An exploratory study on fulfilling information needs of vocational training

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to propose a framework on career information management and guidance system for supporting career decision making of individuals through providing relevant career information and recommending suitable training courses based on ones’ personal particulars. Mixed research method is employed and both quantitative and qualitative surveys were conducted to collect user requirements and opinions with regard to the difficulties in locating relevant career information. Five interviews with purposefully selected training institutions in Hong Kong were conducted to explore the system requirements for career planning and guidance in particular for on-the-job training and retraining. On the other hand, 25 completed questionnaires from the workforce were collected with regard to their career information needs, as well as their perception on career information management and guidance system. The findings showed that the degrees of subject knowledge and ages of the users affect their information seeking behaviours and thus the requirements of the system. Although figures show that there might be a negative relationship between household income levels and training decisions, this relationship is not statistically significant.

Furthermore, three underlying factors affecting individuals’ career decisions had been identified. They are (i) opinions from others; (ii) personalities, affections andabilities; and (iii) career plan and resources. The four factors influencing trainingdecisions are: (i) information perceived; (ii) physical constraints; (iii) affections; and (iv) resources. Based on the survey results, a framework of Career Information Management and Guidance System (CIMGS) backboned with Information Feeding (IF) model was proposed. The findings of this study will provide an insight to researchers on the application of information and communication technology such as social media tools and vocational guidance services on an internet-based self-administered career information management and guidance system.