iCeGS Seminar Series

Contemporary Career Trajectories and Workforce Challenges in Switzerland

Wednesday 9th April, at Kedleston Road Campus 12:30 - 15:00

The iCeGS Seminar Series continues with a session featuring researchers from the University of Lausanne's Research Centre in Vocational Psychology and Career Counselling. Join us for an engaging discussion to examine career trajectories in Switzerland, uncovering structural inequalities, school-to-work transitions, and precarious work while exploring interventions shaped by international research.

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Contemporary trajectories in Switzerland: A mixed observation
Koorosh Massoudi, Associate Professor at UNIL,  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9307-1294

The observation of educational and professional trajectories in Switzerland leads to contrasting findings. On the one hand, the strong labour market, supported by a prosperous economy and a sophisticated public education system, promises stable and well-paid jobs for a highly qualified workforce. On the other hand, studies show high levels of structural inequalities and significant achievement gaps, which expose vulnerable groups to limited education opportunities, insecure employment or precarious working conditions. Drawing on recent theoretical frameworks and empirical data, this presentation will question the underlying processes of this mixed observation.

Practitioners' perceptions and strategies to address marginalized youth's challenges in School-to-work transition: an international study in Brazil and Switzerland
By Milena Sampaio Greve, PhD candidate at UNIL, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1379-0393

Milena's presentation will focus on the first study of a PhD project aimed at developing an intervention tailored for marginalized youth facing a hindered school-to-work transition. Conducting focus groups with practitioners working with youth in NEET status in two contrasting socioeconomic contexts, we investigated practitioners' perceptions regarding their beneficiaries' challenges and vulnerability factors and their strategies to support them. The similarities and differences between the results in Brazil and Switzerland will be presented, and implications for practice and research will be discussed.

Is Dignity at Work Attainable for Precarious Workers? Studying the Adversities and Strategies of Paid Domestic Cleaning Workers in Switzerland
By André Borges, PhD candidate at UNIL,  https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2398-9467

This presentation will first provide a short overview of a doctoral project that is interested in the experiences and trajectories of paid domestic cleaning workers (PDC) in Switzerland. Then, a focus on an ongoing qualitative study investigating the strategies deployed by PDC workers to overcome adversities and secure better working conditions will be presented. Alongside research outputs, the presentation will detail solutions and initiatives proposed by participants to improve the paid domestic sector in Switzerland.

Information about the presenters

Koorosh Massoudi is an associate professor of vocational psychology and a licensed career counselor. His research focuses on contemporary career trajectories by questioning their relative stability, investigating critical transitions that characterize them, or exploring the structural inequalities and marginalization processes that may hinder them. He is active in training career counselors in Switzerland and collaborates with practitioners and public institutions in an effort to implement evidence-based practices and initiate practice-oriented research.

A holder of a master’s degree in psychology from the University of São Paulo – Brazil and a career counselor with more than ten years of experience in Brazil, she has been developing her PhD in career counseling at the University of Lausanne - Switzerland since 2023. Fostering a constant articulation between research and practice and comprehending contextual barriers and resources to career trajectories develop research about career interventions for marginalized youth in school-to-work transition in contrasting countries. Interested in research on decent work, decent education, Psychology of Working Theory, critical consciousness, and career counseling interventions.

After studying political science and psychology, André Borges obtained a master’s degree in counseling psychology at the University of Lausanne. Through his training and practice, he had the opportunity to work as a career counselor for young and adult clients. His doctoral project studies the work experiences and trajectories of paid domestic cleaning workers in Switzerland. He is involved in several research projects and associative efforts regarding issues such as challenging school-to-work transitions, precarious work, involuntary career changes, and more generally, vulnerable careers. These experiences – both in research and practice – have contributed to developing sensitivity and interest for marginalized groups who may face obstacles in accessing training and decent working conditions.

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