Page 4 - Euroguidance-highlights-2018

Foreword

Another year brings another wave of rapid change to our living, working and learning environments
and the publication that follows is testimony to the work of the Euroguidance Network to respond to
these changes. It paints a vivid picture of the work undertaken by the Network and its counsellors to
inspire support and inform individuals to embrace lifelong learning and dare to cross borders to build
their skills.
Working lives have always involved transitions: whether from school to work, changing jobs, going
“back to school” for further learning, or moving into retirement. The challenge of today’s transitions
is compounded by the global transformations under way – quick technological change, demographic
shifts and the urgent transition to a low-carbon economy.
Consequently, a traditional “linear” model of career progression is becoming a thing of the past. We
are in an increasingly fluid labour market in which people are moving around between jobs, between
careers, between employment statuses, in and out of learning and training. So lifelong guidance
becomes increasingly decisive to help people at all skills levels build both learning and work pathways,
enabling smoother labour market transitions and supporting employability. New technologies are
offering new opportunities, including for developing tailored lifelong guidance beyond schools and
education and training institutions, reaching into the workplace and community life.
Guidance can perhaps best be described as a link in the complex chain needed to deliver lifelong and
life-wide learning and working opportunities, and bringing together a diverse landscape of employ-
ment issues, education and training, social policy, integration, productivity and innovation.
At policy level, guidance is clearly a red thread running through recent EU employment and social
initiatives. Regarding guidance in practice, the picture is more nuanced: according to a recent Euroba-
rometer study only one in four people report having used a guidance service. So how can we ensure
that the opportunity to access lifelong guidance is available to all, regardless of age and skills levels?
At least three fields of work offer a way forward:
One is information: a better understanding of policies and practices, both nationally and at European
level.
Another is collaboration: opportunities to understand, adapt and adopt policies and practices for
different circumstances.
Thirdly, practical tools: ideally with funding attached, which make a difference in building up guidance
practices and reaching out to different communities.
The Commission has recently launched a study on “Lifelong Guidance” to look specifically at how
guidance can evolve to support labour market transitions. We want to better understand some of the
new guidance trends and technologies, and draw conclusions for future cooperation at European level.
The study will also serve to gather expertise on policies and practices in the EU, and is an opportunity
to deepen our reflections on lifelong and life-wide learning at EU-level with the lifelong guidance
community. Input from the Euroguidance Network will of course be warmly welcomed!
The new Europass initiative also opens up opportunities for lifelong guidance. The Europass portal is
already a well-visited site, with 2 million visitors per month. However, technology has dramatically
evolved since its creation. By early 2020, working together with Member States and stakeholders,
we aim to launch a new Europass portal with more modern tools, including links which steer users to
guidance services at national level. We also aim to better integrate skills intelligence into Europass.
Guidance practitioners and citizens should be able to understand the skills, trends and forecasts in their
field of interest.