Theme 2: Lifelong Guidance Policy as part of integrated Human Resource Development Policies I am going to begin by posing a question that John McCarthy asked at a Canadian Symposium a few weeks back.. He asked: Who owns career development? You must choose. And if you chose c you of course chose the correct answer.

4 major Organizing Topics Language Coherence A “house” for Policy and Policy Influence Values underlying our profession

Lifelong Guidance Policy as part of integrated Human Resource Development Policies

Symposium #1 A key statement in the Statement of Intent was to: “redefine career development/career guidance as managing learning and work throughout life”.

Questions to Consider…. Do we need to consider an international language or “branding “ which we are more certain will speak to the pressing employability, employment and workforce development issues on policy and public agendas?

Questions to Consider…. Are we limiting our influence by tying ourselves so tightly with lifelong learning—does lifelong learning suggest/imply the education sector too dominantly? Should we be using other language to make ourselves more relevant to policy makers in our own countries? Should we embark on some effort to arrive at a more international language which captures learning and work more equally?

Coherence Key Features of an effective lifelong guidance system: Systems operate in complementary and coordinated ways across education, training, employment and community sectors. (OECD Handbook for Policy Makers)

Promising Developments & Questions to Consider….. Northern Ireland; Turkey; Norway; Slovenia; Scotland (all age); ELPGN What are the factors which are helping build greater cohesion? Is ALL Age actually a very strategic way to increase coordination? Could ELPGN tools be made more internationally available?

Services to Adults Role of Prior Learning and Assessment (PLAR) Role of Career Guidance and PLAR Social Inclusion Priority

Questions to Consider….regardless of country size & COMPLEXITY What specific policies and strategies have been developed or could be developed which could contribute to greater coherence and cooperation between education, employment and industry? What policies and strategies are actually increasing social inclusion?

A “House” for Policy and for Policy Influence: Key feature supporting Lifelong Guidance Policy: Central arrangements to ensure consistency in services so that all citizens benefit equally, regardless of geographical location. (OECD Policy Handbook)

Promising Developments & Questions to Consider….. ELPGN; Hungary; Slovakia; Germany: What key factors needed to be in place to establish such national forums? To sustain them? Do they only work in relatively small countries with centralized decision making at government levels? What have been key accomplishments to date and what are logical next steps for national forums? What alternative models can work in highly decentralized countries?

Values Independence; impartiality; confidentiality; equal opportunity and holistic approaches to decision making with clients (OECD Policy Handbook) Low qualified jobs for youth prohibited (Latvia) Work and economic opportunities eroding culturally relevant person centered approaches to work (India) Collectivist guidance approach – individual in context of and contributing to community (South Africa)

Values What questions should we be asking?