

This definition of CMS provides two key elements in answer to the question, how do people know about skills and qualifications? First, it is necessary to distinguish both the content and process. What does the individual need to know about themself and the opportunities in education and the labour market in order to make well-informed and well thought through decisions on their own future? Second, it is important to learn how one constructs and implements one’s own life project.

Further reading:

  • Council of the European Union (2018). Council Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning. Council of the European Union. 22 May 2018. Brussels
  • ELGPN [European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network]. (2015a). Designing and Implementing Policies Related to Career Management Skills (CMS). ELGPN Tools No. 4. Saarijärvi, Finland

  • ELGPN [European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network]. (2015b). The Guidelines for Policies and Systems Development for Lifelong Guidance: A Reference Framework for the EU and for the Commission. ELGPN Tools No. 6. Saarijärvi, Finland

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