Abstract
During the last decade, research and introduction of career guidance has been becoming an increasingly important need of contemporary society. This is highlighted by a number of documents at EU level that emphasize the development of counselling and establishment of career guidance with the aim of developing lifelong learning and of development of career counselling services in various institutions, especially in schools. The chapter is thus based on the formation of a competence framework for career counsellors employed at basic schools. The authors notice in the area of career guidance the surveyees put the competences in the forefront that refer to counsellor's interpersonal intelligence and the knowledge of enrolment procedures and of secondary school programs. Pedagogues have proved to be the occupational group the most competent to perform the job of a career counsellor. In the conclusion, the chapter presents a model of competence framework with six areas of knowledge, the competences following each other arranged by relevance.
TopBackground
The primary aim of this study comes from the desire for strengthening the integration of lifelong career guidance in basic schools. In Europe this strengthened role was certainly consolidated by the Council of the European Union’s resolutions from 2004 and 2008. Both resolutions (Council of the European Union 2004; 2008) emphasized and highlighted the importance of the development of counselling and the implementation of career guidance, with the aim of developing lifelong learning, as well as of developing career counselling services in various institutions, such as schools, universities, employment offices, companies, etc. It should be stressed that such services should be available to all European residents.
An important event in the development of career guidance also took place in 2007 with the foundation of the ELGPN (European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network [ELGPN], 2017). As many as 31 countries2 are included in the network with two to three representatives for each, who are responsible for career guidance. The network is based on developing common policy in all member states. The development of the network was made possible inter alia thanks to funding from the European Commission.
These two resolutions are not the only ones that mention the importance of career guidance, but this is also stressed in the Resolution on a National Youth Programme 2013–2022 (2015). As a priority area it singles out the establishment of a comprehensive system of lifelong career guidance for young people. To be able to develop into independent and responsible adults young people must learn their own interests and competences for making choices about their profession and career track. The choices young people make during primary, secondary, and tertiary education strongly mark their career path and, consequently, their lives. With the priority area in question they aim to increase the selection of education and career paths for young people in order for them to cope with the current uncertainty on the labour market. On the other hand, they would like to create a tighter link between the education system and the needs of the labour market, as in Slovenia there is still a very high interest in occupations that the Employment Office does not identify as shortage occupations.
The Operational Programme for the Implementation of the EU Cohesion Policy in the period 2014 – 2020 (Republic of Slovenia Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, 2015) also emphasizes throughout the document that it is necessary to encourage high-quality lifelong career guidance at all levels of education.
In basic schools in Slovenia career orientation content is coordinated and managed by the school counselling service in cooperation with all school employees, parents, and students. The majority of the content is dedicated to 8th and 9th graders. Within career orientation the school counselling service primarily offers assistance for enrolment in secondary school, visits to secondary schools, presentations from employers, information about scholarship opportunities, and individual as well as group career counselling (Stična Basic School, 2017; Matija Čop Basic School, 2017; Martin Krpan Basic School, 2017).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Counselee: A person who takes part in counselling.
Career Plan: A tool and aid in the form of a portfolio for planning one’s own professional and employment career. In addition to the plan for the future the portfolio also includes all counselee’s previously acquired competences and knowledge.
Career Counsellor: A person who assists counselees in making decisions about career goals and in taking decisions about their career, and also helps the counselees investigate the possibilities of developing their careers and offers additional education and training that will help them in meeting the set goals.
Competence: A cluster of related abilities, knowledge, responsibilities, and skills that allow an individual to efficaciously function at a workplace or position.
Competence Framework: A cluster of competences for a defined profile of a workplace that contribute originally to the formation of work assignments and to more structured recruiting of staff.
Empathy: The ability of perceiving and sharing the emotions of another.
School Counsellor: A person who performs counselling, consultation, and coordination at school, primarily supporting students in solving problems, simultaneously collaborating with parents, teachers, school leadership, and external professionals.