Baseline Study on Educational and Vocal Counseling

7/28/2019 Baseline Study on Educational and Vocal Counseling

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Educational &Vocational Counseling

BASELINE STUDY

European Network on YouthEmployment

10/2010
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Educational & Vocational Counseling, W.G. 2

With support from the European Union

| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational CounselingBaseline Study

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This baseline study was prepared by:

Ms Maria Angeliki Zanaki

Working Group CoordinatorConsultant, KESEA (Center for Counseling and Vocational Training)Romanou 4A, P.O. Box 1070 Nicosia, Cyprus

T: [email protected] / [email protected]

Ms Stamatiki GkogkaCoordinator of Communication and Program Development Officer,Center for Hellenic StudiesAeginis 12, 2100 Nafplio, Greece

[email protected]

Ms Vilma JankunieneUNDP Lithuania, project managerGostauto 40 a, Vilnius, Lithuania

T: [email protected]

Ms Kassandra TeliopoulouDirector of training, Institute of Training & Career Guidance

Averof 34A, Athens 14232, GreeceT: [email protected]

We would like to thank Ms Rosa Maria Hernandez Crespo for her help in

the review of the Spanish national system of guidance.

We would also like to thank the Euroguidance centre of the Slovak

Republic and the Central Office of Employment Service of Slovenia for

taking the time to respond to the questionnaire. Finally, we would like tothank all the Greek, Cypriot and Lithuanian counselors who dedicated of

their time to fill in our questionnaire.


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mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nanotest-fp7.eu/Portals/43/Images/European_flag.png&imgrefurl=http://www.nanotest-fp7.eu/&usg=__XCHJycVhoAipKW5GdAMDxfOMdHE=&h=533&w=800&sz=21&hl=el&start=1&um=1&tbnid=EoRqVgx1nAPppM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=143&prev=/images?q=european+flag&hl=el&lr=&sa=N&um=1mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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CONTENTS

1. EXECUTIVESUMMARY

.6

2. INTRODUCTION..9

2.1. DESCRIPTIONOFGENERALFRAMEWORKOFTHEBASELINESTUDY..9

2.2. THEIMPORTANCEOF EDUCATIONALAND VOCATIONALGUIDANCE: DEFINITION, CONTEXTAND

DELIVERY

.14

3. RATIONALEOFTHEBASELINESTUDY.23

4. SCOPEANDOBJECTIVESOFTHESTUDY.25

5. MAINISSUESTOBEASSESSEDINTHECURRENTSTUDY. 28

6. METHODOLOGICALAPPROACH

29

7. COMPILATIONOFINDICATORS

31


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7.1. ISSUESINYOUTHEMPLOYMENTIN EUROPE....31

7.2. CRITERIA USEDFORTHESELECTIONOFGOODPRACTICES

38

8. NATIONALMEASURESANDPOLICIES.48

8.1. CAREER GUIDANCEAND PUBLICPOLICY. 48

8.2. POLICIESAND NATIONAL SYSTEMSOF GUIDANCE: LEGALAND POLICYFRAMEWORK, DESCRIPTIONOF SERVICES

DELIVERED, AND DELIVERY

METHODS

.52

8.2.1.

GREECE

53

8.2.2

CYPRUS

.. 60

8.2.3.

LITHUANIA

..67

8.2.4.

SWEDEN

..73

8.2.5.

GERMANY80

8.2.6.

HUNGARY

91


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8.2.7.

ROMANIA

98

8.2.8.

SPAIN.105

9.QUALITATIVEANALYSIS

118

QUESTIONNAIRE

DATA

118

10. GOOD PRACTICES (APPENDIX I)..123

10.1. COMPLETED

PROJECTS

...124

10.1.1. MEVOC QUALITYMANUALFOR EDUCATIONALAND

VOCATIONAL

GUIDANCE

..124

10.1.2. INTERNETSITEOF CAREERS EUROPE, EUROGUIDANCE

CENTER, U.K130

10.1.3. CAREERGUIDANCESERVICESFOR

ENTREPRENEURSHIP135

10.1.4. ONTHE MOVE: NEXT STOP LABOUR

MARKET..138

10.1.5. CAREER

DIRECTIONS

.143

10.1.6. CAREERGUIDEFORSCHOOLS

NETWORK145


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10.1.7. BORDERLESS

GUIDANCE..14

9

10.1.8. DEVELOPMENTAND ELABORATIONOFTHE OPEN

INFORMATION, COUNSELLINGAND GUIDANCE SYSTEM(AIKOS)..151

10.1.9. EUROPEAN GUIDANCE & COUNSELING RESEARCH

FORUM153

10.2. ONGOING

PROJECTS

156

10.2.1. C-XTRA EU

PROJECT

156

10.2.2. KEYCOMPETENCIESFOR ALL (KC4ALL)

159

10.2.3.

EUROPLACEMENT

..162

11. CONCLUSIONS.165

12. RESOURCES USED (APPENDIX II).173

13. SOURCESOFINFORMATION

180


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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The foundation of the Youth Investing and Empowering strategy lies on

the fact that young people constitute one of the most vulnerable groups in

society and a precious resource in our aging society. Recognizing the

multi-level challenges that young people face in their effort to achieve

autonomy, the EUs vision is that the young make the best of their

potential. To this end, the pivotal role of work relating to youth

unemployment, school failure and social inclusion on the one hand and

improving the skills of the young while also providing leisure time on theother, is highly stressed. In this strategy, the overarching and

interconnected goals set by the European Commission are three-fold:

create more opportunities for youth in education and employment,

improve access and full participation of all young people in society, and

foster solidarity between youth and society.

The challenges that young people face are so inextricably linked that a

cross-sectoral policy approach on youth strategy involving policy makersand stakeholders at EU, national, regional and local levels is the only

effective way to achieve the Investing and Empowering the Youth vision.

