Guidance policies in the knowledge society : trends, challenges and responses across Europe : a Cedefop synthesis report

The key contribution which career guidance can make to the achievement of four public policy goals - lifelong learning, social inclusion, labour market efficiency and economic development - is increasingly widely acknowledged both within Europe and internationally. Such public policy goals are fundamental to the attainment of the Lisbon Council (2000) aim of making Europe the most competitive economy and knowledge based society in the world by 2010. The draft Interim Report on the Implementation of the Lisbon Strategy, Education and Training 2010: the Success of the Lisbon Strategy Hinges on Urgent Reforms (2004), identifies career guidance as one of four key actions to create open, attractive and accessible learning environments. It calls for the strengthening of the role, quality and co-ordination of career guidance services to support learning at all ages and in a range of settings, empowering citizens to manage their learning and work. In order to achieve this, the report calls for the development of common European references and principles to support national policies for career guidance as a matter of priority. ln 2001 the OECD launched a review of policies for career information, guidance and counselling services in which fourteen OECD countries took part. On the request of the European Commission's Directorate General for Education and Culture, in 2002 CEDEFOP and the ETF extended the review to cover the remaining Member States and future Member States. ln 2002, the World Bank also undertook a related review of career guidance policies in seven middle-income countries. Drawing on this extensive body of research, this Cedefop synthesis report outlines significant developments, trends, challenges and issues, as well as strengths and weaknesses of information and guidance systems and policies across 29 European countries. The report identifies interesting practice illustrated with examples taken from the range of countries involved in the review. Policy-makers and practitioners will thus be able to benchmark their own systems in relation to those of others, and to review their practices in the light of the efforts and experiences of colleagues across Europe. Annexed to the main report is a short paper comparing and contrasting the career guidance policy situation in Europe with that of some middle-income countries and some non-European developed countries.