The economic benefits of career guidance Tristram Hooley

OECD definition Career guidance refers to services and activities intended to assist individuals, of any age and at any point throughout their lives, to make educational, training and occupational choices and to manage their careers… 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). (OECD, 2004)

What are politicians interested in? Active ageing. Active labour markets. Addressing youth transitions and unemployment. Economic development Effective skills utilisation. Efficient investment in education and training. Employee engagement. Labour market efficiency. Labour market flexibility/flexicurity Lifelong learning. Participation in vocational and higher education. Reducing early school-leaving. Social equity. Social inclusion. Supporting and enabling European mobility for learning and work.

About the project Production of a guide to the evidence base in lifelong guidance. Primary audience – European policy makers. Developed by the European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN).

Does it work?

References Hooley, T. (2014). The Evidence Base on Lifelong Guidance. Jyväskylä, Finland: European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN). The Evidence Base on Lifelong Guidance. Hooley, T. and Dodd, V. (2015). The Economic Benefits of Career Guidance. Careers England.The Economic Benefits of Career Guidance. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2004). Career Guidance and Public Policy: Bridging the Gap. Paris: OECD.

In conclusion Career guidance serves individual, organisational and national policy goals. In most countries its existence is strongly dependent on public funding. This requires that we are able to engage with policy makers positively and on their terms. There is a good evidence base that suggests that career guidance is effective, that it can have an impact on policy goals and that it can have an impact on economic policy. Career guidance’s capacity to increase human capital and social capital and smooth transitions are key to its economic impact.

About me Tristram Hooley Professor of Career Education University of Derby