EU strategy stresses the importance of Investing in Youth, by investing

greater resources to develop policy areas that affect young people in their

daily life and improve their well being, and Empowering Youth, by

promoting the potential young people have to renew the society as well as

the opportunities available to contribute to EU values and goals.

Within this framework, a Youth Employment European Network of

Partners which ensured a cooperation among Belgium (Flanders), Cyprus,

Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Spain, and Sweden, with provision for

future expansion) was set up in 2009. The aim of the Network is to

promote solutions faced by the young through developing the dynamics of


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cooperation, mobilizing authorities and Organizations, identifying and

publicizing best practices in three learning areas: Youth entrepreneurship,

Educational and vocational counseling for the young, Youth mobility.

The current baseline study refers to the Youth Education and Vocational

Counseling learning area. The scope of the current baseline study is to

provide the network with information concerning Vocational Guidance

services across Europe. Guidance and Counseling in the Member States of

the European Union is provided through a wide diversity of structures,

delivery systems and education, training, employment and unemployment

practices in private and community sectors; career guidance is embedded

in different contexts and activities may take various forms. The main

issues of concern in the current study refer to describing the current legal,

policy and delivery frameworks in vocational guidance services across 8

European countries as well as to provide a systemization of the varying

national frameworks within which guidance operates. It has also been

within the scope of this study to provide examples of good practices that

young people and guidance practitioners may benefit from.

A review of policies and national systems of guidance (whereby the legaland policy framework, services delivered and delivery methods) will be

described in the context of policies which dictate the provision of

guidance. This will involve all participating countries (Greece, Cyprus,

Lithuania) and 5 more EU countries with confirmed varying CG systems:

Sweden, Germany, Hungary, Romania and Spain.

Moreover, in order to gather information on the use of tools and

methodologies applied in CG settings, both in the employment and theeducation sectors of the participating countries, a questionnaire was

devised and distributed across guidance practitioners. Unfortunately, the

sample size was insufficient and therefore the conclusions that have been

drawn following the analysis of the results should be considered as a


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general and speculative indication of the directions to which a proper

sample size would point.

In addition, desk work was conducted in order to suggest effective

practices in Guidance aimed towards the young. Special focus was placed

in tracing practices that would be useful for students, students at risk of

dropping out, young people seeking career management and career

information advice, young people seeking to explore career opportunities

across the EU, young people seeking guidance in entrepreneurship issues,

young people with low qualifications, or at risk of unemployment.

Moreover, emphasis was placed in pinpointing practices that can be useful

for practitioners employed in CG services, be it in the employment or the

education sector; practices that incorporate a quality assurance element.

Conclusions were drawn from the study conducted in the aforementioned

areas. An emerging conclusion relates to the finding that there still seems

to be a large gap separating the theory and the practice of guidance

provision, i.e. tools, methodologies and processes employed in career

guidance services seem to stand quite apart from the policy framework

within which the former operate. Moreover, there seems to be a lack ofsystematization of the (more than) many CG tools and methodologies that

exist among the various CG structures aimed at the young.


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2. INTRODUCTION

2.1. DESCRIPTIONOFTHEGENERALFRAMEWORK

Five years following the endorsement of the Lisbon Strategy, the European

Council identified two priority areas: economic growth and promotion of

employment. To this effect, the Commission adopted an EU strategy,

Youth Investing and Empowering, referring to youth policy for the

coming decade. Recognizing the multi-level challenges that young people

face in their effort to achieve autonomy, the EUs vision is that the young

make the best of their potential.

In order to achieve this, the approach adopted was focused in two areas:

(a) Investing in Youth, by putting in place greater resources to develop

policy areas that affect young people in their daily life and improve their

well being, and (b) Empowering Youth, by promoting the potential of

young people for the renewal of society as well as for giving them the

opportunity to contribute to EU values and goals.

The foundation of the Youth Investing and Empowering strategy lies in

the facts that (a) young people constitute one of the most vulnerable

groups in society and (b) young people constitute a precious resource in

our aging society1. In this strategy, the overarching and interconnected

goals set by the European Commission are three-fold:

I. create more opportunities for youth in education and employment,

II. improve access and full participation of all young people in society,and

III. foster solidarity between youth and society2.

1 European Commission: Press Release "A new era of EU youth policies", IP/09/644on Rapid, 27 April 2009 (http://ec.europa.eu/youth/news/news1458_en.htm)2EU Strategy for Youth Investing and Empowering: A renewed open method ofcoordination to address youth challenges and opportunities, Brussels 2009(http://www.se2009.eu/polopoly_fs/1.1758!| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational Counseling

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To this end, the pivotal role of work relating to youth unemployment,

school failure and social inclusion on the one hand and improving the skills

of the young while also providing leisure time on the other, is highly

stressed.

The EU Strategy for Youth purports that an integrated cooperation

framework is mandatory3. Indeed, the challenges that young people face

are so inextricably linked that a cross-sectoral policy approach on youth

strategy involving policy makers and stakeholders at EU, national, regional

and local levels is the only effective way to achieve the Investing and

Empowering the Youth vision.

Within this framework, a Youth Employment European Network of

Partners which ensured a cooperation among Belgium (Flanders), Cyprus,

Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Spain, and Sweden, with provision for

future expansion) was set up in 2009. The aim of the Network is to

promote solutions faced by the young through developing the dynamics of

cooperation, mobilizing authorities and Organizations, identifying and

publicizing best practices.

