Page 25 - Educational-Iceland

7. Other guidance services 8. Trends and perspectives

The list below does not give a complete picture of what is on offer but gives a general idea: The demand for educational and vocational guidance has multiplied during the last decades
l Local authorities have established cultural and information centres in some places which as study supply becomes more and more varied. In all the recommendations given to
are meant to serve local communities or special groups e.g. youth or senior citizens. In the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture on changes in education and training, it is
some cultural centres access is granted to computer facilities and information on various recommended that guidance be further strengthened.
opportunities are accessible. Professionals are contracted or work as volunteers within
these institutions. The largest such example of this is Hitt Húsið – an information and The demand for counsellors to be well trained in their field has also increased. With the
cultural centre for young people in Reykjavik, where educational and vocational guidance commencement of the Career Counselling and Guidance Education at the Department of
is offered e.g. along with other types of guidance, such as social work, birth control, Social Sciences of the University of Iceland in 1990, it became possible to study guidance
financing etc. and counselling as a separate subject. Since 2004 it has been possible to obtain a master’s
l Virk starfsendurhæfing is a special service for people who have left the labour market degree in the subject. Each year the number of students applying for these studies has far
because of health problems but wish to return in a new capacity. There, counsellors offer exceeded the places on offer.
various services, e.g. information on the possibilities which exist and what is necessary to
learn or do in order to achieve that. At the time of the writing of this pamphlet, a working group on guidance, had recently
l Several labour unions offer guidance services, both for people who are looking for a new delivered some proposals to the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture towards a new
job and people who want to study more in order to master their current position better. policy on guidance. The main recommendations are:

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