Page 137 - Guiding-at-risk-youth-through-learning-to-work-Lessons-from-across-Europe

Guiding at-risk youth through learning to work
Lessons from across Europe

overnight and they have to be sufficiently resourced to provide a cohesive service
to young people.
Further, without appropriate investments to ensure access for all, some of
the most vulnerable young people will not benefit from the services of career
information centres. To tackle physical access barriers, the Polish authorities
have introduced mobile career information units that visit remote areas of the
country. The services of career information centres can also be promoted
through various other channels including outreach work (community based
partner organisations can play a particularly important role), information sessions
in schools and colleges, and advertising campaigns. However, it must be
acknowledged that publicity campaigns will not reach all young people and
therefore campaigns should always be complemented with more personal
approaches).
Ensuring access can also mean overcoming financial barriers. For example,
in the case of Connexions all calls from a landline to the personal advisers are
free and an adviser can ring the young person back on his/her mobile, to ensure
the cost of calls do not prevent access to the services. The helplines attached to
the Connexions service is also open outside typical office hours.
Personal advisers play a critical role in the success of many career
information centres. Young people form a strong relationship with the adviser and
may have more confidence to discuss wider issues aside from those linked to
education and employment. It is, however, essential that they provide advice that
is accurate, comprehensive, timely, realistic and readily understood by young
people (Department for Education and Skills, 2004). Where they do not have
specialist knowledge, they must be able to refer young people to someone who
can help them.

6.4.3. Extending the benefits of validation initiatives to at-risk groups
Validation of non-formal and informal learning can be used to support young
people to achieve a range of goals. Formative validation methods, developed
either by the public sector or third sector organisations or even private
companies, represent both a cost-effective and flexible approach to identifying
and recording skills and competences gained outside a formal learning sphere.
Young users can also record the types of activities they have been engaged in
and use them to consider future career options, so developing career
management skills. Validation can be used to support a range of different target
groups, including young people from vulnerable backgrounds, if the process is
supported and guided by trained professionals. It offers an opportunity to assist

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