“CareerGuide for Schools” Network for Career Guidance in schools 2005 – 2008 Comenius III action

career guidance: definition services and activities intended to assist individuals to make educational, training and occupational choices and to manage their careers career information provision, assessment and self-assessment tools, counselling interviews, career education programmes (to help individuals develop their self awareness, opportunity awareness, and career management skills), taster programmes (to sample options before choosing them), work search programmes, transition services. Career guidance refers to services and activities intended to assist individuals to make educational, training and occupational choices and to manage their careers. Such services may be found in schools, universities and colleges, in training institutions, in public employment services, in the workplace, in the voluntary or community sector and in the private sector. The activities may take place on an individual or group basis, and may be face-to-face or at a distance (including help lines and web-based services). They include career information provision (in print, ICT-based and other forms), assessment and self-assessment tools, counselling interviews, career education programmes (to help individuals develop their self awareness, opportunity awareness, and career management skills), taster programmes (to sample options before choosing them), work search programmes, and transition services.

Network’s main aim  Bridging the gap between school and work Promotion of career education and awareness in European schools Network of Schools across Europe CareerGUIDE Web Portal Main target group: School teachers working on career guidance Policy makers for career guidance in schools The CareerGUIDE for Schools network’s main aim is to promote career education and awareness in European schools. the network will explore and demonstrate ways that European schools could adopt in order their students to explore possible career pathways that integrate their strengths and interests with classroom and occupational learning The promotion of career education will be achieved through: Development of a Network of Schools across Europe in order to implement the partnership’s research results and activities Development of a virtual career guidance European Community through the CareerGUIDE Web Portal highlighting the significance of Career Guidance in schools  Bridging the gap between school and work

Network’s Objectives To bring career guidance to the education policy front and contribute to the upgrading of teaching and learning career development. To develop generic skills profiles relevant to key jobs To explore the best practices on the implementation of career guidance education in Europe through extended surveys To offer specialized support and training opportunities to educators of career guidance in schools throughout Europe. To stimulate the effort of bringing career guidance to the education policy front and contribute to the upgrading of teaching and learning career development. Although career development guidance has been explored extensively the last years, most of the work has as a focal point adult population. The proposed network will try to highlight the importance of introducing career guidance from the early years of the educational system since efforts to intervene in the life career process can accelerate or strengthen the acquisition of knowledge, attitudes and skills about self and the world of work. To develop generic skills profiles relevant to key jobs and to create a dedicated web portal, the CareerGUIDE for Schools portal and a series of additional communications (workshops, info-days, conferences) to make this information available. The generic skills profiles which will be included will describe the jobs, setting out the vision, role and life style associated with them. The specific technology areas and tasks associated with each job will be outlined, as well as the level of behavioral and technical skills required to carry out the profiled jobs. To explore the best practices on the implementation of career guidance education in Europe through extended surveys. Working groups of the network are going to record and analyze the needs of career-guidance teachers and students in Europe, best career-guidance practices and activities etc. and produce a series of reports which are going to form the basis for developing the “Report on Effective Career Guidance in Schools”. The report could help all those persons who formally or informally take part in the process of educational and career guidance of children. To offer specialised support and training opportunities to educators of career guidance in schools throughout Europe. Through the CareerGUIDE for Schools portal all school teachers could have access to and familiarize with career guidance resources. Teachers who are interested in the specific thematic area could be informed on various training opportunities offered all over Europe. Additionally, tutors of career guidance will be able to exchange best practices and experiences on the issue of career development.

Network’s Objectives To develop new curriculum guidelines To establish horizontal links between school & society To evaluate the application of ICT-based methodologies and practices addressed to career guidance. To promote the European Dimension in career guidance reinforcing long-term mobility in Europe To create the conditions for the network’s sustainability and expansion. To develop new curriculum guidelines that will assist education and training policy makers and decision makers across Europe to design courses to match the skills profiles and needs To establish horizontal links between school & society. The proposed network aims at joining the society with school through the integration of various elements of the wider society in the participating school communities. By engaging policy makers and labour market agencies throughout Europe in the CareerGUIDE for Schools portal, automatically society is integrated in the school curriculum. To evaluate the application of ICT-based methodologies and practices addressed to career guidance. The function of the network will be based on the use and exploitation of the possibilities offered by Information Communication Technologies that will support qualitatively the effort. The same concept i.e. the utilization of ICT will form the basis for indicating new methodologies of good career guidance practice. To promote the European Dimension in career guidance reinforcing long-term mobility in Europe. The CareerGUIDE for Schools portal will accumulate information on the issue of career guidance from various European countries offering the opportunity to anyone interested on the issue to gather information in a European level. Furthermore, schools all over Europe, implementing CareerGUIDE for Schools portal, can follow a common approach on educational and career guidance. The CareerGUIDE for Schools workshops which will be held in all participating countries, will also contribute to maximising the European Dimension in career guidance, since professionals from all over Europe will meet each other and offer information about their occupation in their country to school-children and teachers. To create the conditions for the network’s sustainability and expansion. The partnership aims to create a cooperation network open to expansion and development. This by definition will assist the effort of sustaining the networks function after the end of this project. The CareerGUIDE for Schools network will put special effort on utilizing outcomes of other Comenius projects, develop collaboration and include other Comenius partners in the Network. In addition, the partnership aims to support further the continuation of the network by own resources and by trying to ensure additional funds from other external resources.

Network’s Methodology Working Groups different-subject scientific experts, sharing the same interest in researching a specific aspect of career guidance. the groups will be working in parallel independently but will meet and exchange ideas, opinions and outcomes from their work periodically. the results will be presented in the network’s events: workshops, conferences and open-days at schools throughout Europe. In order to meet its ambitious objectives the proposed network brings together experts in pedagogy, psychology, technology, labour market, teachers and students. The partnership of the CareerGUIDE for Schools network will form collaborative working-groups throughout the entire network’s lifetime. The working-groups will include different-subject scientific experts, sharing the same interest in researching a specific aspect of career guidance The groups will be working in parallel independently but will meet and exchange ideas, opinions and outcomes from their work periodically, so as to make the best use of knowledge and research evidence. The working groups’ results will be presented in the network’s events: workshops, conferences and open-days at schools throughout Europe.

Network’s Activities Management Development of the cooperation network Design & development of the CareerGuide for schools web portal Working group’s research activities Evaluation activities (internal & external) Dissemination activities

Network’s Outputs CareerGUIDE for Schools portal CareerGUIDE for Schools working groups reports CareerGUIDE for Schools workshops and info-days CareerGUIDE for Schools Conferences CareerGUIDE for Schools magazine / newsletters CareerGUIDE for Schools web site Report on Effective Career Guidance in Schools Dissemination material Evaluation Report