Ekaterini Anagnostopoulos Euroguidance Visit Study ISFOL, Rome, October 7 th , 2015

1. Supporting soft skills development and mobility to promote employability, self-entrepreneurship and social inclusion Ekaterini Anagnostopoulos Euroguidance Visit Study ISFOL, Rome, October 7th, 2015 www.aspiclavoro.it

3. A brief history of ASPIC - 1 Over 30 years of experience in counseling, training and skills development • 1984 - ASPIC started offering training programmes in integrative experiential counseling • 1992 – ASPIC Established a 4-year postgraduate programme in psychotherapy, recognized in 1993 by Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research as having same legal validity of postgraduate degrees conferred by Italian universities • 1998 – ASPIC per la Scuola started running training programmes in developmental counseling; providing school counseling, training and psychological support services (target groups: students, teachers, parents and caregivers)

4. A brief history of ASPIC - 2 • 2012 – ASPIC - A.R.S.A. Aspic Ricerca Scientifica Applicata Association founded and attracted an affiliated team of 16 researchers from different backgrounds trained in ASPIC methodology www.aspicarsa.it 2013 –“Studenti e Futuro” Work Group – coordinated by Emilia Filosa and Paola Bianchi – offering vocational guidance and career counseling to secondary school students www.studentiefuturo.it • 2014 – ASPIC LAVORO Association for Social Promotion www.aspiclavoro.it

5. About ASPIC LAVORO ASPIC network throughout Italy 40 local affiliated associations (started in 1994) providing counseling programmes, activities in the local community, collaborating with schools, public institutions, organizing workshops and events.

6. ASPIC LAVORO Non profit Association for Social Promotion, founded in 2014 www.aspiclavoro.it obtained accreditation by the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy in 2015 as Agenzia per il Lavoro/Job Center (Special section reserved to public, educational institutions and other corporate bodies (associations) promoting employability, social inclusion, entrepreneurship, and providing training & lifelong education) President Prof. Edoardo Giusti Coordinators Emilia Filosa, Vice-President/Secretary Ekaterini Anagnostopoulos, Officer

7. Our Mission & Commitment Strongly committed to promoting and building • Employability and work continuity along the entire career life span • Awareness, empowerment and responsibility at the individual, group and community level • Cross-sectoral (soft skills) awareness, development and transfer-ability building • Self-entrepreneurship, professional development • Equal opportunities and social inclusion of sensitive groups (diversity including disabilities, cultural differences, etc.)

8. Focus on cross-sectoral skills (life & soft skills) • To gain awareness of and ability to recognize and actively put in practice cross-sectoral skills • To maintain education and employment/career continuity along the entire career life span • To foster and develop personal talents, aptitudes, preferences • To promote experience capitalization (thus transforming formal and informal experiences and knowledge into resources that can be used in the future) • To facilitate transferability of skills across different areas of life: from personal life to active citizenship • To contribute to matching people's skills and labour market needs

9. Cross-sectoral skills (life & soft skills) • Communication and interpersonal skills • Adaptability, flexibility • Being proactive, self-motivated • Problem solving and solution finding • Team work • Self-confidence, self-efficacy, self-reliance • Emotional intelligence, stress management • Negotiation, conflict resolution • Decision making • Creativity, innovativeness • Cultural competence and sensitivity, • Open-mindedness, appreciation of diversity (Bracht, 2006)

10. Skills and Mobility • Interest in work/study mobility and its relationships with skills acquisition, development and recognition • Several studies outline positive effects of Mobility experiences on: • skill acquisition and development • students' employability • Importance of addressing skills both prior and after the study of work experience abroad • Links with the validation/certification process

11. Activities in the educational sector • Information, awareness raising, prevention, training and support to teachers on specific issues, empowering training (target groups: students, teachers, parents) • Development of life skills and ability to transform them in soft skills • Group encounters for parents

12. Activities held in Y2015 • A series of workshops, seminars, evening talks (2015) • ASPIC Skill Lab: experiential group - autobiographical narrative for life design and career construction (summer 2015)

13. Seminars and workshops held in 2015 • CV, presentation/motivation letter writing • Active job searching (also using the social media) • Self marketing and networking • Protecting exposure and reputation • Preparing for job interviews • Coping with transitions along the career life-span • Nurturing positive thinking and attitude, optimism and will, coping strategies and resilience • Self esteem building, assertiveness training (related to study, work – job finding, career building)

