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Annexes

Annex 9: National legislation on lifelong guidance

In January 2012, Tribal Education Ltd., on behalf of major legislation on education, vocational edu-
the Croatian Employment Service (CES), invited Dr cation and training and/or employment, or in
Deirdre Hughes to produce a synopsis of legislation some form of regulation where the right of
on career guidance in EU member-states. Full details citizens to vocational counselling is formally
of the main findings are available on the ELGPN declared.
website. The findings draw upon desk research lit- • A number of countries do not have formal leg-
erature from within ELGPN, Cedefop, Euroguidance islation regarding career guidance, but prefer
and other sources such as EU resolutions and rel- to manage it within the context of civil service
evant reports. A total of at least 55 website searches rules and regulations of the respective educa-
were also undertaken in January-February 2012, fol- tion and employment departments.
lowed by email correspondence and data exchange • Widespread variation exists (even within coun-
with national experts in EU member-states. A total of tries) regarding the degree of legal specificity in
16 national experts provided responses on legislative relation to career education, career guidance,
arrangements in their respective countries. In some career information, career management skills,
cases, the range and depth of information was very practitioner competences and vocational edu-
detailed: where this occurred, the full text is provided cation and training.
in the appendices available on the ELGPN website. • Some countries have detailed strategic goals or
Sultana (2004) previously indicated that: frameworks for lifelong guidance, but in many
23
cases these are not directly linked to legislative
‘One of the key ways the State exercises its role as stra- measures specifically related to career guidance.
tegic manager of public services is through legislative • In a few cases, legislative measures address
mechanisms. These can stipulate the nature, extent, fre- career guidance but this is currently the excep-
quency and quality of a service that must be offered,
setting it out as an entitlement for all, or for specific tion rather than normative practice.
groups of citizens.’ • In many cases, client entitlements are not speci-
fied in such a way that entities failing to provide
It is useful to note that: the service, or to provide it adequately, are sus-
ceptible to legal action.
• Ministries in EU countries are structured dif- • Many EU countries are currently reviewing
ferently, though ministries of ‘education’ and existing legislative measures that include career
‘employment’ are usually the two main guaran- guidance strategies and services in response
tors of public career guidance services. to immediate political, economic and social
• Legislation for ‘career guidance’ (where this policy imperatives.
term is used) tends to be rather general in
nature and often embedded (or hidden) in The policy landscape is moving fast, with some
24
government departments downsizing and/or merg- Annexes
ing: this has resulted in the size, shape and nomen-
23 Sultana, R.G. (2004). Guidance Policies in the Knowledge Society: Trends, clature of government departments changing. New
Challenges and Responses across Europe, p.94. Cedefop Panorama management and delivery arrangements, legislation,
Series 85. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European
Communities. decrees and regulation are unfolding at a rapid pace
24 Ibid, p.12. in, for example, Greece, Hungary and Ireland. The

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