Page 7 - insights-autumn-2019

7

Certification of Career Guidance Counsellors

A long awaited development in raising the quality of guidance provision in Greece

The need for quality Creating an Occupational Profile

In the European context, Practitioner Competence A scientific study on accreditation of career
is central to the quality of service provision and guidance counsellors resulted in a Career
1
improvements. In Greece, the absence, so far, of Guidance Practitioner Occupational profile that was
a legal framework setting professional standards with the participation of social partners and
and requirements for people working as career responsible ministries and then accredited by
guidance counsellors means that people not EOPPEP according to a legal procedure set by a
having the necessary competence could offer ministerial Act. Acknowledging the different
career guidance services to the public without complexities of career guidance functions and
central control. EOPPEP, being the responsible levels of competence in practicing the professional
body of the Ministry of Education followed a roles of career guidance, the profile includes two
specific procedure for the certification of the levels of certification - basic and expert level
profession. professionals. It describes in detail all the primary
and secondary professional functions and tasks
that can be performed by the two levels, as well as
the necessary knowledge, skills and competences,
conditions of work, minimum criteria for performing
each task and alternative educational paths. The
profile is complemented by a modular Continuous
Training programme that can be used as a national
context for the evaluation of Continuous Training
programmes resulting in basic level certification.

LEVELS OF CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS PROFESSIONAL FUNCTIONS

Basic level professionals EQF 6 university degree Plans, organises and prepares career guidance
in any subject + Written provision
Examinations + On the
spot evaluation of a Face Provides Career Guidance services according to
to Face career guidance the specific needs of its clients
session
Assesses, reorganise and extends the access to
career guidance services

Supervises and assures quality of guidance
Expert level professionals EQF 6-8 university degrees
provision
in career guidance – No
examinations Conducts research and provides education in
career guidance
Promotes the development of career guidance tools

1 European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN). (2012) Life guidance policy development: A European Resource kit. University of Jyvaskyla, Finland and Finnish
�
Institute for Educational Research (FIER), Saarijarvi, Finland. Page 18, 50, 96-105