Challenges and new concepts for Lifelong Guidance - Practice and Policy Development

1. Challenges and new concepts for Lifelong Guidance- Practice and Policy Development Raimo Vuorinen, Ph.D. Coordinator of the ELGPNFinnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, Finland Presentation at the national seminar in Estonia 24 March 2010, Tallinn

2. Themes for discussions • Emerging wider paradigm in guidance... • Why does guidance matter for EU policies? • Guidance in current employment strategies in EU... • Guidance in current educational strategies in EU... • Co-operation and co-ordination mechanisms... • Promoting national guidance policy development – evolution of the European guidance policy network (ELGPN)

3. Notions underpinding guidanceSultana (2008) Labour force development - Matching skills - Supply vs. demand - Competetiveness Individualism - Empowerment - Personal growth - Lifelong learning Humanistic discourse - Private good Human capital discourse - Common good

4. Balance? • Common good • Placement • Orientation • Vision • Compromises • Emphasised • in Labor Market • contexts • Private good • Choises • Support • Dreams • Private goals • Emphasised in • Educational contexts ???? • - Welfare • Inclusion • Active citizenship • Emphasised in • Social policies

5. Definition of Lifelong Guidance? Karjääriteenused (elukestev) • What? Activities: e.g.information giving, advice, counselling, assessment, teaching, advocacy • For whom? All citizens • When? Any age and point in their lives • Focus? Making meaningful life choices on learning and work. Empowerment to manage learning and career • Career? Individual lifepaths in learning, work and in others settings in which these capcities and competences are learned and/or used • Where? Education, training, employment, community, private • EU Council of Ministries Resolution on lifelong guidance 2004

6. Why does guidance matter for public policy? • Lifelong guidance is a significant contributor to the development of human capital, as an important engine for economic growth and social cohesion. • The role of lifelong guidance in this respect needs to be more widely recognized

7. Why does guidance matter for public policy? (2) • In particular, lifelong guidance services can play an important role in helping governments to: • improve labour supply; • address skills shortages and emerging competence areas • raise the level of human capital; • improve the quality of human capital.

8. Key policy drivers in EU • Lisbon strategy – emphasis on growth and jobs • European employment strategy has the leading role in implementation of the employment and labour market objectives of the Lisbon strategy • Full employment • Improving quality and productivity at work • Strenghtening social and territorial cohesion • Education and training 2010 & lifelong learning • Integrated guidelines for growth and jobs (2008-2010) • Need for cross-sectoral partnerships and greater efficiency in allocating administrative and financial resources - flexicurity

9. Recent policy drivers for employment in EU • INTEGRATED GUIDELINES FOR GROWTH AND JOBS (2008-2010) • COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION on the broad guidelines for the economic policies of the Member States and the Community (under Article 99 of the EC Treaty) • COUNCIL DECISION on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States (under Article 128 of the EC Treaty)

10. Proposed actions by EU Employment Summit, May 2009 • At national level: • Maintain as many people as possible in jobs for example through temporary adjustment of working hours combined with retraining and supported by public funding (including from ESF). • Encourage entrepreneurship and job creation. • Improve the efficiency of national employment services by providing intensive counselling, training and job search in the first weeks of unemployment, especially for the young unemployed. • Increase significantly the number of high quality apprenticeships and traineeships by the end of 2009.

11. Proposed actions by EU Employment Summit, May 2009 • At national level: • Promote more inclusive labour markets by ensuring work incentives, effective active labour market policies and modernisation of social security systems that also lead to a better integration of disadvantaged groups including the disabled, the low-skilled and migrants. • Upgrade skills at all levels with lifelong learning, in particular giving school leavers the necessary skills to find a job. • Use labour mobility to match supply and demand of labour to best effect.

12. Proposed actions by EU Employment Summit, May 2009 • At European level: • Identify job opportunities and skills requirements, and improve skills forecasting so that training offers match labour market needs. • Assist unemployed and young people to start their own business. • Anticipate and manage restructuring through mutual learning and exchange of good practice.

13. Guidance in future EU strategies… • Council conclusions of 12 May 2009 on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (‘ET 2020’). • Guidance is included in the main strategic objective of the framework, especially in objective 1 (Making lifelong learning and mobility a reality). • The ET priority areas during the first cycle 2009-2011: • validation of non-formal and informal learning, guidance, expanding learning mobility, improve basic skills in reading, mathematics and science for young people and adults, ensure that future skills requirements are adequately taken on board in education/training processes, promote creativity and innovation, and develop partnerships between education/training institutions and business area.