14. How we work • Vocational and career counseling, psychological support during transitions) in a variety of settings: face to face, telephone, skype • Group vocational guidance and counseling, encounter and support groups • Assessment, self-assessment, skills development • Starting training in lifelong guidance and career counseling (differentiated programmes for psychologist and other professions, e.g. teachers) • Personalized, tailored-made interventions

15. Areas of interest • Skills assessment and development • Designing and developing assessment and evaluation instruments and methods (surveys, questionnaires, qualitative in-depth interviews, surveys) • Developing assessment tools and processes • Special commitment in addressing disabilities, mental health and labour inclusion

16. Target groups • Adults and Youth (students, individuals Neet) • Adults representing informal guidance network (parents and family, educators, volunteers, recreational operators) • Adults belonging to the formal guidance network (teachers, educators, recreational and sport sectors operators) • Schools, public and private institutions, agencies, etc. • Organizations (promoting health and well-being at the workplace; skills development; training, talent management)

17. Projects implemented in schools (2013-2015) • “Fai la scelta giusta” - Pilot-project in a Scientific Secondary School in Ostia (Rome) Rome “A. Labriola” - Experiential educational and career guidance (2013) • Orienta-Menti, Regione Lazio Call for Proposals “On demand” (ranked 3rd out of 100 projects selected). Integrated vocational guidance intervention programme involving students, teachers and parents in 5 schools (area of the Province of Rome) (2013-2014)

18. 2015 – 2016 programme in the Education Sector • Currently developing awareness raising and empowerment initiatives and events in schools • (follows in next slide.. )

19. In line with the indications of “Europe 2020” strategy • Early promotion of employability and self-entrepreneurship skills • Awareness raising and early acquaintance/familiarization with occupational sectors, profiles and professions • Building bridges between the worlds of education and work • Information, awareness raising and empowerment • Teachers training and support on career guidance and orientation issues (motivational, interpersonal aspects) • Social and labor inclusion, equal opportunities • Multicultural competence and cultural/diversity sensitivity training • Promoting health and psychological well-being in educational and work environments

20. Conference in vocational guidance and counseling (2014) “Vocational guidance and Counseling. Starting to build careers from school” Rome, 9th May 2014 (Studenti e Futuro) • Conference proceedings have been published in ASPIC Journal “Integrazione”

21. Professional development • Regulated professions: counseling and coaching for graduates sustaining exams for all regulated professions in Italy(legal, engineering, health sector) • Psychology Licensure Examination Preparatory Course (currently running)

22. 2015 – 2016 programme • Currently designing an intervention project for schools aiming at social inclusion, cultural integration and community building • Our aim is to extend our activities to include mobility programs with focus on skills recognition and development • 1st October 2016 - Rome ASPIC LAVORO Conference

23. Integrated social networking • The integrated social networking initiatives of ASPIC LAVORO are the expression at the level of relationships of the pluralistic integrative approach. • We promote events that favour connections and the establishment of networks at multiple-levels: between people, career and vocational guidance consultants and organizations in a cross-cutting and trandisciplinary mode • To promote informal support networks, cooperation, community building, increase social inclusion • Parents' empowerment and networking with respect to guidance and orientation • Networking with organizations, institutions, agencies for collaboration, partnership, shared projects, best practices etc.

24. References • AA.VV. (2014), The Erasmus Impact Study. Effects of mobility on the skills and employability of students and the internationalization of higher education istitutes, European Union. • Anagnostopoulos K., Tumiati Maria Cristina, Germano Flavia (2008), L'approccio multiculturale. Interventi in psicoterapia, counseling, coaching, Sovera, Roma. • Anagnostopoulos Ek. (2015), La competenza multiculturale nell'orientamento scolastico e professionale inclusivo, Rivista ASPIC “Integrazione nelle psicoterapie”, pp. 75 – 80. • Bracht O., et al. (2006), The Professional Value of Erasmus Mobility, INCHER, University of Kassel.

25. References • Filosa E. (2015), Orientarsi verso il futuro, Sovera Edizioni, Roma • Neenan M. (2009), Developing resilience. A cognitive-behavioural approach, Routledge, London • Savickas M. (2014), Career Counseling, Edozioni Erickson, Trento

26. Thank you! Ekaterini AnagnostopoulosE-mail: info@aspiclavoro.itPhone: (+39) 347 9289119 – 06 21709702 ASPIC LAVORO: (+39) 06 5413513