Oregon's contribution to career information delivery, 1972?1987

Abstract

For generations, families and institutions have been helping young people understand enough about themselves and about work to make career choices which all hope will be satisfying and productive. Theorists from Frank Parsons (1909) to Eli Ginzberg (1984), Donald Super (1984, and John Krumbottz (Mitchell and Krumboltz, 1984) have characterized career development as a decision process. Career development takes its form in an evolving pattern of perceptions and decisions that link the individual with relevant opportunities. Theorists, counseling practitioners, and clients all identify information about career opportunities as one of the essential ingredients of sound career decisions.Efforts to make comprehensive occupational and educational information accessible to individuals are fairly recent, however. The College Board's first edition of t h e College Handbook is dated 1941, and the U.S. Department of Labor did not publish the first Occupational Outlook Handbook until 1949.By the early 1970's, the nation faced shortages of skilled labor and a surplus of young workers, coupled with racial and other societal inequities. Both individuals and helping institutions, including new employment and training programs and expanding community colleges, had serious needs for localized career information. However, the resources for producing and delivering career information were as decentralized as the institutions that needed it.