Reviewing psychologists’ qualifications for career development practice in Australia

Vocational psychology and the practice of career development are important dimensions of the psychology discipline. This paper contains an overview of the Australian career development industry in light of recent trends, particularly the formalisation of professional career development practice. Given the advent of the Professional Standards for Career Development Practitioners, an audit of postgraduate degrees in organisational, developmental and educational, and counselling psychology was conducted to determine their alliance with the competencies of the Standards. The audit revealed significant areas of consistency on generic competencies, however there was a serious lack of training specific to career development. The implications of the audit results are discussed in light of the evolution of the career development industry and the threat to psychologists’ standing in this field.