Five signposts to a socially just approach to career guidance

In the conclusion to the book Career Guidance for Emancipation, Hooley, Sultana and Thomsen proposed the five signposts to a socially just approach to career guidance as a way to translate some of the theoretical ideas into practice. It argued that practitioners can engage with social justice by: building critical consciousness. Helping people to understand the situation, not just to react to it on a personal level; naming oppression. Helping people see injustice and organise in solidarity to access a decent career, questioning what is normal. Spending time discussing what ‘normal’ means and whether it is something that you should pursue in your career; encouraging people to work together. Facilitating social interaction, collaboration and collective action; and working at a range of levels. Intervening into individual, group, organisational, social and political systems. This article exploreS the five signposts and consider the theories and research that underpins each of them. It goes on to describe how the signposts can be used to inform and enrich practice by giving a series of practical examples, activities and resources that practitioners can utilise.