14. EU Council: Invitations to Member States 21.11.2008 • Encourage the lifelong acquisition of career management skills; • Facilitate access by all citizens to guidance services; • Develop the quality assurance of guidance provision; • Encourage coordination and cooperation among the various national, regional and local stakeholders. • Use the opportunities provided under the Lifelong Learning Programme and the European Structural Funds, in accordance with Member States' priorities.

15. Quality assurance (QA) (Plant 2009) QA interests: • Policy makers: why should societies invest in guidance? What is the impact? • Guidance practitioners: how can we deliver good quality? How can QA systems help to improve the services? • Users of guidance: how can I get the best help, when I need it, in a form that I can access?

16. Levels and mechanisms of co-ordination and co-operation in guidance Cedefop 2008 Handbook for policy makers in establihing national guidance forums

17. Statutory council/legal entity • Establishmentby an act, whichsetsitspowers • Advantages: • Relativelyhighdegree of permanence • Limitations • The potentialrange of tasksdepens on the remit and fundingit is given • The Greek National Centre for VocationalGuidance, EKEP

18. Government-initatiated body • A working group or other body • Goal: to solve specific tasks or to prepare more permanent solutions • Advantages: • Some legitimacy with relevant ministries • Access to resources to carry out this work • Limitations • Due to proximity to government – barred from independency • National Career Guidance Council in Lithuania

19. National association • May consist of factions grouped around specific stakeholders • Advantages • Independent from the government • Free to provide independent opinions on its policies • Independent initiatives • Limitations • Legitimacy and effectiveness depend on its success to attract key stakeholders in guidance • It has to raise its own funding from a number of sources • National Forum for Guidance in Education, Career and Employment in Germany

20. Experimental/Project-based body • A project under national or transnational programmes • Advantages • Possibility to test different models of co-ordination and co-operation • Possibility to conduct feasibility studies • Limitations • Temporary solutions • Need for a more formal structures • Establishment of a national steering group as a lead into developing a national guidance policy forum in Estonia • Currently Karjääriteenuste koostöökogu • An ”initiative group” for establishing a national guidance policy forum in Slovenia

21. Regional forums • Regional support mechanisms, set up to prepare or co-ordinate regional implementation of lifelong guidance policies • Regional forums in Finland and in Denmark • Regional forums in countries with devolved government where regions have autonomy in matters of guidance, comparable to national forums • Regional forums in Scotland • Improving dialogue with the government • Providng a focal point for professional guidance matters • Improving a channel for regional and international communication in guidance • Regional forums in Navarre, Spain

22. Rationale of the ELGPN • A member state driven network established 2007 • A tool for European co-operation • Enhancement of national solutions to meet national challenges. • ELGPN is a conclusion to meet the challenges the policy makers meet in implementing the Lisbon strategies and the tools supporting the strategy (e.g. EQF and ECVET)

23. ELGPN membership • 26 member countries, three observers • The national partners • represent a lifelong learning perspective, covering education, training and employment for both young people and adults • are clearly linked to relevant policy-making processes within their country. • have the capacity both to contribute to the activities of the network and to involve the relevant national stakeholders in the education, training and employment sectors, including the social partners and guidance practitioners • National representatives in Estonia: • RAMMO, Margit, InnoveDVINSKIHH, Polina, Estonian Ministry of Social AffairsKIVIMÄE, Anne, Estonian Ministry of Education and Research

24. Thematic clusters 2009-2010 • Support for policy development and implementation at national level • Co-operation and co-ordination mechanisms in guidance practice and policy development • Quality assurance/Evidence-based practice and policy development • Widening access • Promoting career management skills • Synergies between EU funded projects • Education & Training and Employment policy analysis from Lifelong Guidance perspective

25. Conclusions… • There is a political consensus at international level that guidance and counselling are seen as key strategic components for implementing lifelong learning and employment strategies at regional and national levels. • The progress can be enhanced if governments and local authorities invest in the systems that support consistent and coherent lifelong guidance policy development. • This approach requires close co-operation between different ministries and local authorities in charge of guidance related policies as well as a solid evidence base.

26. Tänan, Thank you! For further information, please contact: Raimo Vuorinen, Senior researcher, Ph.D. Co-ordinator of the ELGPN The Finnish Institute for Educational Research P.O. Box 35 FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä tel. +358-14-2603271, Mobile +358-50-3611909 Fax +358-14-2603201 email: raimo.vuorinen@jyu.fi www: http://elgpn.eu/ Skype: vuorai