Professional Improvement Needs of Postsecondary Career Counselors. Summary Report. Professional Improvement Assessment Project.

One part of a five-phase study was conducted to develop a database that identifies the professional improvement needs of postsecondary career counselors as expressed by individuals responding to a survey and to disseminate the findings of the needs assessment to the coordinators/directors of local institutions for planning faculty development. Information was gathered through a review of literature that identified competencies/tasks performed by individuals employed as postsecondary career counselors. These tasks were then validated by practitioners at four Texas colleges. A needs assessment was conducted by mailing questionnaires to coordinators/directors of faculty development asking for the present and desired levels of development of their career counselors for 92 task/competency statements. Biographical information also was collected. The study found that 54 percent of the 185 responding career counselors felt that development efforts in their institutions were inadequate; however, 73 percent of the respondents had completed a professional development course in technical/vocational education. The respondents indicated a need for professional development in all 92 competency/task statements on the questionnaire, with the most pressing needs related to the implementation of career guidance programs. Recommendations were made to develop more extensive professional development programs for postsecondary career guidance counselors. (Appendixes include a job inventory survey and the needs assessment questionnaire.) (KC)