The European Network on Youth Employment identifies the following

over-arching objectives:

To provide networking opportunities for pertinent national and

European bodies

To exchange information and knowledge as well as innovative

approaches regarding youth employment issues

To identify and transfer good practices with regard to youth

employment

To design and develop common products suitable for dissemination

menu/standard/file/communication_final.pdf)3 EU Strategy for Youth Investing and Empowering: A renewed open method ofcoordination to address youth challenges and opportunities, Brussels 2009| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational Counseling

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To create synergies between relevant national and European policies

To draw up proposals regarding national and European policies and

practices in the field of youth employment. Such proposals may be

capitalized in the framework of OPs Interim evaluation Reports and

their potential Revisions

Moreover, the European Network on Youth Employment purports that

the short term vision is the development of a common perspective

between the members of the network. This short term vision would allow:

-The collection and comparative evaluation of best products and practices

developed in the framework of the community initiatives and of the OPs ofthe current programming period for the following learning areas:

a. Youth entrepreneurship,

b. Educational and vocational counseling for the young

c. Youth mobility

-The development of a Common Reference Framework for the

employment policies of the young, which will determine:

common specifications among good products and practices in

the above learning areas

proper conditions that allow the effective implementation as

well as the creative transition of good products and practices

in the above learning areas among EU member states.

Moreover, the long-term vision of the network is the dissemination of tools

that will be developed and evaluated, both within member states of the

network as well as in other member states which might want to be

interconnected, so the results and products of the network will comprise

an input in the review procedures of Operational Programs of ESF.


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The three learning areas fall under the policy priorities of the EU for the

promotion of full youth participation in education and employment. At the

same time, an important element of the network viewpoint is the EQF as a

powerful liaison point for these learning areas. This liaison is validated on

the basis that the development and implementation of EQF4:

Constitutes an indispensable condition for the enhancement of

young students and employees mobility, by safeguarding the

validation of knowledge obtained through either formal or informal

learning paths

Is interconnected with the development and usage of a framework

of common principles and tools of educational and vocational

counseling, relating to the objective of detecting learning gaps and

recommending pertinent guidance on the base of compatible

vocational profiles and equivalent training modules. The above can

also be related to the objective of high qualified young people who

do not find a job connected to their study and the emergence of the

need to proceed in counseling before choosing the domain of their

studies.

Serves the development of youth entrepreneurship in the EU,

mainly through the determination of common operations that will

be impressed upon in an agreed profile, which in turn will be

achieved through the combined use of personal and group

counseling and training tools.

The connection of the three learning areas within the EQF adds cohesion

to the operational framework and each project of the proposed network

while it also underlines that the learning areas are developed and

connected to the specifications, philosophy and the broader objectives of

EQF.

4 European Commission (2008) The European Qualifications Framework forLifelong Learning EQF, Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of theEuropean Communities| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational Counseling

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Consequently, the operation, products and objectives of the network

correspond and contribute to the development of a transversal youth

strategy, building on cooperation between policy makers and stakeholders

at European, national, regional and local levels, to the extent that they are

developed in the common base of EQF.

The projects of the network that will be developed in the three learning

areas aim to support youth transition from school, university or long-term

unemployment to the labor market and employment.

Insofar as the operation and structure of the network are concerned, three

working groups were devised, whereby each working group is assigned to

each the aforementioned learning areas. Three baseline studies are

among the initial outputs of the network, each corresponding to the

thematic areas of concern, i.e. Youth Entrepreneurship, Youth Education

and Vocational Counseling, and Youth Mobility.

The current baseline study refers to the Youth Education and Vocational

Counseling learning area.


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2.2. THEIMPORTANCEOF EDUCATIONALAND VOCATIONALGUIDANCE: DEFINITION, AIM, CONTEXTAND DELIVERY

Defining Guidance

The terms counseling, vocational/ educational counseling, career

guidance, guidance have been used interchangeably in one too many

research papers. Indeed, in an attempt to define guidance, one should

take into consideration not only the varying activities that are

encompassed in the term (and the process of guidance), but also thevarying roles that different countries assign to the people whose

occupation is to deliver guidance services5.

In a rather simple yet all encompassing definition adopted by Sultana

(2004), guidance is a multidimensional activity established in different

contexts with varying meanings to different practitioners. Career

Guidance, based on the needs, interests and abilities of each person, is

primarily designed to assist individuals in shaping and managing their

careers throughout their lives. Various definitions of guidance exist6;

however, a common denominator can be extracted insofar as the

pedagogical nature of the services provided is concerned. To this effect, it

is considered that the services provided within the context of guidance

form an integral part of Life Long Learning (LLL).

According to the definition adopted in the OECD Career Guidance Policy

Review, Vocational Guidance refers to services intended to assist people,5 For example, guidance counsellors (e.g. Flemish speaking Belgium, France,Greece, Iceland and Ireland, to guidance counsellors (eg. Flemish speakingBelgium, France, Greece, Iceland and Ireland), career education officers (Iceland),study counselors (Finland), career path counselors and school godmothers (CzechRepublic), guidance teachers (Malta) (for a review see: A Career Guidance Policyand Strategy for Compulsory Schooling in Malta, Ministry of Education, Youth andEmployment 2007.6 For a review, see section 2 of Guidance Policies in the Knowledge Society,CEDEFOP 2003.| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational Counseling

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of any age and at any point throughout their lives, to make educational,

training and occupational choices and to manage their careers (OECD,

2004, p.19)7. The same definition was used in a review by the World Bank,

the only difference being that instead of vocational guidance the preferred

term was career development8.

Since the Lisbon Council and the Commissions Memorandum on LLL there

is widespread consensus that high quality guidance provision throughout

life is a key component of education, training and employability strategies

to attain the strategic goal of Europe becoming the worlds most dynamic

knowledge based society

by 20109. Guidance has a vital role to play in maintaining a highly

qualified and economically viable society. It also holds an important role

in supporting sustainable economic growth and social stability.

Over the years, cooperation at European level within education and

training has come to play a significant role in creating the future European

society. Indeed, economic and social developments in Europe over the

last decade have increasingly underlined the need for a European

dimension to education, training and counselling. Moreover, the

enlargement of European Union has added a new dimension and a number

of challenges, opportunities and requirements in the field of education,

training and counselling. The successive development of the European

education and training programmes has been a key factor for improving

cooperation at European level.

