23Additional InformationDr Anne Murphy has written the following articles on APEL APEL Matters in higher education, 2008 Red Lion Press, 'Where does APEL fit in higher education?' http://level3.dit.ie/issue2/murphy/murphy_1.html, RPL Matters in the DIT: policy and practice guide for staff' 2010 DIT, 'Policy development and implementation procedures for recognition of prior learning in higher education; a case study of practice in higher education' http://level3.dit.ie/issue9/murphy/murphy_1.htmlCLICK toLINKCLICK toLINKAuthor Dr Anne Murphy works as RPL Policy Officer and education policy expert in the Directorate of Academic Affairs and Registrar, Dublin Institute of Technology. She has over thirty years experience of education, research and development and was a founder member of the first Irish Higher Education APEL Network in the mid-1990s. She has worked on several nationally and EU-funded research projects and as a consultant for the Council of Europe, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and the Malaysia Qualifications Agency. She supervises PhD and Masters research students and is involved in several national and international networks related to higher education and to recognition of prior learning. Higher EducationApel and Masterchef Ireland continuedNCGE NEWS Winter 2011ELGPNELGPN UpdateCLICK toLINKNCGE is an active member of ELGPN Work Package 4 which focuses on the development of a draft framework for quality assurance and evidence based practice for guidance across all sectors. This framework is being developed through dialogue, sharing of national experiences and co-operation of the representative member states involved. As designated representative for Ireland at ELGPN, NCGE attended the plenary meeting in Warsaw in September. The meeting provided the opportunity for collaboration and updates on policy developments from the EU Commission DG Education and Culture.Click to link to Newsletter for ELGPN October 2011 http://ktl.jyu.fi/img/portal/ 10954/ELGPN_newsletter_October_2011.

24NCGE NEWS Winter 2011AdultCareer Needs for Adults in these New Times:The Challenges for Guidance CounsellorsOne of the most fundamental concepts in the current economic environment is that having a depth and breadth of skills, competencies, experience, education and networking opportunities are all extremely useful and valuable. Most of us will engage in many careers throughout our lifespan. We will make our contribution to the world in various ways, both paid and unpaid, through relationship and leisure activities. Dr Alan Richardson, counselling psychologist, university educator, supervisor, researcher, organisational consultant, leadership and career development counsellor and group facilitator mirrors the value of the 'eclectic mix', the skill combinations and a range of possibilities in facing today's challenges.As a process psychologist, a central concern for Dr Richardson is to support the totality of the person and to help the less valued aspects of the human being find expression and a place in their lives. In the current competitive world we live in, finding the time to express and live the disavowed parts of ourselves may seem like an unusual use of our time. However, the contribution we will ultimately make in the world does not always arrive in a clearly written format in our e-mail inbox. Sometimes, we make our contribution through circuitous routes. Small clues lead us to where our possibilities may lie. Sometimes, the difficulties and burdens in our lives will eventually form the key to a major contribution we will make.Dr Richardson highlights the word 'vocation' as an important first point of reference for all guidance counsellors working with adult clients. From the Latin - vocatio: a calling or vocare: to call, vocation evokes a special urge, inclination or predisposition to a particular calling or career. To really listen to 'the calling' is not always straightforward. Life may pull us between 'the calling' and our needs, which may be represented by the mix of personal aspiration and harsh reality. There is the dialectic between inner world longing and outer world demands. Personal survival may hinge on the demands of the outer world. Personal aspiration and fulfilment may lead us towards self-actualisation. The relationship between both of these forces may emphasise different needs and roles for the person.The behaviour of an individual is usually determined by his/her strongest need at a moment in time. Meeting that need requires motivation and such motivation may depend on elements of competence and confidence. Each person considers how much of themselves they are prepared to invest in the world. This too is influenced by what the world may want of that person and if the person is willing to meet the needs of the world. This concept might be summed up as 'an investment of self in the world'. How may I be fulfilled in making a contribution and also reveal my gifts and talents?The skilled guidance counsellor has the capacity to evoke competence regardless of how little the client is prepared to share initially. If the client describes a world of pure survival, then highlighting that capacity to survive may be valuable.