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in training provision that might be related elsewhere in the country’s responses. Information
collected from national respondents varied considerably in length and in the amount of detail
offered – from a few words to several pages. While valuable in providing context for the rest of
the data provided, the responses do not themselves constitute a consistent basis from which to
explore changes in delivery; nor was this study resourced to do so.
In a minority of cases, response to this question explores national developments which
are hindering coherent progress in career guidance. As an example, in Italy a decree on
vocational training and career guidance in 2001 was intended to set a series of criteria,
including qualifications for career guidance staff. However, at about the same time another
government decree greatly increased devolution of powers to the regions and provinces. As
a result, it was agreed in 2002 that the regions would lead on defining and assessing the
credentials for people working in career guidance. Only a small number of regions have
commenced this work, and not in coordination with one another. Thus Italy remains at some
distance from an agreed national framework for training and for services to the public.
Those countries that joined the EU in 2004 subsequently gained greater access to EU
funds and involvement in transnational projects, a proportion of which have either been
directly addressed to career guidance issues, or have paid attention to career guidance as
an adjunct to their primary focus on other aspects of employment or learning. Some
countries, such as Slovakia, report the impact of these funding sources. Slovakia has been
an EU Member State since May 2004. Since its accession, many more opportunities have
emerged to develop areas that needed investment, including human resources. Sectoral
operational plan human resources (2004-06) allowed finance from the European Social Fund
for, among other things, training activities, including opportunities in training for practitioners
in career guidance and counselling. During the last two to three years, hundreds of
educational advisers from elementary and secondary schools have been trained throughout
the country.
There are several references by other recently-joined Member States to the further
development of career guidance through future programmes for the use of EU structural
funds through to 2013. Significant projects have also been supported by World Bank funding
programmes and, on a smaller scale, by United States aid for international development
(USAID) programmes. The increased diversity in delivery, particularly through dispersed
networks, is mirrored by numerous references by training providers to a greater variety in the
employment destination of their course completers, and in the employers served by their
in-service training programmes.
The increased levels of activity would benefit from the concurrent development of
quality-assurance processes, in which concern for the calibre and competence of staff
should be a central strand. Such quality-assurance systems need to consider the overall
effectiveness of career guidance services, particularly with regard to client competences (see
Section 5.2.), and to begin to produce an evidence base which could provide feedback to
inform the further development of training provision for career guidance practitioners.

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