Aims & Context of Guidance

7 OECD (2004), Career Guidance and Public Policy: Bridging the Gap, OECD, Paris.8 Watts, A.G. and Fretwell, D. (2004), Public Policies for Career Development: CaseStudies and Emerging Issues for Designing Career Information and GuidanceSystems in Developing and Transition Economies, World Bank, Washington, DC.9 Commission of the European Communities:A Memorandum of Life LongLearning, Brussels, 2000.| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational Counseling

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Educational and vocational guidance is addressed to those who have not

yet entered the labour force, to job seekers, and to those who are

employed. The combined knowledge and understanding of the self on the

one hand, and the labor/ education market on the other, offers people a

way to make educational and vocational choices that will allow them to

utilize their maximum potential in the fittest environment10.

Career guidance enables individuals to use their acquired skills and

knowledge in order to make the best possible decisions about work and

learning. The process can be delivered by trained individuals employed in

the education or employment sector, or it can be obtained on its own.

This involves the use of counseling sessions/ interviews, group interviews,

printed literature, career management learning, assessment tools, and themuch discussed ICT-based information and tools11.

The aims of Guidance and Counselling in the context of LLL can besummarized as follows:

Guidance helps to build confidence and to empower individuals aswell as making people aware of new career possibilities, includingcivic, leisure, learning and work opportunities and promotes thebalance of life and work;

It promotes employability and adaptability by assisting people tomake career decisions both on entering the labour market and onmoving within it.

Guidance aims to:

enable citizens to manage and plan their learning and workpathways in accordance with their life goals;

10For theories of Counseling and its effectiveness, see in Athanasou, James A.;Esbroeck, R. van (Eds.): in International Handbook of Career Guidance, Springer,2008.

11 For a review see James F. Malone, Randy M. Miller & Garry R Walz: DistanceCounseling: Expanding the Counselors Reach and Impact, American CounselingAssociation, 2007| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational Counseling

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assist educational and training institutions to have well motivatedpupils, students and trainees who take responsibility for their ownlearning and set their own goals for achievement;

assist enterprises and organisations to have well motivated,

employable and adaptable staff, capable of accessing andbenefiting from learning opportunities both within and outside theworkplace;

provide policymakers with an important means to achieve a widerange of public policy goals;

support local, regional, national and European economies throughworkforce development and adaptation to changing economicdemands and social circumstances;

assist in the development of societies, in which citizens activelycontribute to their social and democratic development.

In this context, Guidance and Counselling can help to:

achieve a better match between skills, interests and qualificationson the one hand and available job opportunities on the other;

help to improve the allocation of labour across regions, industriesand occupations in the face of labour supply and demandfluctuations resulting from technological and structural change;

make a key difference between the successful and unsuccessfulimplementation of active labour market programmes.

Guidance and Counselling in the Member States of the European Union is

provided through a wide diversity of structures, delivery systems and

education, training, employment and unemployment practices in private

and community sectors12. Career guidance is embedded in different

contexts such as in schools, universities, training institutions, public

employment services and workplaces. Activities may take various forms,

individual or group based, face-to-face or at a distance. The process of

guidance can be complemented with career education, which may tackle

issues such as self awareness in relation to others and employment, the12This diversity has been collected in the Cedefop report on Guidance Policies inthe Knowledge Society: trends, challenges and responses across Europe, 2004.| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational Counseling

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exploration of job opportunities, the development of career decision-

making, and the application of knowledge and skills.

The Standing Conference of Associations for Guidance in Educational

Settings13 identified the following activities of guidance:

- Informing- Advising- Assessing- Teaching- Enabling- Advocating- Networking- Feeding back- Managing- Innovation/Systems change

Moreover, 4 further activities have been added to the list14

- Signposting- Mentoring- Sampling work experience or learning tasters- Following up

Delivery of Guidance Services

Due to its increasing significance, career guidance is higher on the

public policy agenda than ever before. During the past years, three

influential international organizations have commissioned policy reviews in

this area.

Namely, The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

(OECD), based in Paris, conducted a Career Guidance Policy Review that

involved 14 countries (OECD, 2004). The World Bank then decided to use

an adapted form of the OECD process to conduct a parallel review in 7

13 UK, 199214Peter Plant: Quality in Careers Guidance. A paper prepared for an OECD reviewof policies for information, guidance and counseling services Commissioned jointlyby the European Commission and the OECD, 2001.


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II. That career education and guidance in schools across various

countries may not be properly differentiated from the broader

process of guidance. Indeed, in many countries guidancecounselors are found to adopt a holistic role whereby educational,

vocational, social and personal guidance is provided; in such

systems, the reviews found consistent evidence that career

guidance in schools tended to be marginalized in two respects:

First, that guidance counselors became more occupied with the

personal and behavioral problems of a minority of pupils rather than

with the majority of pupils in relation to their educational and

vocational choices; second, guidance on such choices tended to

focus mainly on educational decisions viewed as ends in themselves

rather than on their vocational implications and on longer term

career planning. These findings raised the question of whether the

career guidance role might be split off, both to protect its resources

and to address its distinctive competence requirements.

III. That the provision of an employment form of career guidance,

coming from outside the school and offering services linked with the

labor market, can prove very effective in the kind of guidance

services it offers. The reviews state the examples of the United

Kingdom and Germany for further references.

IV. That a growing policy concern is around young people at-risk; low-

qualified, drifters in and out of unemployment, dropouts form formal

education. The reports suggest that effective ways of helping these

youngsters can be met in services that adopt a personalized

approach that can provide for their educational, vocational, social

and personal guidance needs.


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V. That the provision of career guidance services in tertiary education

does not seem to suffice, at least in most countries. The transition

from university/ college to the labor market constitutes a difficultprocess, especially when takes into account the changing labor

market needs and trends17.

VI. That there is a need for improved provision of career guidance

services in the workplace. Despite the fact that such services may

be affected by the interests of employers/ organizations, the fact

remains that such services make up a very significant part of LLL.

VII. That PES (Public Employment Services) across countries should

incorporate the LLL element in their services with greater intensity.

