Euroguidance Cross Border Seminar held in June in Zagreb, Croatia
Author: Meri Vesanović, Euroguidance Croatia
Organised by the Euroguidance Centre Croatia, Zagreb hosted this year’s edition of the Euroguidance Cross Border Seminar. The international seminar, held from 3 to 5 June, brought together more than 70 European practitioners in the field of career guidance and counselling.
The objectives of the event
The seminar focused on the theme “Guidance in Vocational Education and Training (VET)”, with the goal of addressing specific context of vocational schools, where students have often already chosen a professional direction. The objective of the seminar was to bring attention to the key role of guidance in VET and to provide a platform for sharing tailored guidance strategies that respond to the diverse challenges VET students encounter. The seminar also encouraged participants to reflect on how to apply shared approaches in their own national and institutional contexts.
The shared knowledge
The seminar programme featured insightful keynote speeches from Croatian experts, accompanied by a panel discussion with international participants, offering diverse perspectives on vocational guidance and training in VET. Alongside the plenary sessions, the seminar offered 16 diverse workshops covering a broad range of relevant topics. All throughout the programme the importance of personalised and context-sensitive guidance in VET was emphasised. Alongside rich opportunities to learn and exchange, the participants recognised that VET students often face complex decisions related to their future, and effective guidance in this context helps them to better understand and grasp their options, particularly in navigating learning pathways and transitioning into labour.
How can that knowledge be used
The shared knowledge can help guidance practitioners in developing more student-centred approach while the practical tools from the workshops can be directly applied in their everyday work. The seminar’s Compendium, which collects all expert articles on topics covered in their workshops, will serve as a valuable resource for the ones that participated as well as for anyone interested in exploring guidance methods in VET more broadly.
The impact of the event
The seminar had a significant impact of the Euroguidance network by offering a comprehensive and multidimensional perspective into guidance in VET. The event reflected the diversity of VET systems across Europe by bringing together over 70 participants from 14 countries (Austria, Czechia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Ukraine and Croatia). Importantly, the seminar brought together experts from various sectors, including policymaking (such as CEDEFOP and national ministries), education and training institutions (both national and international schools), and private sector representatives. The wide representation enabled a rich and layered discussion, bridging a wider, European-level perspectives with national practices. Finally, the seminar reaffirmed the essential role of continued guidance in supporting VET students while strengthening international cooperation among different stakeholders in the Euroguidance network. Through its broad scope and active participation, the seminar made a meaningful contribution to shaping future developments in VET guidance policy and practice.
