Common goals connect: Euroguidance and ETF cooperate to support emerging guidance systems
The Euroguidance network has worked in cooperation with the European Training Foundation since the 1990s, and recently the cooperation has again become closer. Both bodies work to support countries in their efforts to develop efficient and functional guidance systems – in this cooperation the focus is on EU neighbor countries. Euroguidance offers good practices and cross-country cooperation between professionals, ETF provides policy-level advice.
In the 1990’s and early 2000’s the PHARE programme supported the pre-accession strategy of Central and Eastern European countries to the European Union.
“The ETF was a source of inspiration and expertise in transforming professional orientation systems - based on principles of a planned economy - into career guidance systems where individuals take ownership of their career decisions”, recalls Ilze Jansone of Euroguidance Latvia. “This work has been now carried forward and expanded at practice level through participation in the Euroguidance network.”
The European Training Foundation is mandated to support countries surrounding the European Union to reform their education, training, and labour market systems.
The Euroguidance network is a great example of cross-country cooperation, says Florian Kadletz. He is the Human Capital Expert focusing on the guidance sector at the European Training Foundation.
“Working in close collaboration with Euroguidance helps to showcase the benefits of inter-country and regional cooperation. It also taps into the vast opportunities for learning that the Euroguidance network offers.”
Euroguidance and ETF have cooperation in several fields: sharing knowledge and contributing to events in the area of career guidance and counselling; consolidation of the career guidance capacities and practices in the EU Neighbouring and Central Asia countries; and developing joint briefings, papers or analyses on relevant topics.
New insights during the Global Careers Month
The current chair of the Euroguidance network Eva Baloch-Kaloianov sees the cooperation with the ETF as a natural way to increase the impact of Euroguidance activities. One of the aims of the Euroguidance work is to enhance the European dimension of career guidance.
ETF and the Euroguidance steering group involve each other in day-to-day activities, for instance as speakers in events.
“In the past years one of the highlights for sure has been the cooperation on the first ever Global Careers Month in 2023. Euroguidance took the lead for the EU country events, while ETF was in the steering committee together with global partners from the Interagency working group on career guidance”, Mr. Kadletz states.
According to him, especially beneficial have been thematic inputs in ETF events from various representatives of national Euroguidance centers, to facilitate peer learning. Close coordination with the Euroguidance steering group has allowed access to matching speakers to share relevant inspirational practice.
“A recent example is a study visit in Austria for four newcomer countries, to exchange on national cooperation between the three Erasmus+ policy networks Euroguidance, Europass and EQF”, Eva Baloch-Kaloianov says.
Joint advocacy helped new countries join the Euroguidance network
As another highlight Florian Kadletz mentions the close cooperation and joint advocacy for extending Euroguidance membership to accession countries of the EU. These countries have been offered concrete assistance in questions like how to apply, followed by support in the “startup” phase. The advice and experiences of longer-time members have been valuable for newcomers and the ones aspiring to join.
“I see it as a way of ‘paying forward’ the benefits that we have received on our journey to becoming European Union Members”, comments Ilze Jansone.
“The European guidance community benefits as well from thinking about how and why we do what we do, when we share our experience in a new context,” Eva Baloch Kaloianov adds.
Serbia has been in the Euroguidance network since 2013. Their national center has participated in a number of cooperation efforts with ETF, such as speaking in courses and webinars and joining meetings with aspiring member countries.
“ETF can act as a mediator. It can support in the process of getting into the European programmes, as they know the systems of the country”, says the Head of Serbian Euroguidance centre, Marko Bankovic.
At the moment there are eight Euroguidance countries from the ETF area. In addition to Serbia; North Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey who have been members for a longer time, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine joined the network in 2024.
“This is a great success of this cooperation”, says Florian Kadletz.
Read also: Head of ETF Pilvi Torsti interview (Euroguidance Finland)