The resources currently aimed towards helping the unemployed (as

is the case in most PES) should integrate life-long learning

strategies and lifelong access to career guidance. As such, PEScareer guidance services could incorporate the element of career

guidance services in the workplace, thus helping people respond to

change and sustain their employability effectively.

VIII. That career guidance can have a very significant role to play in

adult education. It can assist people in realizing the depth and

quality of their acquired skills, while at the same time enabling

them to identify and explore new opportunities that may come their

way, having a deep understanding of their own (transferable)

competencies.

17See: A report by the Expert Group on New Skills for New Jobs prepared for theEuropean Commission:New Skills for New Jobs: Action Now, February 2010| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational Counseling

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IX. That provision of career guidance services in senior citizens seems

to be inadequate in most countries. It would seem that provision of

such services can contribute to the well-being of individuals who aredealing with retirement issues, as well as to the general

improvement of the social care system18.

X. That valid and reliable career information is essential for good-

quality career guidance services and good-quality career decision

making. The quality of career information publications should be

ensured and checked by governmental organizations.

XI. That web based services, help-lines, distance counseling methods

altogether, have much to offer in the provision of career guidance

and counseling. As such, it would seem that a trend of

incorporating access to such services with the personal, face-to-face

interviews, in a creative yet widely applicable manner would provevery effective.

XII. That the actual facilities whereby guidance services are provided

need to be redesigned in most of the countries so as to incorporate

the ITC resources that have increasingly become a large part of the

guidance services. The facilities need to be open access, with clear

signposting and employees who will help clients operate on the ICT

(if such help is needed), while counselors should be available both

for brief support and for long interviews.

18 For analytical discussion, see Pamela Clayton: Third-age Guidance: researchinto guidance needs and methodologies. IAEVG International Conference: Careersin Context: new challenges and tasks for guidance and counseling, September2005.| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational Counseling

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XIII. That an issue of whether career guidance services should be

designed on an all-age or age-specific basis has been raised. To

that extent, while all-age services may be more cost-effective, age-specific services tend to be more focused on the distinctive needs

of the age group in question.


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3. RATIONALEOFTHEBASELINESTUDY

The aim of the current study, expressed in the vision of the European

Network on Youth Employment, is to describe and assess effective career

guidance tools applied in the youth target group.

The process of assessing the effectiveness of career guidance tools/

activities is by itself problematic, whereby a number of intertwined

difficulties arise. As Hughes et al (2002) point, the outcomes of career

guidance activities are beset by a recurring set of issues:

One can identify a wide range of factors influencing individual

career choice and decision-making, and/or which can impact on

outcomes;

Career guidance does not seem to constitute a discrete process;

rather, it is embedded in other contexts

The nature of career guidance, the depth of work applied in varyingcontexts and the target groups vary considerably, thus making it

very difficult to compare evidence from different studies

An agreed set of outcome measures for career guidance or common

methods for gathering data does not seem to exist so as to provide

researchers and academics with a common framework

Apart from the problems arising when one tries to assess the effectivenessof guidance tools, a set of additional difficulties inherent in the area of

guidance should also be taken into account. As Maguire and Killeen

(2003) point, these difficulties refer to fundamental definitional problems

which arise when attempting to describe:

What guidance is and what it is intended to do;


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In order to deal with for some of the aforementioned difficulties, in the

current baseline study:

To control for the definitional problems, the terms career guidance,

career counseling, educational guidance, vocational guidance havebeen used interchangeably and all refer to the LLL encompassing

definition applied by OECD (2004);

To control for the vast range of activities that are included in the

Guidance Activities umbrella, guidance services which are publicly

available have only been taken into account;

4. SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The specific learning objective in the learning area of the educational and

vocational counseling of the young is the emergence and dissemination of

best practices concerning the adaptation of counseling tools.

It has already been pointed out that the area of vocational guidance

encompasses a very wide array of issues and activities. To this effect, in

order to specify the scope and objectives of the current study, we have

narrowed our search according to the criteria mentioned below:

1) That the findings of the current study may prove fruitful for the target

group concerned, i.e. the young. To become more specific:


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aims of our study involves describing the legal and policy

frameworks of several European countries.

4) That our findings may serve the long-term aims of the Network, to the

extent that is possible. Since all the areas of concern of the Europeannetwork are interconnected, it was within the scope of this study to be

able to provide some good practices that may touch upon the areas of

youth mobility and youth entrepreneurship.

The European Commission aims to highlight the awareness of

entrepreneurship as a dynamic and social process where students

may identify possibilities and develop ideas which they use to

create practical activities either in social, cultural or economiccontexts. Taking into consideration this policy, another aim is to

identify practices that facilitate entrepreneurship as well as close

contact with local companies as a means for guidance and

counseling, and practices that help students develop

entrepreneurial skills.


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5.MAINISSUESTOBEASSESSEDINTHECURRENTSTUDY

The main issues of concern in the current study refer to:

Describing the current legal, policy and delivery frameworks in

vocational guidance services across 8 European countries

Mapping the various vocational guidance services that can be

accessed by young people in the participating countries

Gathering the opinions of experts on the effectiveness of the

vocational guidance tools applied in their field of expertise

Suggesting good practices in various areas of vocational guidance

services aimed towards young people


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systems, an issue which has been the center of attention in various

guidance papers19.

(c)Case Studies

A description of good practices in guidance will be provided. This refers todocumentation and analysis of selected projects which are considered to

correspond to the scope and objectives of the present baseline study.

19 A copy of the questionnaire that was devised and distributed in the current

study is provided in Appendix II.


