Chapter 9: Career Education and Development of Adolescents in Argentina

In this chapter, we analyze the present state of career education and career development provided to adolescents in Argentina. We first provide a brief overview of the national education policies and the structure of the educational system in Argentina, focusing on the five areas of academic specialization available: (1) production of goods and services; (2) economics and organizational management; (3) humanities and social sciences; (4) natural sciences; and (5) art, design, and communication. We focus also on vocational education, which complements the academic areas and provides human capital to the labor force. We also describe the processes through which the National System of Evaluation evaluates the quality of education provided in the country. We analyze the political aims of career development, the role played by professional associations, and the training provided by universities to career development specialists. We provide an overview of some of the career development surveys and systems designed in Argentina: the Professional Interests Questionnaire, the Self-Efficacy for Multiple Intelligences Inventory, and the Computerized Career Guidance System. Finally, we discuss the principal methods used in the country to assess career behavior, as well as technological resources (educational websites) used to provide adolescents with career-related information. These resources are critically analyzed in relation to international standards toward career education and development.