Forging an Identity as a Newly Qualified Worker in the Non-government Community Services Sector

Abstract

Forging a professional identity is commonly assumed to be a key objective for new graduates transitioning to work. However, the extant literature on professional identity development gives minimal consideration to the role of contemporary work conditions such as increased contract-based employment and occupational instability in carving out a work identity. These workforce trends are particularly pronounced in the non-government community services sector, where worker mobility is high and workers often occupy roles that are not profession-specific. In light of these trends, this article seeks to broaden existing understandings of professional identity development. Focus groups were conducted with 24 newly qualified workers with degree-level qualifications in social work and the human services employed in the community services sector in Queensland. The findings suggest that these workers held a variety of allegiances, which were not necessarily aligned with a profession but instead shaped by the interplay of personal, professional, and organisational factors.

形成一种职业身份一般被认为是毕业生走向工作后的一个重要目标。但目前有关职业身份形成的文献，对当前工作环境如合同工及行业不稳定等等在形成职业身份中的作用少有关注。这些就业趋势在非政府的社区服务领域尤其显著，那里的工作人员流动性很高，而且常常担任非职业性角色。据此情况，本文力图扩展对职业身份形成的理解。焦点群体包括24位新近获得社会工作以及人员服务资质、受雇于昆士兰社区服务部门的工作人员。这些工作人员有着不同的忠诚，这未必与职业相关，而是由个人、职业、组织等因素共同决定的。

Keywords:

• Community Services
• Human Service Workers
• Social Work
• Professional Identity
• Work

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Research Council [grant number LP100100418].