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Broadening access to learning in the workplace 49

continuing training that the company may not be able to satisfy; this may make
them wish to change employer. In a period of economic downturn, or when a
particular sector is in decline, such initiatives may seem superfluous, especially
if employers are freezing recruitment or making people redundant. When a
company is successful or faces a competitive labour market, employers are
more likely to be interested in providing guidance and career development
opportunities, combined with training, as part of a broader human resources
strategy for attracting and retaining proficient employees.
Despite potential benefits, a number of challenges hold back the develop-
ment of guidance services specifically adapted to employed adults. First,
in a working context, guidance related activities tend to be short-term and
narrowly conceived, leading to the acquisition of formal qualifications or skill
development for the current work tasks; there is no real focus on maintaining
employability and keeping the ability to learn. Second, to provide appropriate
services for companies and their employees, public employment services,
which are still a major guidance provider for adults, need a broad spectrum
of knowledge, including specialised knowledge of the labour market and the
sectors prevailing in the local economy. Finally, career guidance professionals
are not used to working in companies and lack specific knowledge of human
resources processes, changes in sectors, occupations and work organisation,
and new skill demands.
Those who could benefit most from guidance services, because of their
lower education and more vulnerable position in the labour market, are of-
ten the least likely to receive guidance support. As with continuing training,
guidance and career development opportunities in enterprises tend to fo-
cus on individuals in managerial positions or belonging to ‘talent groups’ of
employees, who tend to be those with higher qualifications, reinforcing the
assumption that ordinary employees do not have a career (Cedefop, 2008a,
p. 36-40). Most other employees are expected to take responsibility for their
own professional development, and manage by themselves their learning and
working pathways. Given that guidance and counselling are a stepping stone
for adults to return to education and training, and to achieve their learning
goals successfully, human resources policies can reinforce inequalities in
participation in learning, qualification levels and age. Employers justify their
focus on a small cohort of employees, quoting scarce resources and the need
to obtain a return from investment, despite the fact that broader provision of
career development opportunities could allow them to retain a more skilled
and motivated workforce. It is through national recovery plans to overcome
the present economic downturn, and within strategies for skill upgrading, that