EU initiatives in the field of lifelong guidance
At European level, the interest in guidance has been expressed in several policy papers and handbooks in recent years, in the establishment of an expert group on lifelong guidance, and in a survey of guidance policies in 29 European countries.
Short descriptions of these EU policy papers, surveys and publications are provided below, with links to on-line documents when possible.
Improving lifelong guidance policies and systems
The 2005 Cedefop publication "Improving lifelong guidance policies and systems. Using common European reference tools" provides an introduction to three common European reference tools for guidance:
- aims and principles of lifelong guidance provision;
- reference points for quality assurance systems for guidance provision in Europe;
- key features of lifelong guidance systems.
It explains the background to their development and provides suggestions on how to use each tool to improve existing policies and systems for guidance at national, regional and local levels, and for peer learning at national and European levels.
Cedefop is the EU's reference centre for vocational education and training.
Handbook for Policy Makers
In 2004, the OECD and the European Commission jointly published a Career Guidance Handbook for Policy Makers. The handbook makes suggestions for improving guidance for young people and adults as well as for broadening access to services and strengthening systems development. It contains a range of policy options and good examples of policies drawn from education, training and employment sectors. The handbook can be ordered from the OECD Online Bookshop, or you can download an on-line version of the handbook here(pdf, 79 pages).
EU resolution on guidance
A significant EU document regarding lifelong guidance was issued in May 2004 when the EU Council of Education Ministers adopted a "Resolution on Strengthening Policies, Systems and Practices in the field of Guidance throughout life in Europe". Download the resolution here.
Lifelong guidance expert group
A Lifelong Guidance Expert Group was established by the European Commission in 2002. The Expert Group consists of 26 members including officials from education and labour ministries, representatives from the European social partners, consumer, parents, and youth associations, and from European and international bodies. Information about the work of the Expert Group and other guidance-related EU initiatives is available at the Cedefop's web site. To access the pages on guidance, you have to register as a user. Registering is free and only needs to be done once; just click "Register" at the top of the page.
Survey on guidance in 29 European countries
In 2001, the OECD launched a review of guidance policies in which fourteen OECD countries took part. On the request of the European Commission, in 2002 Cedefop and the ETF (European Training Foundation) extended the review to cover the remaining Member States and future Member States. In 2002, the World Bank also undertook a related review of career guidance policies in seven middle-income countries. In 2004, Cedefop produced a synthesis of results of the surveys for 29 European countries as well as a short paper comparing and contrasting the guidance policy situation in Europe with that of middle-income countries and non-European developed countries. You can download the Cedefop synthesis report: "Guidance Policies in the knowledge society – trends, challenges and responses across Europe" (pdf, 142 pages).
- Download the Cedefop/ETF report on guidance in 9 new EU countries and Bulgaria and Romania (pdf, 90 pages)
Go to information about the OECD survey of guidance policies and practices.
The Euroguidance network
The EU also supports the Euroguidance Network, which promotes guidance and mobility in Europe. The Danish Euroguidance centre is hosted by the Danish Agency for International Education.
