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Information about the service

Developing the KUDIN tool as part of the WORKPEDA project

Kudin is a self-assessment tool for career planning, and it has been developed in the Work-integrated Pedagogy in Higher Education (WORKPEDA) spearhead project (2018–2020), funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The project aimed to promote university students’ career counselling, employment support, and equal opportunities in study and work paths by mapping the challenges in career planning and the students’ questions. The Kudin self-assessment tool is developed in collaboration with the University of Helsinki, the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Jyväskylä. The content of the tool is built by the project manager Leena Penttinen (JYU), career counselling experts Leena Itkonen (UH) and Kirsi Vallius-Leinonen (UEF) from career services, and counselling experts Nadja Marjomaa (UEF) and Janne Antikainen (UEF). The technical implementation of the service was undertaken by Druid Oy.

Theoretical background of the KUDIN tool

The tool is based on indicators for career readiness (Tomlinson, McCafferty, Fuge, Wood 2017), career adaptability (Maggiori, Rossier & Savickas 2017; Savickas & Porfeli 2012; Savickas 1997) and thoughts that hinder the decision-making process (Sampson, Peterson, Lenz, Reardon & Saunders 1996;1999; Lerkkanen 2002).

Career readiness refer to the experience, knowledge and skill capital gained at university and throughout life. These include human, social, cultural, identity and psychological capital. This capital constitutes a vast range of competences and skills, and becomes more significant in the transition from education into work.

Career adaptability refers to unique navigation skills that reveal themselves as strengths during change. Skills and strengths build on a conscious awareness of the future (concern), influencing one’s own future (control), exploring new possibilities (curiosity) and trusting in one’s possibilities (confidence). Career adaptability refers to the unique psychosocial resources and skills that assist you in coping with current and future questions, transitions and challenges involving professional change.

Career choices and decision making relate to unique experiences, attitudes and understanding in relation to decision-making processes, and the factors influencing them. Problem areas and challenges in one’s own thought process could be identified by recognising the factors relating to the decision-making process. Career choices and decision making consist of two areas: the difficulty of making a choice and difficulty in committing to a choice.

The indicators in the Kudin tool have been tested by gathering survey material in the spring of 2019 (n=636) and in the autumn of 2019 (n=1223). Based on the results from the material, the indicators were modified and developed to meet the needs of the tool’s primary target group, i.e. university students. The feedback system developed based on the indicators has been piloted in universities during the spring and autumn of 2020 in student groups and in students’ career counselling.

Why a self-assessment tool?

Career readiness is something you can learn. Self-assessment supports students in recognising their career readiness, reflecting and builing a starting point for their career planning and supporting career counselling. Self-assessment should activate the tool user’s thought process and provide opportunities to develop in various aspects. You can work on the feedback you received and the thoughts it provoked individually, in career counselling, in personal study plan (HOPS) meetings, in career groups, on specific career/expertise courses or as part of your portfolio work.