Career Guidance and Leadership Postgraduate Diploma drafted

Program Overview

This Postgraduate Diploma in Career Guidance and Leadership equips students with the theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and qualities necessary for professional roles in the career development and employability sector. Through a blended delivery approach, students develop essential skills in career guidance, coaching, and leadership while exploring diverse theoretical perspectives. Graduates are highly sought after by employers, pursuing careers as Careers Advisers, Career Consultants, and other leadership positions in the industry.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This Postgraduate Diploma in Career Guidance and Leadership is designed to equip students with the theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and qualities needed for a range of professional roles within the career development and employability sector. The program emphasizes a flexible approach to learning through blended delivery, allowing students to balance their studies with other commitments. The program aims to prepare students to work with diverse clients and make a positive impact on their lives.

Key Features:

• Strong reputation in the field with 50 years of experience in the careers and employability sector.
• Opportunity to gain the Career Development Institute’s professional award – the Qualification in Career Development (QCD) – alongside the Masters’ and achieve registered professional status.
• Flexible approach to studies through blended delivery.

Outline:

The program consists of four core modules, each worth 30 credit points, focusing on different aspects of career development skills, knowledge, and experience. Students also complete a 60 credit Research Methods and Dissertation/Service Evaluation module.

Year One:

• Term 1:
• Induction
• Professional Career Guidance and Theoretical Perspectives II (30 credits)
• Term 2:
• Professional Guidance Practice and Theoretical Perspectives I (30 credits)
• Designing and Delivering Career Related Learning (30 credits)
• Term 3:
• Careers Strategy and Leadership (30 credits)

Module Descriptions:

• Professional Guidance Practice and Theoretical Perspectives I (30 credit points): This module develops essential skills for working with individuals in one-to-one situations, exploring knowledge, skills, and approaches appropriate to guidance, coaching, mentoring, and advisory work.
It critically appraises theoretical perspectives and approaches that underpin contemporary guidance practice, emphasizing ethical perspectives and principles fundamental to professional practice.
• Professional Career Guidance Practice and Theoretical Perspectives II (30 credit points): Building on the previous module, this module develops critical analytical and reflective skills to plan, execute, and critique one-to-one career guidance interactions based on an informed ethical stance.
• Designing and Delivering Career Related Learning (30 credit points): This module develops critical thinking and analytical skills to plan, design, deliver, and evaluate career-related learning, appropriate for group activities and broader curriculum design.
It examines the impact of career-related theory, policy, frameworks, and curriculum initiatives on client outcomes and their application to local, regional, national, and international contexts.
• Careers Strategy and Leadership (30 credit points): This module enables students to take a strategic approach to career development and employability practice, exploring the values and principles that underpin a strategic careers/employability plan and the drivers of strategy.
It critically evaluates how a strategic approach can contribute to institutional/organizational improvements and enhanced service delivery.

Assessment:

Assessment methods are varied and accommodate diverse learning preferences. They include:

• Written assignments: case studies, enquiry-based reports, a reflective journal, a portfolio of evidence, and a dissertation or service evaluation.
• Skills-based assessments: one-to-one guidance interactions and group work.

Teaching:

• Teaching Methods:
• Workshops and lectures (on-campus and/or online)
• Structured online teaching and learning activities
• Tutorials with course tutors
• Work-based and work-related learning
• Lectures and workshops
• Structured online teaching and learning activities
• Individual tutorials
• Case study investigations
• Simulation exercises and experiential learning related to specific aspects of career guidance practitioners’ work, practice, and skills
• Observations
• Interactive and group learning (both face-to-face and online)
• Real-life, work-based, and workplace practice, and application of skills through the University networks and partners
• Faculty:
• Dedicated team of staff are professionally trained practitioners from the career development and employability sector.
• Actively engaged in professional activities and networks within the sector.
• Research activity enriches the curriculum content and feeds directly into teaching approaches and the assessment of skills development.
• Unique Approaches:
• Blended learning approach.
• Personalization of learning with choice around case studies, work-related and work-based practice, and assessment tasks.
• Opportunities for peer learning and gaining insights from each other.

Careers:

The program equips students with the knowledge, skills, and attributes highly sought after by employers in the career development and employability sector. Graduates have entered a range of roles, including:

• Careers Adviser
• Careers and Employability Adviser
• Career Coach
• Careers Consultant
• Careers Development and Education Consultant
• Careers Leader
• Curriculum Manager
• Deputy Director of Student Services (Employability)
• Employability Education Projects Officer
• Graduate Transition Manager
• International Officer (HE recruitment)
• Project Manager (Employability)
• Team Manager – Employment Adviser

Other:

• The program is highly regarded in the sector.
• Students have the opportunity to combine the program with the professional award of the Qualification of Career Development (QCD) and achieve registered professional status by joining the UK Register for Career Development Professionals.
• NTU is one of only eight universities in the UK to have approved center status from the Career Development Institute to deliver the QCD.
• The learning outcomes for the postgraduate diploma have been mapped to the learning outcomes for national Careers Leaders training, fulfilling those requirements if in a relevant role and applying the learning to careers education and leadership in secondary or further education.
• In-sessional English language support classes are available to all international (non-EU) students studying on degree courses at NTU.
• Students have access to a wide range of learning resources and facilities, including lecture theatres, teaching classrooms, open access PCs, secure wireless points, study areas, social spaces, a café, a media room, and IT resource rooms.
• Students also have access to the Boots library, which provides an extensive range of books and periodicals, electronic resources, journals, and books.
• Students can become a Student Member of the Career Development Institute (CDI) at the start of the course.
• Students who choose to complete the QCD must register with the CDI in addition to becoming a Student Member.
• DBS checks are mandatory for this course.

UK:

• PGDip full-time: £5,080
• If you choose to top up your PGDip to a Masters degree the fee would be £2,540.

International/ EU:

• PGDip full-time: £10,600
• If you choose to top up your PGDip to a Masters degree the fee would be £5,300.