Page 5 - euroguidance-insight-newsletter-2013-spring

context which, by definition, strives ties that are not of our own making. serve citizens not only effectively,
on exclusion? But it is precisely by accepting to en- but also honestly.
These are difficult questions, and it gage with these perplexing ques-

would be dishonest and foolhardy of tions in ways that recognize their
Prof. Ronald G. Sultana
me to claim the moral high ground, moral, ethical, and political nature,
as if I had a monopoly of wisdom rather than their merely technical
Prof. Sultana is Director of the Euro-Mediterranean
and virtue. These are tough ques- one, that we can claim that ours is a Centre for Educational Research at the University of
tions, which are not susceptible to profession. Let us by all means Malta. The article is a summary of the speech held on
recipe-type answers, but which re- strengthen career guidance, but let the European Presidency Conference in October 2012
at Larnaka/Cyprus.
quire much soul-searching and delib- us do so by taking seriously the
eration as we critically revisit our overall context we are operating in
policies and practices in our field which might, despite all our good
and to make sense of complex reali- intentions, jeopardize our desire to

National Career Counselling Award

The National Career Counselling
Award (NCCA) is an initiative run-
ning in several Euroguidance Cen-
tres to support the local guidance
and counselling community. In the
Czech Republic and Slovakia it was
started in 2009 and 2013 is the
fifth year of this initiative.
The award has several goals. Firstly,
it is a means of mapping career
guidance and counselling services
providers and individual achieve-
ments in this field. This is important
especially in countries where the NCCA. Within the Czech Republic disadvantaged) participated. The
structure of guidance services is not the first year of the contest was fo- contest in 2011 was focused on how
clearly defined. Secondly, the NCCA cused on the detection of existing career guidance and counselling ser-
helps to connect providers of career services provided by career counsel- vices are presented by their provid-
services across different sectors and lors. In 2010, the specific aspects of ers on the internet, including ques-
enables them to learn from each the guidance process were award- tions such as what the quality and
other and/or establish further mutu- ed. The contest in 2011 has reflect- attractiveness of information on
al cooperation. Moreover, it enables ed one of the key topics in present these services is for Users.
wider discussion on career guidance guidance : Career Management
Records from previous years of the
and counselling and spread aware- Skills.
contest provide a huge amount of
ness about this topic. Finally, the The Slovak contest has a different information describing career guid-
National Career Counselling Award
history. In 2009, the contest fo- ance and counselling in the Czech
supports providers of career guid- cused on how secondary schools Republic and Slovakia, e. g. presen-
ance and counselling services,
support the transition of their grad- tation of services, methodology,
awards and honours them, provides
uates from school to work through ethics, measurement of impacts,
publicity and offers several prizes (e. guidance and counselling activities etc. In 2011, a DVD with a presenta-
g., for winners in the Czech Republic
in cooperation with public employ- tions of tools and methods of
participation at the study visit to
ment services. In 2010 the contest awarded organisations in the Czech
Swedish institutions and organisa- had no specific topic. Various career National Career Counselling Award
tions active in the career guidance
guidance and counselling services was created. It shows a wide range
and counselling area).
providers for school population and of career counselling activities in the
Since the beginning, there has been adults on the labour market Czech Republic, such as services for
visible, ongoing development of the (including employed people and the students, parents after parental