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recommendations encouraged world leaders to develop national action

plans aiming to reduce unemployment rates and create more jobs, while

integrating critical and self-critical reviews of past national policies into

these plans. It is important to note that the recommendations presented

youth as an asset rather than a problem; noting that during the course of

the next 10 years 1.2 billion young people would be part of the working-

age population, and that this would involve the best educated and trained

generation of young people ever, with tremendous potential for economic

and social development. Youth therefore was clearly depicted as the

creative force of the future, one that should become actively involved in

the shaping of policies: Young people want to be accepted as partners

for development, helping to chart a common course and shaping the

future for everyone.30

The role of young people in Europe and youth employment and

qualifications are high on the European agenda and the agendas of

national governments. At European level, the importance of taking young

people into consideration has been greatly emphasized. In March 2005,

the Commission published a communication (COM (2005) 206 final) on

European policies concerning youth, stating that the destiny of Europe

increasingly depends on its ability to foster societies that are child and

youth-friendly31. EU places high emphasis in its policy frameworks in

order to overcome youth problems. Currently, there are 2 important

documents guiding youth policy: The White book approved by European

Commission in 2001 and The European Youth Pact approved in 2005 as

part of the updated Lisbon strategy (Vieojo sektoriaus inovacijos). Youth

participation in labor market is mentioned as an issue of concern in these

documents. The policies developed by the national governments may

vary depending on the national laws and legislations. They may include32:

Improving youth career counseling;

30See a summary of the Panels main recommendations athttp://www.ilo.org/public/ english/employment/strat/cerp/yen.htm.31 See http://ec.europa.eu/youth/whitepaper/post-launch/com_206_en.pdf32 For analytical overview, see European Foundation for the Improvement of Livingand Working Conditions: Youth and Work, 2007.| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational Counseling

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Provision of guidance and information to ensure that knowledge

matches the needs of a knowledge-based economy;

Improving the apprenticeship system and increasing access of

youth to training;

Upgrading the role of the Public Employment Services;

Wage subsidies for employers;

Special programs for improving the situation of the most vulnerable

young people;

Measures encouraging employers and businesses to display social

responsibility for the vocational integration of young people;

Measures promoting the emergence of young entrepreneurs;

Measures addressing the problem of drop-outs from the school

system.

Career guidance is a core component in all these policies and measures.

It constitutes the major mediator between the individual, their

employment and training opportunities. The challenge that vocational and

education guidance has to respond to is to provide young people with the

necessary information, guidance and skills to manage effectively theircareer and cope effectively with the changing labor market. Europe, in

order to provide job opportunities for all and create a more competitive

and sustainable economy, needs a highly skilled workforce able to meet

current and future challenges. To ensure this, efforts are targeted towards

investing in the right skills and improving matching of jobs with these

skills in the EU, by effectively anticipating future trends. As Juan Somavia,

ILO Director-General stated: Creating jobs for youth is not enough. Across

the planet, youth are not only finding it difficult if not impossible to find

jobs, but are finding it even more difficult to find decent jobs. What young

people need today is not only a job, but a job that enables them to make

contributions as workers, citizens and agents of change. This is the

challenge we face.


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In recognition of the potential positive effect of guidance, the European

Ministers of Education, signed a resolution in 2008, which highlighted the

positive impact of career guidance on the functioning and efficiency of the

educational system, the labor market and on active citizenship and social

inclusion. Furthermore, the crucial role of Guidance Counselors has been

highlighted in a recent Report of the Expert Group on New Skills for New

Jobs33, stating that a key action in the European Commission is to:

Prioritize guidance and counseling services and motivational support for

individuals improve the quality of these services and ensure that they

tackle stereotypes. Publicize in a visible and comparable format on the

web the opportunities and offers, as well as the prices and returns, of

public and private education and training courses, so that individuals can

make informed choices. Further develop in Public Employment Services

profiling systems including internet and skill-based matching tools such as

the EU tool Match and Map.

Policy-making on guidance issues has received a great deal of attention

during the past years34. The current trend in most European countries

revolves around trying to improve coordination and coherence in policies

and systems for guidance provision; the aim is to provide a guideline sothe various services responsible for guidance delivery can present

themselves to individual citizens over their lifetimes as a seamless and

coherent system, rather than a series of fragmented entities35. Such

development stems from recognition by governments and the European

Commission that lifelong learning is a key factor for employability, and

that lifelong guidance provision is a key component of national lifelong

learning strategies. Formation of national forums and similar policy

coordination mechanisms is an important feature of these efforts, bringingtogether actors and stakeholders in guidance on shared platforms.

33New Skills for New Jobs: Action Now A report by the Expert Group on New Skillsfor New Jobs prepared for the European Commission, February 2010,h ttp://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=568&langId=en34 For a review of the relevant information, please refer to section 8.1.35Cedefop Panorama series; 153: Establishing and developing national lifelongguidance policy forums: A manual for policy-makers and stakeholders,Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2008.| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational Counseling

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http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=568&langId=enhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nanotest-fp7.eu/Portals/43/Images/European_flag.png&imgrefurl=http://www.nanotest-fp7.eu/&usg=__XCHJycVhoAipKW5GdAMDxfOMdHE=&h=533&w=800&sz=21&hl=el&start=1&um=1&tbnid=EoRqVgx1nAPppM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=143&prev=/images?q=european+flag&hl=el&lr=&sa=N&um=1http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=568&langId=en


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CEDEFOP has recently published a report describing the current situation

in Member States and the prospects for implementing a real system

change in local, regional, national and European guidance policy

coordination mechanisms. This is an attempt to capitalize on the

experience of existing structures to offer inspiration and practical advice

for new or emerging structures and provide common learning material for

these structures; It is addressed to all policy-makers and stakeholders

already involved in such structures, or interested in developing new

ones36.

36 Seehttp://www.cedefop.europa.eu/etv/Upload/Information_resources/Bookshop/508/5188_en.pdf


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http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/etv/Upload/Information_resources/Bookshop/508/5188_en.pdfhttp://www.cedefop.europa.eu/etv/Upload/Information_resources/Bookshop/508/5188_en.pdfhttp://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nanotest-fp7.eu/Portals/43/Images/European_flag.png&imgrefurl=http://www.nanotest-fp7.eu/&usg=__XCHJycVhoAipKW5GdAMDxfOMdHE=&h=533&w=800&sz=21&hl=el&start=1&um=1&tbnid=EoRqVgx1nAPppM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=143&prev=/images?q=european+flag&hl=el&lr=&sa=N&um=1http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/etv/Upload/Information_resources/Bookshop/508/5188_en.pdfhttp://www.cedefop.europa.eu/etv/Upload/Information_resources/Bookshop/508/5188_en.pdf


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5.

