Page 36 - euroguidance-highlights-2020

2.1 Cross Network Helping Career Guidance Counsellors
During the Pandemic
During 2020 the Lithuanian Euroguidance Centre
Cooperation concentrated on providing support for career
guidance counsellors, who work in schools. As a
result, two main actions were implemented:
October 2020 - Online seminar ‘From School Chair
to the Job Market: How to Prepare the Students?’
The seminar was organised in a collaboration
with Europass Lithuania and a Lithuanian career
specialists association. More than 200 teachers,
career specialists, social pedagogues and school
The Euroguidance network cooperates with other networks such as Europass, Public Employment psychologists participated in the seminar online.
Services (PES), the EQF-NCP, EURES, Eurodesk, NARIC, Europe Direct and Eurydice that all promote More than 850 viewers watched the video of the
tools that support common policy goals on a European level. Using joint efforts and synergies across conference later.
the networks is key to the successful outreach to European citizens. The pandemic struck regular A ‘professional package’ for career guidance
activities in this regard harder than others; as individual networks struggled solely to provide support counselors was sent to approximately 450 gym-
to their own direct stakeholders. However, as can be seen from the following examples, successful nasiums and schools at the end of November. The
and compassionate efforts were still made.
package contained a notebook with guidelines for
to all PES staff in order to protect the staff from career guidance lessons, a table game ‘Professions
COVID-19. This initiative was very much welcomed Lotto‘ with instructions (created by Euroguidance
Austrian Workshop ‘Mobile in Europe’ by the staff and the management of the PES. ambassador Virginija Jaruševičiūtė) and a postcard
with Euroguidance and Europass with a 2021 calendar.
International Cooperation to Promote
Euroguidance Austria continued its tradition in Awareness of Digital Guidance Services
contributing to the training of guidance counsel-
lors through workshops jointly held with Europass In 2020 the annual Euroguidance seminar devoted
Austria, where prospective counsellors receive to supporting career practitioners in Latvian higher
information about the benefits of European education institutions became virtual, cross-sec-
mobility and the opportunities offered by the toral, international and bilingual – all for the first
Erasmus+ programme. In May 2020 a ‘Mobile in time. The focus of the online meeting was to
Europe’ with Euroguidance and Europass workshop exchange experience in the delivery of remote
was provided online via Zoom for students at the guidance services and to foster awareness among
University College for Teacher Education of the university guidance practitioners of guidance
Federal Province Lower Austria, focussing on the services provided by public employment services.
features of the new Europass. Inspired by the German presidency conference on
the future of work and the level of digitization
Appreciating the Public Employment of German public employment services (PES),
Services Work During the COVID-19 Euroguidance Latvia reached out to Euroguidance
Pandemic Germany to invite presenters – PES colleagues
who provide guidance for university applicants,
It is not a surprise that the unemployment figures students and graduates – to share their working
are on the rise in Cyprus due to the COVID-19 methods and approaches. The Latvian PES have
pandemic and the lockdown measures that were also been recognized as a case example in the
introduced in March of 2020. Due to the negative 2018 CEDEFOP Handbook of ICT practices for
impact that the pandemic had on the Tourism Guidance and career development. The Latvian
and Entertainment industry in Cyprus, the rise of PES colleagues explained recent modifications
unemployment was imminent. During these hard to their services prompted by lockdown. Latvian
times the Public Employment Services (PES) were The Euroguidance Cyprus Centre, wished to show university colleagues described development of
on the front line, trying to help and register record its appreciation to the hard work that was done by new practices, including a new online career test,
numbers of new jobseekers, trying to find them the PES counsellors and all the people working at management of distance workflows, providing vir-
work, provide training and other active labour the PES, trying to help the ever increasing number tual tours to potential students, involving students
measures that were announced by the Cypriot of unemployed people in Cyprus. In that respect, in online mentorships, as well as the development
Government as a remedy to the closing down of Euroguidance Cyprus printed and disseminated a of a new career services model in collaboration
businesses and of economic activity. number of reusable face masks and face shields with students based on design thinking principles.

36 2. EUROGUIDANCE NATIONAL LEVEL ACTIVITIES 2. EUROGUIDANCE NATIONAL LEVEL ACTIVITIES 37