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Describe influences on career choices of and provide career
consultation to clients with barriers to employment
Level
6
Credits
10
Purpose
People credited with this unit standard are able to: identify the influences on
the career choices of individual clients with barriers to employment; establish
rapport and identify needs of clients with barriers to employment; assist
clients with barriers to employment to clarify life and career goals; and
involve the family of clients with barriers to employment in the career practice
process.
Subfield
Career Practice
Domain
Career Consultation
Status
Registered
Status date
20 November 2009
Date version published
20 November 2009
Planned review date
31 December 2013
Entry information
Open.
Accreditation
Evaluation of documentation and visit by NZQA and
industry.
Standard setting body (SSB)
The Skills Organisation
Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP) reference
0121
This AMAP can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do.
Special notes
1
Definitions
Barriers to employment may include but are not limited to; physical disability, mental
disability, intellectual disability, learning impairment, low functional literacy in English,
long term unemployed, injury or illness.
Career refers to the wide range of occupational, family, civic, and political roles which
individuals will undertake throughout their adult lives. It includes paid employment,
self-employment, unpaid work, multiple jobbing, entrepreneurial enterprise, homebased enterprise, study as an adult, and unemployment. A career is a
developmental and lifelong process.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
25171 version 1
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Career practice refers to the umbrella profession under which the following vocations
sit – career resources, career information, career education, and career consultation
which includes career counselling, career advice, and career guidance.
Client refers to people receiving a career related service who may be individuals or
groups associated with employment, education, or training, or in some cases may be
an organisation.
Education may include training.
Needs, in the context of this unit standard, are those relating to gender, culture,
Māori, ethnicity, age, religion, philosophy, learning, disability, socio-economic group,
career options and language.
Work options refer to contractual, portfolio, self-employment, salaried, wages, fulltime, part-time and voluntary.
2
Legislation relevant to this unit standard includes but is not limited to the: Privacy Act
1993, Human Rights Act 1993.
Elements and performance criteria
Element 1
Identify the influences on the career choices of individual clients with barriers to
employment.
Performance criteria
1.1
The community within a given geographical area are identified in terms of their
influence on career choices of clients with barriers to employment.
1.2
Employment trends, and economic and social factors are identified in terms of
their influence on career choices of clients with barriers to employment.
Element 2
Establish rapport and identify needs of clients with barriers to employment.
Performance criteria
2.1
The environment and systems for provision of consultation focus on the client in
accordance with their personal, cultural, physical, spiritual, and communication
needs.
2.2
Rapport is established in career consultation in terms of the physical and
emotional needs of the client.
Range
rapport – greeting, welcome, encouragement given.
2.3
The needs of clients with barriers to employment are identified in terms of their
origins, gender, age group, status, and birthplace.
2.4
The needs of clients with barriers to employment are identified in terms of their
background; language; access to and funding for education; and access to
employment.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
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2.5
Goals for the career consultation are established with clients with barriers to
employment in terms of limits, expectations, and plan of session.
2.6
Interactions with clients during career consultation demonstrate active listening,
use of questioning techniques, and use of body language in accordance with
cultural and language needs.
2.7
The approach used in career consultation with clients with barriers to
employment meets their personal and cultural needs.
Range
approach includes but is not limited to – the establishment of
commonalities, non-judgmental attitudes, respect of person, use of
familiar examples, respect for their values, respect of boundaries,
active listening.
Element 3
Assist clients with barriers to employment to clarify life and career goals.
Performance criteria
3.1
Information on current research, work patterns, and labour market trends is
provided to clients with barriers to employment in accordance with their needs.
3.2
Work options are identified with clients with barriers to employment in terms of
their strengths, skills, needs, expectations, and preferences.
3.3
Selected work options are explored and prioritised in terms of their needs and
expectations, and the needs and expectations of family and community, if
applicable.
3.4
Education and vocational goals are formulated with clients with barriers to
employment that are achievable and realistic for the clients in terms of time,
funding, access, location, and academic ability.
3.5
Alternative strategies to achieve vocational and educational goals are explored
in accordance with the needs of clients with barriers to employment.
3.6
Referral of clients to employment, and/or education, and/or agencies is in
accordance with the identified needs and goals of clients with barriers to
employment.
Element 4
Involve the family of clients with barriers to employment in the career practice process.
Performance criteria
4.1
Alternative strategies to achieve identified educational and vocational goals are
introduced to family, where required, in accordance with the needs of clients
with barriers to employment.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
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4.2
Work options are evaluated in terms of the values and needs of family and
community, and the needs of clients with barriers to employment.
Please note
Providers must be accredited by NZQA, or an inter-institutional body with delegated
authority for quality assurance, before they can report credits from assessment against
unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be accredited by NZQA before they can register
credits from assessment against unit standards.
Accredited providers and Industry Training Organisations assessing against unit standards
must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
Accreditation requirements and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this
standard are outlined in the Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP). The
AMAP also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations
wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for
tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
Comments on this unit standard
Please contact The Skills Organisation info@skills.org.nz if you wish to suggest changes
to the content of this unit standard.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016