Effectiveness

It is important that thepractice is designedtaking intoconsideration theexpected results(preferablyquantitative results)

The practice has clearoutcomes or results andfulfills the criteria andobjectives that are clearlydefined at its rationale

6.

Transferabil

ity

Conditions changeover time and fromcountry to country; itis important that thepractice can be easilytransferred to differentconditions.

The practice can be easilytransferred to differenttarget groups, countries,organizations, contexts,professionals, etc.

7.

Accessibility

According to theCouncil Resolution onLifelong GuidanceEuropean citizensshould have access toguidance services atall life stages, with

particular attentionbeing paid toindividuals and groupsat risk.

The practice proposedincreases the proximityand familiarity of careerguidance services to theend-users

8.

Sustainabilit

y

It is important toensure the existenceof sufficientpossibilities that thepractice suggested willbe adopted byappropriateorganizations

There are increasedchances that the practicewill be adopted and usedby stakeholders orcompetent organizations


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Criteria selected from Principles of GuidanceProvision as stated by OECD

In the process of reviewing good practices and setting the criteria upon

which to base our selections, the following principles, suggested in OECDs

(2004) Career Guidance: A Handbook for Policy Makers (pp.68-69) were

taken into account40:

Centrality of the beneficiary

- Independence the guidance provided respects the freedom of

the career choice and personal development of the citizen /user;

- Impartiality the guidance provided is in accordance with the

citizens interests only, is not influenced by provider, institutional

and funding interests, and does not discriminate on the basis of

gender, age, ethnicity, social class, qualifications, ability etc;

- Confidentiality citizens have a right to the privacy of personal

information they provide in the guidance process;

- Equal opportunities the guidance provided promotes equal

opportunities in learning and work for all citizens;- Holistic approach the personal, social, cultural and economic

context of a citizens decision-making is valued in the guidance

provided.

Enabling citizens

- Active involvement guidance is a collaborative activity between

the citizen and the provider and other significant actors (e.g.

learning providers, enterprises, family members, community

interests) and builds on the active involvement of the citizen;

- Empowerment the guidance provided assists citizens to become

competent at planning and managing their learning and career

paths and the transitions therein.

40Some overlapping in the terminology with the previous table has purposely beenmaintained in order to stress the importance of the particular criteria.| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational Counseling

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Improving access

- Transparency the nature of the guidance service(s) provided is

immediately apparent to the citizen;

- Friendliness and empathy guidance staff provide a welcoming

atmosphere for the citizens;

- Continuity the guidance provided supports citizens through the

range of learning, work, societal and personal transitions they

undertake and/or encounter;

- Availability all citizens have a right to access guidanceservices4at any point in their lives;

- Accessibility the guidance provided is accessible in a flexible and

user friendly way such as face to face, telephone, e-mail, outreach,

and is available at times and in places that suit citizens needs;

- Responsiveness guidance is provided through a wide range of

methods to meet the diverse needs of citizens.

Assuring quality

- Appropriateness of guidance methods the guidance methods

used have a theoretical and/or scientific basis, relevant to the

purpose for which they are used;

- Continuous improvement guidance services have a culture of

continuous improvement involving regular citizen feedback and

provide opportunities for staff for continuous training;

- Right of redress citizens have an entitlement to complain

through a formal procedure if they deem the guidance they have

received to be unsatisfactory;

- Competent staff staff providing guidance have nationally

accredited competencies to identify and address the citizens

needs, and where appropriate, to refer the citizen to more suitable

provision/service.


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Criteria selected referring to Quality Standards for

Distance Guidance

The ever increasing use of distance services and resources can be both anecessity and a convenience. Web sites are a convenience for individuals

who want to access resources and receive services outside normal

business hours, or at their place of residence or work41. Moreover,

distance delivery becomes a necessity for people (young or not) who

may42:

(a) have motor disabilities;

(b) live in remote geographic areas without reasonable access to

career resources and services;

(c) require the assistance of guidance practitioners in other geographic

locations with specialized expertise, and

(d) may be reluctant to seek assistance and consider the anonymity of

the internet a safe place to start obtaining resources and services.

E-Guidance includes client use of Internet Web sites with support from a

career guidance practitioner or practitioner interaction without use of a

Web site43. Practitioners can interact with clients via e-mail, chat,

telephone, or videoconferencing. A variety of service-delivery levels can

be facilitated at a distance, including supported self-help, brief assistance,

or intensive assistance. Brief assistance can be provided to clients who

need help in locating and using resources on the Web site. Intensive

assistance can be provided by scheduled individual guidance

appointments (Sampson, 2008).

41 D. C. Locke, J. Myers, & E. L. Herr (Eds.), The handbook of counseling (pp. 613-627). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.42 Sampson, J. P., Jr. (2008). Designing and implementing career programs: Ahandbook for effective practice. Broken Arrow, OK: National Career DevelopmentAssociation.43 Watts, A. G., & Dent, G. (2007). The use of telephone helplines in careerinformation and guidance. In J. F. Malone, R. M. Miller, & G. R. Walz, (Eds.).Distance counseling: Expanding the counselors reach and impact (pp. 159-179).Ann Arbor, MI: Counseling Outfitters.


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eGOS eGovernment and eGuidance Services delivered a study on the

Ethical guidelines for e-guidance delivery and usage44. The goal of

establishing ethical principles for the design and use of ICT in career

guidance is to promote the effective provision of career resources and the

effective delivery of career services. Moreover, the intention of ethics is to

protect the welfare of clients by identifying potentially harmful computer

applications as well as identifying services making inappropriate use of

ICT.

