1. timo.spangar@kolumbus.fi; tel: +358-50-5941114
Evaluation of the strategic starting points of guidance services within Finnish PES
Timo Spangar Ph.D.
Spangar Negotiations
tel:

2. 1. Introduction
”The possibilities of the guidance services are not understood although there are quite a lot of them. How could the PES learn to use guidance services more fully?” (Järveläinen & al. 2008, memo).
Thus, there are serious concerns about the future of the (psychological) counselling services within the PES -> new responses to the challenges are now needed.

3. 2. The current evaluation as a response to the new challenges
The team: Timo Spangar, Robert Arnkil & Raimo Vuorinen
The context:
The citizens’ counselling needs are rapidly rising due to the global economy, labour market and working life changes
The EU and other global policy designers have raised guidance services on their agenda as a means to implement the policies
The position of the guidance services within the Finnish PES are still ambiguous and ”undefined”
The present evaluation positions itself as a work after a report describing the psychological counselling (Myllylä 2006) and before the ESF counselling action programme

4. 3. The key assessments of the evaluation
A. A stronger political position for guidance services is now needed. At the policy level the need for providing the citizens with public counselling services should now be ”re-invented”
B. No single counselling provider alone can any more satisfy the counselling demand. The analysis of new ways of gathering together the different counselling resources is now needed…

5. C. Re-organising counselling services within PES is perhaps now needed
D. The development of guidance services within PES requires now a shift towards co-development and co-learning with the other players. Looking ”out” seems to catalyse the development of counselling in the PES

6. 4. Key outcomes and suggestions
Developing a strategy and an action programme for the active transitions and development strategy of guidance services within the Ministry of Employment and the Economy
2) Developing a national interactive platform for identifying and disseminating good practices within guidance

7. 3) Developing a new monitoring and follow-up system reflecting the current multi-agency network of guidance. In creating the new system the present follow-up systems like URA and ASPA should be taken into account. The new monitoring system should illustrate the actions taken by the different level players as well as the client development in the active transitions

8. 4) Supporting the development and further enrichment of the guidance services by training and workshops, especially from the ‘counselling’ and ‘psychological counselling’ perspectives
5) Establishing a development programme at the new local Employment and Trade agencies making use of the experiences of the Oulu and other regions

9. 6) Supporting (not replacing) the present guidance services by buying counselling services from the outside.

10. 5. In conclusion – how can the PES learn to use guidance services more fully?
By adopting the ’flexicurity approach’ as a basis for organising the employment services
By understanding that today’s challenge is to develop demand- and working life driven integrative employment services
By understanding that any direction taken, today’s employment services are characterised by tailored, individualised and customised services where counselling essentiallly contributes to the quality of the services.

11. At the local level, in particular, it is important
By taking a decisive step towards proactiveness in developing the totality of counselling resources at national, regional, and local level
At the local level, in particular, it is important
To emphasise and strengthen counselling approach in all services and strategies based on the analysis of local ”active transitions”
To further emphasise the counselling approach as a means towards ”strong start” in the client processes

12. To consider the reorganisation guidance services within the local agencies …
… so that (applied appropriately to the local agency contexts) the totality of counselling and guidance services is organised based on the counselling knowledge of the professional guidance counsellors (the psychologists)
The guidance services are given their own targets in the managemnt by results steering system
The position of the psychologists are strenghtened as a part of the totality of the local guidance services

13. The present guidance resources are strengthened by buying extra services from the other providers.