Jiva: The Promise Approach to Career and Livelihood Planning
Jiva is an initiative of The Promise Foundation that seeks to develop and promote a culturally grounded approach to career guidance and livelihood planning. It is based on the understanding that decisions about education, work and livelihood cannot be separated from the lives, cultures and communities in which people live.
Connecting Life with Career
The word Jiva refers to the living person. This is central to the Jiva approach. Rather than viewing career choice simply as a matter of matching an individual to an occupation, Jiva seeks to help people can engage meaningfully and productively with the world of work within the realities of their lives.
Free to Choose… Really?!
The modern idea of career can assume that individuals are free to choose from an expanding range of occupations and that work is primarily an expression of personal interests, abilities and aspirations.
For many, however, engagement with work is more complex. Culture, family, community, social expectations, economic circumstances and available opportunities shape how people understand work and the choices they can make.
Jiva therefore takes a broader view.
Culture and Career Choice
A distinctive feature of Jiva is its attention to culture and how cultural contexts shape people’s understanding of work and career choices. Culture influences what people value, the possibilities they perceive, the roles they consider appropriate, and what forms of work they regard as meaningful or desirable. It also shapes how knowledge and skills are transmitted and how work is organised within families and communities.
Jiva addresses the reality that career choices are not made in isolation; they are influenced by the roles people are expected, invited or enabled to undertake.
Jiva Concepts
Against a background of being culturally grounded and person-centred, Jiva is a system of career guidance built on interlocking theoretical, statistical and data-based concepts:
Jiva Values
Jiva is founded on four career development values drawn from Asian cultural traditions:
- viewing career as a lifelong, non-linear journey;
- making thoughtful choices;
- balancing personal aspirations with the wellbeing of others and the environment;
- embracing change while remaining grounded in enduring values.
Jiva Multiple Potentials Approach
Jiva recognises that every individual possesses multiple potentials, expressed through different combinations of interests and aptitudes. The Jiva framework identifies five areas of potential:
- Linguistic, Analytical-Logical, Spatial, Personal and Physical-Mechanical…
…helping individuals understand their unique potential profile and explore careers that align with their strengths and interests.
Jiva Career Discovery Path
The Jiva Career Discovery Path guides young people through four interconnected stages:
- understanding themselves, understanding the world of work, developing career alternatives, and learning to prepare for their chosen pathways.
It combines self-awareness, exploration, decision-making and practical planning to help young people make thoughtful career choices and develop skills for lifelong career development.
Blending Interest and Aptitude
A distinctive feature of the Jiva model is its concept of potential as the blend of interest and aptitude. While career guidance has traditionally emphasised either interest or aptitude, Jiva brings the two together:
- interest indicates what a person is drawn towards, while aptitude indicates what they are capable of doing.
Their interplay reveals areas of potential for development.
Jiva Approach to Psychometric Assessment
Jiva uses standardised, culturally grounded psychometric tools to deepen self-understanding and support career exploration.
- Jiva assessments examine interest and aptitude together, generating a profile of multiple potentials.
These results are interpreted within the individual’s cultural, social and personal context, supporting informed and meaningful career decisions.
Jiva and Career Beliefs
Jiva recognises that career choices are shaped not only by interests and aptitudes, but also by the beliefs people hold about work, occupations and success.
- These career beliefs are influenced by family, culture, community and social experience.
Jiva helps individuals identify, examine and critically reflect on these beliefs, enabling more informed and personally meaningful career decisions.
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Explore the Jiva Website for a detailed introduction to Jiva, its principles, approaches and resources.