Exploring the value of the sociological Careership Theory in the South African TVET context

Abstract

Making a career decision is an important part of life. A plethora of theories seek to understand the way students make career decisions, most of them found in the field of psychology. The same trend is evident in South Africa, where psychology continues to underpin career guidance and counselling practices. While this is useful, it is equally important to consider different theoretical approaches – for example, the sociological approach. This article is inspired by a doctoral study conducted by one of the authors, and aims to bring to light a less dominant theory that can add value to our understanding of career decision-making, especially in the public Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college sector. The main argument of the article is that whereas all theories are important and valuable, no single theory can explain all situations and individual circumstances. Each theory is guided by its perspective and covers some issues while neglecting others. Indeed, a theory that seeks to explain everything is likely to be found wanting. We therefore do not discredit any theory, but seek to add the voice of the sociological Careership Theory to existing debates and conversations about career decision-making. Our special interest is in the public TVET college sector as we have noted an almost complete absence of literature on career decision-making by TVET students. There is, however, literature that looks at why students enrol in public TVET colleges, and also their experiences there. In addition to the original conceptualisation of the Careership Theory, this article adds other conceptual tools associated with the work of Appadurai. We do so because we acknowledge that a theory cannot remain static and that, as the social world changes, so must theories if they are to accommodate new social experiences.