Page 70 - Professionalising-career-guidance-practitioner-competences-and-qualification-routes-in-Europe

4.6.5. Course teaching methods

At the University of Łódź, e-learning is not used for this course. Students use e-mail to
communicate with tutors and students, to access course materials and to participate in
discussion forums online, but there is no virtual learning environment.
The postgraduate course at the University of Łódź includes a one-month work-experience
placement which usually takes place during the holiday between the second and third
semesters. It can be at a variety of locations, including:
• a school where a careers counsellor is employed;
• a human resources (HR) division of a company;
• a careers centre;
• a labour office.
The contact at the location, who organises the placement – generally the employer or
careers counsellor in a school – will write an assessment of the student. The learners
complete a diary about their experiences on a daily basis, which is subsequently read by the
tutor and discussed with the student. Experience gained at the placement can be used in
writing the final 30/40-page thesis, which can be based around a practical theme such as
‘developing a policy to promote career guidance in schools’.

4.6.6. Coverage of labour market, occupational and other opportunity information

The postgraduate course at the University of Łódź is divided into a number of subjects
delivered partly through lectures and partly through workshops. Labour market information is
covered in knowledge of occupations and the world of work, and vocational information
management. Students also deliver a presentation on the job market.
The syllabus is updated regularly to take account of new challenges. The topic ‘working
with the older population’ was recently added to try to combat discrimination experienced by
older people in the labour market. Similarly, issues around entry to the labour market are
explored through the topic of multiculturalism.
Learners are introduced to a range of sources of information, both electronic and hard
copy, including:
• relevant websites on the Internet;
• information provided by the Ministry of Labour, notably an extensive database of
occupational information updated annually.
Students may need to draw on sources of LMI for their thesis and to prepare materials for
working with groups or individuals.

4.6.7. Professional identity

Students on the postgraduate course at the University of Łódź will join the programme with a
master’s degree in a specific discipline such as pedagogy but, by the end of the programme,
they will see themselves more as career specialists. Joining the career counsellors’
professional association, and meeting other specialists from other settings, reinforces this
concept of a separate identify as a specialist career counsellor, which is a relatively new
profession in Poland.

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