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Digital self-service career guidance
The Swedish Public Employment Service has recently relaunched and expanded a digital self-service
package for career guidance. The package is now available for external parties, such as municipalities,
trade unions, social security organisations, regions and other authorities.
The package includes digital career guidance services
that can be of use for those who are unsure about
which profession to choose, those who want to know
more about the current labour market and those who
want to start studying or want to move on and take a
new step in their career. The package includes the
following parts:
Self-service career guidance
A tutorial explains how to make the best use of
the digital self-service package. It presents a
framework that connects the services and puts
them into context.
Interest guide
The interest guide consists of 12 questions. The
answers result in an interest profile with
suggestions for future careers. This service aims
to increase the individual's self-understanding
and shows how his or her interests map against
the labour market. At this stage, the user may
book an online meeting with a career guidance
counsellor. The interest guide is the beginning of
a process that naturally leads the user on to the
remaining services.
Find a profession
In this section, the user is able to access
information on
professional areas. The overview includes a
description of duties for each occupation, labour
market data and information on salaries, as well
as educational paths and requirements.
Profession and studies
On the Career Path Database page, the user is
supported in making conscious career choices,
based on both the individual's interests and con-
ditions, as well labour market demand and offers.
Preparation for COVID 19?
One of the projects identified as a priority by Euroguidance Malta was the strengthening of the
information and communication strategy with their stakeholders; guidance practitioners in the
education and employment sector, employers , national and public entities and other interested
partners involved in lifelong career guidance. Although Malta is a small country and news and
information does travel very quickly, information related to EG matters such as mobility issues, EU
updates on lifelong guidance and training opportunities for practitioners, may not be on everyone’s top
list of priorities. As every organisation has its own targets and priorities and is bombarded with
reports, studies and articles received through work correspondence or the social media, it is a
challenging endeavour to get your message through.
The first step was to upgrade the Euroguidance contact with their practitioners and clients? These
website, with the aim of providing information and initiatives are a good first response to the current
resources to guidance practitioners and educators in situation, but of course, the need to develop new ways
education and employment on the European of reaching out to the practitioners is felt more than
dimension of lifelong guidance. The web now ever. It has certainly shown how important it is to have
includes a section with resources that practitioners your communication and information strategy in place.
can use with their clients, especially during the Since the start of the pandemic Euroguidance Malta
current pandemic. It also aims to highlight career has been working on developing and using new ways
guidance initiatives in the Maltese scenario to the of connecting with stakeholders, in particular with
European community. students who are at a crossroads between futher
The package also includes other services to ensure as education and/or work. Besides communicating with
comprehensive a career guidance service as possible. A Euroguidance Facebook page was also launched, the latter, using school websites/Facebook pages,
For example, the user has access to forecasts of the presenting the latest information and developments telephone helplines and emails, Euroguidance Malta is
future labour market. There is detailed and in-depth on career guidance at the European level. A currently working on strengthening online one-to-one
data for different parts of the country to support the Facebook Group Page was opened, where sessions. This is all new but the hope is that, from a
user in choosing a profession with good prospects. interesting information related to international negative experience which has suddenly changed our
mobility and lifelong guidance of particular interest to lives, it is possible to develop new ways of operating,
the Maltese guidance community is posted – with the resulting in new knowledge which will provide the
Services can be used as part of a guidance session aim of enticing these same practitioners to also read necessary competences to work with the clients in the
more on the general Facebook page. It is hoped to 21 century.
st
have more participation in this initiative as many
The digital services can be used within a teaching and/
or guidance session together with clients. The user positive outcomes can result from such a discussion
forum.
can choose only one part or combine several. All
services are free of charge, continually developed, and
updated by the Swedish Public Employment Service. Hoping to find different ways to engage practitioners, Dorianne Gravina
350 occupations and 20 the first Euroguidance Malta Newsletter was
launched. This is a bi-annual newsletter from Euroguidance Malta
You can access the services here. Euroguidance Malta providing useful, relevant and
up-to-date information for all members of the
Questions about the services can be sent to product owner European Guidance community. The Newsletter also
Joachim Öjeryd: aims to give prominence to guidance initiatives and
[email protected] research studies conducted in Malta.
Were the Maltese preparing for the unexpected
COVID-19 pandemic without knowing it? Where they
prepared to respond to the current experience of
social distancing, working from home and limited
Nina Ahlroos
Euroguidance Sweden