My work background

As a careers and education consultant, my work has covered many areas of this field:

Producing career education resources, books and tools

My books have been popular with the general population as well as career professionals, and my resources foster awareness of the skills required for self-management, career management, employability and success in 21st century work. I has also developed a number of computer-based tools for decision-making used by schools, careers practitioners and international careers sites. The latest of these is Choices Match.  

Working with clients on career issues

As a careers counsellor I have provided one to one advice to people of all ages and stages, developing specialist skills in career decision-making. After working with hundreds of clients, young people and transitioning adults, I began to develop programmes: first Choices, then Hands On , then Choices Match -that draws on the strategies I use to help people make the connections that point to their own best choices. ‘It became too hard to work with all the people that emailed me for help – I refer them to this now. In the process they will be learning more about themselves and to identify what to look for to make the choices that work best for them. ’

Training career professionals in schools and career education providers

I have given numerous training workshops and presentations on career tools and resources. As the NZ trainer for John Holland’s Self-Directed Search decision-making tool, I developed expertise in the interpretation of this tool, and developed many resources based on Holland’s theory for use with a wide range of clients. 

Facilitating transformational learning through Capable NZ

As a facilitator, academic mentor and assessor with Capable NZ, a school within Otago Polytechnic I worked with innovative learning processes to help people gain degrees through work-based learning. Credentialing opportunities occur at different levels. Some people are able to prove prior experience and learning to graduate levels and gain a degree, all add some extra learning to their proven experience to meet the requirements of the qualifications. This happens through facilitation and academic mentoring processes. 

Conference Presentations

  • Professional Practice Symposium, Capable NZ, 2020.  Validating Workplace Learning – Facilitating Independent Learning
  • ePIC Conference, International, 2020.  Valuing and Validating Difference
  • Professional Practice Symposium Capable NZ, 2018. Pike River, Career Confidence, and Professional Practice
  • Careers Group, Palmerston North, 2017. Finding work in the 21st Century context
  • Mayoral Task Force Feilding, 2017.  Strategies for Engagement: Helping young people into work. 
  • CATE Bay of Plenty Careers Group, Tauranga 2017.  New tools for a world of Change 
  • CATE Conference Hamilton 2016. Choices Match – it’s different! A new, innovative and helpful tool for students and advisors
  • Marist College Auckland, 2016. The Career Maze – Guiding your children towards a successful future
  • Good Theory Good Practice, Perth 2016. Masterclass: Evaluating a tool or resource: using your professional model of practice
  • CDANZ Symposium, Auckland 2014. Professional Identity
  • CATE Conference, Queenstown, 2013. Tools for Change-Making the Competencies simple.
  • CATE Conference Waitangi 2012. Careers Leadership – developing the personal Brand you want.
  • CATE Conference Waitangi 2012. What Career management really is – using very strategic knowledge to build new skills and concepts for 21st century work
  • CATE Conference, Rotorua 2011. Assess Yourself, Express Yourself -Helping Young people with Identity Building and Self Knowledge.
  • CDANZ Research Conference – Keynote Speaker,  Auckland, 2011. Resilience, Courage and Inspiration – Celebrating the transformational impact of research.
  • Kings College, Auckland  2011. 21st Century Careers – Essential skills and strategies
  • West Australia Department of Workforce Training, Perth 2011. 21st Century careers – Building self, skills and Possibilities  (National Career Development Week, keynote presenter)
  • Good Theory Good Practice Conference, Perth, 2011. Powerful theory, Powerful practice – Develop your practice with the ideas you love most
  • EIT Staff Development Conference 2011.Your Best Career-understanding 21st century skills and work.
  • South Island Gateway Conference 2010. The Building Blocks of Career – how you can help
  • CDANZ Research Conference 2010. Research as Transformational Practice – how it can all work together
  • CATE Conference, 2010, Auckland. The Self Managing Career – helping young people prepare for their future
  • Kings College, Auckland, 2010 ( Staff development).  Supporting Career Development and Achievement-helping young People Prepare for their future. 
  • Kings College, Auckland, 2010. The Career Maze -Guiding your children towards a successful future.
  • International Boy’s School Conference, Hastings 2009. Boys and the Career Maze – What are they really doing ?
  • CATE Conference 2008 New Plymouth. Conversations, Scripts and Strategies – Helping Parents with the career maze.