Demand for Career Guidance in Low- and Middle-Income Countries An Indicator for the Growing Need of More Effective Transition Support Services INAP Conference Turin, 17 September 2009 Helmut Zelloth / ETF

State-of-the-art definition ….services intended to assist ….individuals and groups ….of any age ….at any point throughout their lives to make  ….(a) educational choices (b) training choices (c) occupational choices  …and to manage their careers

Paradigm shift … …has started in EU and OECD countries  from intervention at key points in life to a lifelong perspective  from psychological ‘testing’ to «tasting the world of work»  from external expert support to career (self)-management skills  from individual guidance to group-and self-help approaches

Distinction from other concepts …  Induction  Promotion  Selection  Placement

Methods and research design  Sample of 5 low- and middle-income countries neighbouring to the EU (Montenegro, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Egypt, Georgia, Ukraine)  Field visits (interviews) and questionnaire  Comparative analysis includes 4 more countries (Turkey, Russia, Albania, Jordan)  Knowledge-sharing and –building tools

Demand and barriers  Barriers to guidance development  Push and pull factors shaping demand + Labour market developments + Education and training reform + Policy induced drivers + Push factors from supply side  Empirical evidence

BARRIERS TO MEETING DEMAND FOR CAREER GUIDANCE Challenges Large informal economy Social capital versus Human capital Affordability / Institutional barriers Tradition of ‘Informal guidance’ Academic orientation / Shadow education system

DRIVERS OF DEMAND FOR CAREER GUIDANCE in low- and middle-income countries (1) EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE  Very limited but positive (Montenegro, fYR of Macedonia)  Research capacities in larger countries (Ukraine, Turkey, Russia)

DRIVERS OF DEMAND FOR CAREER GUIDANCE in low- and middle-income countries (2) POLICY INDUCED DRIVERS  Policy beliefs  Policy actionism  Push factor from supply side  Foreign aid  EU integration process

DRIVERS OF DEMAND FOR CAREER GUIDANCE in low- and middle-income countries (3) LABOUR MARKET DEVELOPMENTS  Expanding and fast changing economy  Structural unemployment and labour market mismatch  Preventive labour market policy  Labour market flexibility/security imbalance  Social inclusion policy

DRIVERS OF DEMAND FOR CAREER GUIDANCE in low- and middle-income countries (4) EDUCATION + TRAINING REFORMS  Modernisation of primary education (tier-cycles)  Increased diversity, flexibility and complexity of learning opportunities  Drive towards higher education / qualifications  Reducing drop-out / more efficient use of investment in education

FINDINGS LEVELS OF POLICY PROFILE (policy interest + policy priority - low, medium, high) – do not correlate with ETF geographical regions DONOR-DRIVEN versus HOME-GROWN Career Guidance Development (FYR Macedonia /Montenegro) MODELS OF SERVICE PROVISION (psychological versus pedagogical; Centre approach; (Semi)specialist approach; Curriculum approach; Virtual approach)

(A) THE ‘CENTRE’ APPROACH - in educational settings - in public employment services - cross-sectoral settings MACEDONIA (former Yugoslav Republic) Career Centres in all VET schools MONTENEGRO CIPS – Centres for Career Information and Counselling in some regions (public employment services) UKRAINE Career and Professional Guidance Centres (based in regional PES), abolished but now discussed to re-introduced GEORGIA Career Consultants in VET Centres

(B) THE ‘CURRICULUM’ APPROACH TURKEY Career education included in class guidance programs in all types of schools + staff from public employment services (ISKUR) conduct class- and group discussions in general education and TVET schools UKRAINE Labour lessons and ‘Occupations of Today’ EGYPT Subject ‘Practical fields’ compulsory from Grades 7 to 9

(C) THE ‘VIRTUAL’AND WEB-APPROACH TURKEY Piloting a national web-based career information system aiming to serve all target groups with a lifelong guidance perspective - databases on educational and training programmes - standard occupational outlook supporting labour market information - self-assessment tool - web-based questionnaires on abilities, interests and occupational values to help different target groups with self-exploration

Conclusions and pointers on career guidance Better articulation of the demand and improved evidence on the outcomes needed - fostering research and evaluation - building up an evidence base Wider access to career guidance services and changing the mode of delivery necessary - more resource-efficient approach (group- and self-help) - shift from a psychological to a pedagogical/hybrid delivery model (building on the new guidance paradigm, eg career self- management skills, career education, work-tasting) - enhanced career information (print- and web-based) Apprenticeship and career guidance - Despite impartiality of career guidance: new paradigm might positively correlate and impact on choosing VET / apprenticeship as pathways