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Career Guidance in the Life Course – Structures and Services in Germany
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6. Quality and professionalism Since 2012 the German “Society for Information, Guid-

in career guidance and ance and Therapy at Universities” (GIBeT) offers a train-
counselling ing certificate for guidance practitioners in higher edu-
cation (www.gibet.de/fortbildungszertifikat.html).
Issues of professionalism and quality in career guidance have
recently gained importance due to the increased awareness Several professional associations refer to the “Ethical
of the role of guidance in implementing lifelong learning Standards” and the “International Competences for Guid-
strategies. The Federal Government’s “Conception for Life- ance Practitioners” of the International Association for Edu-
long Learning” (2008) accordingly highlights the importance cational and Vocational Guidance (IAEVG 1995, 2003).
of transparency, easy access and quality of guidance and the
qualification requirements for guidance practitioners (Bun- Some Länder, regional authorities and municipalities have
desministerium für Bildung und Forschung (b), 2008). introduced obligatory standard systems of quality assurance
for the guidance services they fund. For example, in Hessen
6.1 Quality standards and quality assurance the quality mark for guidance “audited educational guidance
organisation” identifies good quality. In several regions the
In Germany there are a number of sector-specific or pro- Learner- and Client-oriented Quality Certificate (LQW)
vider-specific quality standards and quality assurance sys- is used, as for example in Berlin and Lower Saxony.
tems in operation. However, no generally agreed quality
standards which are applicable in all sectors of guidance in The German National Guidance Forum in Education, Ca-
education, career and employment are in place. Moreover, reer and Employment (nfb) developed general, cross-secto-
only a few legal regulations guarantee minimum stand- ral quality standards and a competence profile for guidance
ards of quality in guidance, since they mostly refer to the practitioners as well as a quality development tool for or-
citizen’s entitlement to guidance but not to how guidance ganisations. In this process relevant actors and stakeholders
should be delivered. from policy, research and practice collaborated as part of
an “open process of co-ordination for quality develop-
The basic standards for career guidance formu- ment in career guidance” (www.beratungsqualitaet.
lated in Social Code III for the provision of guidance by EAs net) from 2009 to 2014. The project was carried out in co-
require that the individual’s autonomy and the recognition operation with the Institute for Educational Science at the
of the client’s aptitudes, interests and abilities as well as his University of Heidelberg; it was funded by the Federal Minis-
or her social environment and the general labour market try of Education and Research.
prospects are considered. The law requires that the kind
and intensity of guidance service depend on the individual 6.2 Professional status, education and
client’s needs. Confidentiality and impartiality are also ba- training of guidance practitioners
sic standards. In addition, the FEA and the Job Centres have
defined more detailed quality guidelines for vocational As in the case of quality assurance, there is no legal regula-
guidance and case management in their own contexts. tion of the qualifications, training and professional status
of career guidance practitioners and counsellors in Ger-
However, in the growing private and semi-private sec- many. Each sector or provider of guidance defines its own
tor, no general requirements for quality or qualification of requirements – normally a higher education degree (Bach-
staff are yet in place. Some providers and professional elor or Master) and some additional further training are a
associations have established their own standards, e.g.: prerequisite.
The German Association for Vocational and Educational
Guidance (Deutscher Verband für Bildungs­ und Berufs­ School-based guidance and counselling usually
beratung e.V., dvb) has set up a guidance practitioners requires teacher training and some additional guidance-re-
register (BerufsBeratungsRegister) where counselling lated further training. The Länder define the requirements
practitioners who fulfil defined quality standards can be and provide for the training. School psychologists have a
registered and listed http://www.bbregister.de. Master’s degree in psychology and in some Länder a teach-
The German Association for Counselling (Deutsche ing qualification, too.
Gesellschaft für Beratung e.V.) accepted in 2009
”Essentials for continuing education in counselling” The Federal Employment Agency runs its own Univer-
(Essentials für Weiterbildung in Beratung/Counselling) sity of Applied Sciences (Hochschule der Bundesagentur
including professional standards for quality and service für Arbeit, HdBA) where career counsellors study a three-
delivery http://www.dachverband-beratung.de. year multi-disciplinary Bachelor programme which closely
links theory to practice in the local Employment Agencies.