Guidance practitioner competences are essential to the effectiveness of

ICT-based career resources and services. Achieving an appropriate level of

practitioner competency with ICT also helps to avoid potential ethical

problems resulting from guidance practitioners actions or failure to act.

Prince, Chartrand, and Silver (1999) noted that there is an ethical

responsibility for developers of Web sites to indicate when there is a

potential need for individuals to seek assistance from a counselor and how

to secure help45.

In the aforementioned review of eGos, the problems of distance guidanceare stressed and the following recommendations on how to avoid potential

ethical issues that can result in serious problems are made46:

- Web sites that provide career assessments and information should

indicate the circumstances when self-help is inappropriate and

when assistance is likely needed from a guidance practitioner;

- Guidance professionals use informed consent to indicate to clients

what persons are collecting and have access to the clients

44SeeRaimo Vuorinen &James P. Sampson.E-gos.(2009) Ethical guidelines for e-guidance delivery and usage.Project WEB site addresswww.egos-cip.eu

45 See Prince, J. P., Chartrand, J. M., & Silver, D. G. (2000). Constructing a qualitycareer assessment site.Journal of Career Assessment, 8, 55-6746 See Pages:6 1, in Prince, J. P., Chartrand, J. M., & Silver, D. G. (2000).Constructing a quality career assessment site.Journal of Career Assessment, 8,55-67| Thematic Area: Educational and Vocational Counseling

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informed that they have not yet been tested in this same mode of

delivery;

- The intended purpose, the target audience, and the potential use of

the information should be clearly identified in the introduction to

the material. The date of publication of the career information

should be clearly indicated as well as how the validity and

impartiality of the information is guaranteed;

- Evidence that the information provided is accurate and free from

distortion caused by self-serving bias, sex stereotyping, or dated

resources must be included;

- The vocabulary of the information should be appropriate to the

target group of users

Criteria selected referring to Quality Standards for

Developing Entrepreneurship Skills

In Youth and Work (2007), a publication by theEuropean Foundation for

the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, it is underlined that a

less common way to promote youth employment is through actionfavoring entrepreneurship.

Stimulating entrepreneurial mindsets among young people, encouraging

innovative business start-ups, and fostering a culture friendlier to

entrepreneurship and the growth of small and medium-sized businesses, is

directly linked with the Lisbon Strategy for growth and employment. To

this effect, the Spring European Council of March 2006 underlined the

need for a positive entrepreneurial climate overall and for framework

conditions that facilitate and encourage entrepreneurship, and invited

Member States to introduce greater measures, including entrepreneurship

education48.

48European Commission, Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General Promotionof SME Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship (Final Version November 2009) BestProcedure Project: Entrepreneurship in Vocational Education and Training Final


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In selecting good practices, the present thematic group places focus on

projects designed to encourage young people towards the development of

entrepreneurship specifically targeted to young people, particularly risk

groups such as those who have dropped out of school without

qualifications or those who have graduated from high school aged over 16

years old and remain unemployed for more than three months.

Furthermore, we will refer to projects targeted to secure the transition

from education to employment, giving young people knowledge and

experience about starting their own business, including VET programs that

aim to enhance young peoples skills and abilities.

Report of the Expert Group.


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8. NATIONALMEASURESANDPOLICIES

8.1. CAREER GUIDANCEAND PUBLIC POLICY

Public policy is crucial to career guidance work. Internationally, career

guidance is now higher on the public policy agenda than ever before.

Career guidance has become a focal point in such policy development: it is

viewed as a key element of lifelong learning policies, of active

employment policies, of social equity policies, and of strategies to attain

the Lisbon goals.

According to European Social Charter (1996 Revision) Article 9 The rightto vocational guidance: With a view to ensuring the effective exercise of

the right to vocational guidance, the Parties undertake to provide or

promote, as necessary, a service which will assist all persons, including

the handicapped, to solve problems related to occupational choice and

progress, with due regard to the individuals characteristics and their

relation to occupational opportunity: this assistance should be available

free of charge, both to young persons, including schoolchildren, and to

adults.

In most countries, policy makers clearly regard career guidance services

as being of value not only to the individuals who engage with them but to

society as a whole. Career guidance services represent not only a private

good but also a public good. It is because they are also perceived as a

public good that governments become interested in them and are

prepared to support them financially and in other ways49. Indeed, careerguidance services in most countries are paid for by governments, whether

at the national, regional, or local level.

49Organisation for Economic Co-Operation And Development The EuropeanCommission (OECD), Career Guidance and Public Policy Bridging the Gap, 2004


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The public policy goals that policy makers expect career guidance services

to address fall into three main categories50:

The first are learning goals. These relate to the general target aiming to

increase participation and completion of education rates and training

through improved matching of individuals interests and abilities with

learning opportunities. Furthermore, guidance is expected to facilitate

personal development and employability of all citizens through continuous

engagement with education and training, to assist them in finding their

way through increasingly diversified but linked learning pathways, to

identify their transferable skills, and to validate their non-formal and

informal learning. These goals include:

supporting lifelong learning (for both youth and adults) and the

development of human resources to support national and individual

economic growth;

supporting a more flexible education and training system;

supporting a stronger but more flexible vocational orientation within

the school system;

improving the efficiency of education and training systems by

reducing dropout rates and increasing graduation rates;

strengthening linkages between education/training systems and the

labor market.

The second are labor market goals. Guidance is expected to improve

work performance and motivation, rates of job retention; to reduce timespent in job search and time spent unemployed through improved

matching of individuals competencies and interests with work and career

development opportunities, through raising awareness of current and

50For an analytical discussion, see Organisation for Economic Co-Operation AndDevelopment The European Commission (OECD), Career Guidance A HandbookFor Policy Makers, 2004


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future employment and learning opportunities; to include self employment

and entrepreneurship, through geographical and occupational mobility. An

Baseline Study on Educational and Vocal Counseling

Documents

Transcript of Baseline Study on Educational and Vocal Counseling