Making lifelong guidance a reality: Cedefop in the frontline

The recent Resolution on better integrating lifelong guidance into lifelong learning strategies  adopted by the Council of the European Union on 21 November 2008, bears the imprint of Cedefop’s contribution: its experts, who cover a wide range of fields, were involved in drafting the resolution from initial version to final document.

Initiated by and prepared during the French Presidency of the European Union 2008, the resolution addresses four priority areas: career management skills, access to services, quality of guidance provision, and policy cooperation. In all four of these areas, Cedefop has been at the forefront of related activity.

The resolution further strengthens the current role of lifelong guidance in the development of European policies for education, training and employment; and it bolsters the key role that guidance and counselling services play in helping citizens manage their careers and achieve their personal goals. The considerable progress Member States have recently achieved in implementing lifelong guidance policies, as verified in a recent Cedefop report (2008), is also acknowledged. 

Calling on further strengthening European cooperation to provide lifelong guidance,   the resolution particularly emphasises working together within the European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN), in liaison with Cedefop. The Cedefop handbook on Establishing and developing national lifelong guidance policy forums (2008)  reveals that countries are streamlining guidance policy- and decision-making processes, aiming for an integrated approach to social inclusion, active citizenship, lifelong learning and full employment.

Recently, Cedefop’s study Career development at work - a review of career guidance to support people in employment (2008)  concluded that there is a demand for an effective strategy on providing career development support to adults and the employed. Intermediary organisations should play a greater role in providing such support, while individuals should be given more options to successfully manage their careers.

Cedefop´s guidance activities in 2009-2010

The expected results of the Centre’s forthcoming guidance-related studies (2009-2010), as summarised below, will contribute greatly to achieving the objectives of the new resolution.

The Cedefop report on Professionalising career guidance reviews trends and patterns in the training options available to career guidance practitioners and develops a common competence framework in the European Union for these professions (final results in 2009).

The study, Guidance for restructuring industries, focuses on how career guidance and counselling can help to implement strategies and policies for socially responsible restructuring (final results in 2010).

Guidance for youth: education-to-work transitions explores promising practices concerning such transitions for young people at risk of social exclusion. The aim is to highlight the progress EU and EEA Member States have achieved in this area (final results in 2010).

Finally, Cedefop will carry out a policy review of the progress made in the Member States in implementing the guidance resolutions 2004 and 2008. The review will explore the most recent policy and strategy developments in lifelong guidance in the Member States (preliminary results in 2009; final results in 2010).

Publications:

• Council Resolution on better integrating lifelong guidance into lifelong learning strategies (pdf)
  
• From policy to practice - A systemic change to lifelong guidance in Europe
  
• Establishing and developing national lifelong guidance policy forums
• Career development at work - A review of career guidance to support people in employment
  

Mr Mika Launikari, Project Manager at Cedefop