Page 79 - Guiding-at-risk-youth-through-learning-to-work-Lessons-from-across-Europe

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

work in practice: how young people’s participation is monitored, who is
responsible for contacting early school leavers, how the first contact is made and
what type of support is offered to young people.

Tracking and delivering targeted support for early school leavers,
Denmark
Municipalities in Denmark have a legal responsibility to contact young people under the age of 25
who have dropped out of mainstream education. Although the tracking provision has been in
place for some time, it was not stringently enforced until the 2003 Guidance in Education Act.
This Act extended municipalities’ obligation to contact young people through the youth guidance
centres (Ungdommens Uddannelsesvejledning, YGCs), increasing in frequency from twice a year
to a limitless number of contacts or until the young person decides they no longer want to be
contacted.

Overall responsibility for tracking young people rests with YGCs, which are regulated and funded
by the municipalities. Guidance counsellors are employed by YGCs but are often based in
schools and have specific responsibility for tracking young people who have dropped out of
school.

The tracking process begins with preventive work carried out in schools through the YGC
guidance counsellors. Mandatory guidance activities are organised for all pupils from the sixth to
the ninth year of school and throughout general and vocational secondary education. However,
guidance during this period is largely aimed at pupils at risk of early school leaving. The
Guidance counsellor meets with at-risk young people on an individual basis in school.
Discussions largely focus on the young person’s thoughts about their future, what they are
interested in, and any particular education programmes they would like to follow. Other issues or
problems may also be discussed. During the guidance process, the young person keeps a
logbook, where they can record their interests and discover their own identity; as they progress,
the logbook entries begin to focus on education and training and the future.

The tracking process begins when the guidance counsellor uses an electronic database to
monitor young people whom they consider at risk, or young people who have dropped out of
school or an education programme. If there is no information on the school the young person is
attending, or if a teacher records that a young person has dropped out, the guidance counsellor
will contact them.

Guidance counsellors have the freedom to choose how they will contact the young person and
the timing of each contact. The first contact tends to be ‘light touch’ and friendly, for example
through a postcard, although a range of more contemporary communications methods have also
been piloted (e.g. Facebook). This initial contact is followed up by a formal letter to remind the
young person that they have a right to pursue education and training. The next step is to make a
telephone call to the young person at home and perhaps to talk to their guardians. If this does
not work, a letter is sent to their guardians and finally, the last resort is to visit the young person
at home. This is not a favoured action as it is considered too intrusive.

During the discussion with the guidance counsellor, the young person is reminded of the right to
pursue education and training. The reasons the young person dropped out of a particular
education programme may also be discussed. Guidance counsellors present the benefits of
education and training and future prospects. They have a bank of knowledge about programmes
and can identify the most appropriate for the young person. They may suggest mainstream
education and training provisions, specific programmes or certain types of schools, such as
production schools (produktionsskolerne).

73