Review of career guidance policies in 11 acceding and candidate countries: synthesis report

Abstract

The provision of career information and guidance throughout an individual’s life has become an issue of considerable importance worldwide, as societies prepare themselves to meet the challenges of the transition to knowledge-based economies. The OECD conducted a review of career guidance policies in 2002 and the OECD survey instrument has been used by the European Training Foundation (ETF) to collect information on guidance and counselling policies in 11 acceding and candidate countries (ACCs), focusing on the following key issues: key goals and policy instruments, roles of stakeholders, targeting and access, staffing and financing, quality assurance, delivery settings and methods, and evidence base. This synthesis report summarises the current situation in terms of the development of career information and guidance in both the education and labour market sectors in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The synthesis report consists of six sections: (1) a background to the European Commission’s involvement in the career information and guidance review and a brief outline of the geopolitical, economic and cultural contexts of the 11 countries surveyed, particularly in so far as these impact on career guidance provision; (2) an outline of the policy challenges for career information and guidance in terms of national objectives; (3) a discussion of the aspects that contribute to the more effective delivery of career guidance including services provided in the education and employment sectors; (4) an examination of the human and financial resources dedicated to career guidance; (5) a synthesis of the observations made by experts from the ACCs in terms of the strategic leadership that is exercised in the field of career guidance, and of how this could be strengthened; and (6) a concluding note that identifies the main challenges as well as the way forward for career guidance in the countries surveyed.

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