Career adapt-ability:
around the world
Professor Jenny Bimrose
Institute for Employment Research
Gill Frigerio
Centre for Lifelong Learning
University of Warwick
Career support: lifelong perspective
Early stage
transitions
Midcareer
changes
Third age
transitions
Aim:
To explore the utility, in practice, of the
concept of career adapt-ability
Objectives
 EXPLORE:
 REVIEW:
the concept of career adapt-ability
relevant findings from national
and international research
 REFLECT:
on integration of research into
practice
 CONSIDER: some potential implications
Career adaptability: what is it?
‘The capability of an individual to
make a series of successful transitions
where the labour market, organisation
of work and underlying occupational
and organisational knowledge bases
may be subject to considerable
change’
Ref: Bimrose, J., Barnes, S-A., Brown, A. and Hughes, D. (2011) 'The
role of career adaptability in skills supply', Wath-upon-Dearne:
UK Commission for Employment & Skills
Career Adapt-ability: evidence base
(England)
International
• Life Design
Group
• 15 country
study (CAAS) –
Special issue of
JVB (2012)
UK –
qualitative
indicators
UK –
quantitative
CAAI
• Mid-career
workers (N=64)
• Older women
(N=36)
• Confirmatory
factor analysis
• 4 Universities
(N=753)
Mark Savickas (career construction)
Professor of Family and Community Medicine
Family & Community Medicine at North East
Ohio Medical University
Explains the origins and process of developing
an international evidence base for a measure of
career adapt-ability.
Career-adaptability competencies (2012)
Concern
Control
Curiosity
Confidence
Career adapt-ability:
personality characteristics
Selfregulation
Flexibility
Proactivity
Planfulness
Inter-relatedness?
EXPLORATION
RESILIENCE
DECISIVENESS
CAREER
ADAPTABILITY
Adaptability
dimension
Attitudes and Competence
beliefs
Coping
behaviours
Career
‘problem’
Concern
Planful
Aware
Indifference
Planning
Involved
Control
Curiosity
Decisive
Decision
making
Preparing
Assertive
Disciplined
Thank you
Inquisitive
Exploring
Indecision
Wilful
Experiment
Unrealism
Risk taking
Confidence
Efficacious
Problem
solving
Inquiring
Persistent
Striving
Industrious
Inhibition
CAAI (UK): Sample statements
24 item inventory: 4 core constructs
Please rate how strongly you feel you have
developed each of the following abilities using the 5 point scale
below.
Strongest Very strong Strong Somewhat strong Not strong
(5)
(4)
(3)
(2)
 Taking responsibility for my actions
 Acting in line with my values and principles
 Relying on myself
 Observing different ways of doing things
(1)
Contextual adjustment – UK
Cognitive interviewing:
Involves going through the questions with a
facilitator to check that they understand the
meaning of each
Career adapt-ability:
contextual relevance?
Practical exercise
In pairs…….
Validation of CAAS in UK context




Birmingham University: 301 students
Glasgow Caledonian University : 195
Newman University: 175
Warwick University: 175
Confirmatory factor analysis
[N = 846, reduced to 753 after removal of
outliers/ those with missing values]
Relevance to practice?
HEA funded pilots project
• To explore how the CAAI-UK might be used in
different contexts & settings
• DMU, Newman, Warwick, HECSU, Birmingham,
Glasgow Caledonian
• Focus on placements, online tools, mature
learners, embedding in career education, vehicle
for institutional change
Key Outcomes

Guidance notes for feedback sessions

Text using scores as a basis for signposting

Success and risk factors identified at both
institutional and practitioner level
Key Findings: Practice
 Belongs to the individual client:
compare ‘employability’ (Duarte, 2004)
 Psycho-social competences (career adapt-abilities):
enables clients to manage their own resources for
life/work challenges & transitions
 Identifies needs and related targeted interventions:
compare many other psychometric tests
Key findings: Organisational Context
Development
tool
Value- added
measure for
interventions
Resource
allocation/
prioritisation
Benchmarking
Other?
Key findings: Public Policy
 Raising aspiration
 Encourages autonomy
 Relevant across the life-course
 Potential for greater integration of
ICT
References
Bimrose, J., Barnes, S-A., Brown, A. and Hughes, D. (2011) 'The role of career
adaptability in skills supply', Wath-upon-Dearne: UK Commission for
Employment & Skills
Bimrose, J. and Hearne, L. (2012) 'Resilience and Career Adaptability: Qualitative
Studies of Adult Career counselling' Journal Of Vocational Behavior 81 338 344
McMahon, M., Watson, M. and Bimrose, J. (2012) 'Career Adaptability: A
Qualitative Understanding from the Stories of Older Women' Journal Of
Vocational Behavior 80 762 – 768
Savickas, M.L. (1997) Career Adaptability: An Integrative construct for Life-Span,
Life-Space Theory, The Career Development Quarterly, 45, 3, pp.247-259
Savickas, M.L., Nota, L., Rossier, J., Dauwalder, J.P., Duarte, M.E., Guichard, J.,
Soresi, S., Van Esbroeck R. & van Vianen, A.E.M., (2009). Life designing: A
paradigm for career construction in the 21st Century. Journal of Vocational
Behavior, 75, 3, pp.239-250.
Savickas, M.L. & Porfeli, E.J. (2012) Career Adapt-Abilities Scale: Construction,
reliability and measurement equivalence across 13 countries, Journal of
Vocational Behaviour, 80, pp.661 -673
For more information…
To download reports and related publications:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ier/people/
jbimrose/
THANK YOU