Page 84 - Professionalising-career-guidance-practitioner-competences-and-qualification-routes-in-Europe

6. The competence framework

6.1. Overview of the competence framework

6.1.1. Purpose
This competence framework for career guidance practitioners is intended to offer a generic
description which incorporates all the activities needed to deliver career guidance as defined
in the OECD review of career guidance and public policy (OECD, 2004). The purpose of the
competence framework is to provide a working tool to support guidance practitioners and
policy-makers in developing national and sectoral frameworks, quality-assurance tools and
professional standards. It provides the starting point for development and experimentation in
Member States, and can be enhanced through cooperative projects to test its validity further
and to design methods for its use. More detailed commentary on potential uses of the
competence framework follows in Section 7.

6.1.2. Conceptual background and potential uses
The framework comprises three interlinked sets of competence statements. The concepts
behind these, including discussion of how they draw on the career guidance practitioner’s
knowledge, skills and personal values, are discussed at some length in Section 5. Potential
uses for the competence framework are discussed in Section 7.

6.1.3. Language, interpretation and definitions
Both translation and interpretation issues are covered in detail in Section 5.3. The working
definitions of competence and of career guidance are reproduced, for ease of reference, in
this section immediately before the framework.

6.1.4. Contexts and conditions
There is a move towards convergence in policies relating to lifelong learning and lifelong
guidance across the EU, but conditions for the delivery of career guidance services vary
considerably between Member States, reflecting their cultural and economic traditions and
heritage. At any point in time, countries also differ in economic circumstances and labour
market conditions, and for each country these circumstances change over time. Such
variations have an important impact on the ways in which career guidance is delivered.
Each element of the competence framework gives indications of the ‘contexts and
conditions’ that users of the framework should define for their own situation. Contextual
issues will apply at national and regional level, reflecting available national resources and
current labour market conditions, and also at sectoral level. ‘Sectors’, for career guidance
services, most frequently relate to the organisation delivering the service, such as schools,
VET institutions, the public employment service, higher education, adult education,
community projects, or employing organisations. Each will have its policies and practices,
and necessary resources will differ, reflecting the needs of users of the career guidance

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