About

I am a Lecturer in Career Development at the International Centre for Guidance Studies (iCeGS), University of Derby. Prior to joining iCeGS, I worked for over twenty years as a career practitioner in Scotland and England, across a range of contexts including schools, further education colleges, adult guidance services and higher education.

During my time as a university-based careers consultant, I developed a strong professional and research interest in supporting marginalised students, particularly those who are disabled and neurodivergent. My work is underpinned by a commitment to social justice and to exploring how career guidance can be used to address structural inequalities in education and employment.

Teaching responsibilities

I teach on the MA Career Guidance and deliver a wide range of careers‑related training, including programmes for Careers Leaders. I am currently involved in the development and authorship of two new programmes: the PG Certificate in Career Guidance and the postgraduate CPD programme in Careers Leadership.

Professional interests

I am involved in supporting the work of the Disabled Student Commitment at a national level and chair the Transitions to Employment sub‑group, which works with national organisations and higher education institutions to improve employment outcomes for disabled students and graduates. In recognition of my work in this area, I was shortlisted for the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100.

In addition, I serve as Director and Board Member for the Graduate Futures Institute, and currently lead the Research and Knowledge Community of Practice, seeking to support career professionals to engage in research to enhance practice and strengthen the evidence base and profile of the sector.

Research interests

My PhD research used a participatory action research approach to examine how autistic students can be better supported to prepare for the workplace. Through this research, I developed a co‑creation model designed to enhance careers provision, which has since been adopted at both local and national levels.

My research interests focus on careers practice, inclusion and social justice, with a particular emphasis on participatory research methodologies as a means of transforming understanding, practice and the contexts in which career development is situated. I am especially interested in examining how careers guidance and employment practices can be re‑designed to address structural disadvantage experienced by autistic, neurodivergent and disabled people, as well as other marginalised groups.

Membership of professional bodies

• Director and Board Member of the Graduate Futures Institute
• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Member of NICEC
• Member of the Career Development Institute

Qualifications

I am due to complete my PhD this year, which is based at the University of Birmingham and has explored the use of participatory action research to develop inclusive careers provision for autistic students.

• MA Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Keele University
• MSc Career Guidance, Edinburgh Napier University
• Postgraduate Diploma in Careers Guidance, Strathclyde University
• BSc Applied and Environmental Geology, University of Birmingham

Recent publications

Peer-reviewed Articles

• Coney, K. & Fitzpatrick, J. (2025). Taking a Freirean approach: applying transformative pedagogy to create inclusive careers provision. Journal of the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling, 55(1), 11-26. 
• Coney, K. (2023). Autistic students as partners in the design of tailored employability provision. The Journal of Teaching & Learning for Graduate Employability.
• Coney, K. (2021). What should be done to ensure autistic graduates succeed in the workplace? Journal of Inclusive Practice in Further and Higher Education. 13:1 pp. 106-126.
• Coney, K. & Simkins, B. (2019). Enhancing CV feedback: providing feedback to students and graduates using screencasting technology. Journal of the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling. 43:1, pp. 33-40.

Book Chapter

• Coney, K. (2022). Supporting the Employability of Neurodivergent Graduates. In Broadley, T., Cai, Y., Firth, M., Hunt, E. & Neugebauer, J. (Eds). The SAGE Handbook on Graduate Employability. London: SAGE. 285-301.