This fascinating Thematic Paper, published 2025 by the European Commission - DG EMPLOYMENT, SOCIAL AFFAIRS, AND INCLUSION, reviews the evolving role of the Public Employment Services (PES) in the prevention of unemployment through career counselling and upskilling of employees. Helping workers at risk of unemployment to make job-to-job transitions has ... Read More
Category: Regions
29
Apr2025
FINNISH NATIONAL AGENCY FOR EDUCATION 2023
The provision of guidance counselling in Finland is based on the structure of its education system where basic education encompasses the age range of 7 to 16 years followed by transition to either upper secondary, vocational education and training, or work and independent living. Finland ... Read More
April 29, 2025John McCarthy
20
Mar2025
Career guidance professionals in Sri Lanka have long been members of the ICCDPP community, including participating as a country team in the ICCDPP International Symposia on career guidance and public policy. Hence, it is of great pleasure to see how such participation has contributed to enriching national public policy debate ... Read More
March 20, 2025John McCarthy
13
Mar2025
OECD Working paper 2024 based on PISA 2022 results
This working paper is a salutary reminder of the challenges of translating good policy and systems intentions into effective mechanisms for developing teenagers' career visualisations and plans for the future. It is based on the analysis of responses of 62 schools and 2138 ... Read More
March 13, 2025John McCarthy
21
Jan2025
ICCDPP and the World Association of Public Employment Services (WAPES) undertook a joint survey of career guidance provision in public employment services worldwide in late 2024. The survey examined public policies driving the provision of career guidance and their implementation through organisational programmes and priorities. It looked at main user ... Read More
January 21, 2025John McCarthy
03
Dec2024
The Quality Framework for Career Information, Advice, and Guidance (New Zealand) is the most recent addition to an impressive set of documents produced by the Tertiary Education Commission to improve the provision of career guidance for all of the population of New Zealand. The TEC engaged Dr Lynette Reid, an eminent ... Read More
December 3, 2024John McCarthy
25
Oct2024
RATIONALE
A very impressive National Careers System Strategy (NCSS) has been developed by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), New Zealand, to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the careers system. Economic and structural changes arising from COVID-19 provided the impetus for the refresh. The review allowed for alignment with government priorities ... Read More
October 25, 2024John McCarthy
30
Sep2024
A well known axiom of good policy development is first consult with the target group for whom the policy is being developed to get an idea of their contexts, existing experiences, behaviour, motivations, life values, perceptions, and advice. Transitions from Secondary School is an excellent research report of the New Zealand ... Read More
September 30, 2024John McCarthy
02
Sep2024
This is a welcome initiative involving UNICEF for the first time in an international research study (in cooperation with ETF) of young people’s career learning needs, the means to address these, their educational and occupational aspirations, key factors in their choices, and their current sources of career learning support. Nine ... Read More
September 2, 2024John McCarthy
21
Aug2024
Background
Following the recent general election in England, the duly elected Labour Party has a strong focus on skills and improving productivity but is hampered by 13 years rule by a conservative government that had different ideas and goals. The situation is made worse by England’s relatively poor economic growth ... Read More
August 21, 2024John McCarthy
27
Jun2024
This excellent Powerpoint presentation by Ms Nozuko Mfenyana, Project Manager, Career Development Services Systems Coordination, Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), at the recent NICDS Policy Dialogue, describes the challenges of implementing government career guidance policy in South Africa.
Policy, strategy, systems, and practice are key components of career guidance ... Read More
June 27, 2024John McCarthy
30
May2024
This is an excellent Powerpoint presentation on lifelong guidance in Finland, created by representatives of two ministries (Ms Ulla-Jill Karlsson, Ministry of Education and Culture and Ms Anna Toni, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment), and presented recently online at a National Conference on Career Development in South Africa organised ... Read More
May 30, 2024John McCarthy
27
Apr2024
Canada is one of many countries where the career guidance sector is unregulated and not organized at a national level, with no universal application of consistent job titles, sector member definitions, or sector data tracking systems. Policymakers, employers, and the public know very little about the sector. Provincial and territorial ... Read More
April 27, 2024John McCarthy
21
Feb2024
SUPPORTING EMPLOYABILITY AND POVERTY REDUCTION
Among the many challenges facing career guidance policies, systems, and practices are those of showing proof that career guidance has a very positive effect on people's lives in concrete terms such as obtaining employment and improving their socio-economic circumstances. Canada provides us with two recent evidenced-based ... Read More
February 21, 2024John McCarthy
23
Jan2024
Public Employment Services (PES) play a critical role in active labour market policies, helping to match jobseekers with job opportunities, and supporting job changers. Matching is not a straight forward activity. The skills demanded by employers e.g. in emerging jobs, may not be those held by jobseekers. Moreover, jobseekers are ... Read More
January 23, 2024John McCarthy
23
Jan2024
The CIP theory of career choice concerns the application of general principles of cognitive information processing to making and implementing career choices.
The recently published “Cognitive Information Processing: Career Theory, Research, and Practice” aims to improve the integration of cognitive information processing (CIP) theory, research, and practice, leading to more cost-effective ... Read More
January 23, 2024John McCarthy
23
Oct2023
Glossaries are timebound and culturally bound compilations that enable communications within a field of of academic discipline, between professionals, and between professions and society. In the field of career guidance, glossaries have been developed by national associations of career practitioners to facilitate national and sectoral (education, training, employment, social) professional ... Read More
October 23, 2023John McCarthy
12
Sep2023
INNOVATION: CAREER EXPLORATION THROUGH THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM
FOR STUDENTS AGED 15-16 YEARS
The Department of Education in Ireland has a unique one-year school programme that bridges the gap between junior and senior cycle education, known as the Transition Year Programme (TYP). It represents a radical systems experiment whereby one whole year in the middle ... Read More
September 12, 2023John McCarthy
08
Sep2023
Career guidance provision for adults has long been recognised as the weakest link in the chain in lifelong guidance careers services and systems in most countries. This is paradoxal as we spend most of our lives in adulthood, experiencing multiple transitions in work and life roles, and trying to balance ... Read More
September 8, 2023John McCarthy
22
Jul2023
ENGLAND: JULY 2023
Career guidance has a century long rich history and tradition of theory and practice innovation in England. The consistency of such developments over time stands in stark contrast to its value and interest to policy makers and developers which fluctuate constantly in government policies for education, training, and ... Read More
July 22, 2023John McCarthy
22
Jun2023
SKILLS IN LATIN AMERICA REPORT: OECD 2023
This interesting report highlights some of the challenges and opportunities facing governments and societies in several Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries. Despite remarkable recent increases in enrollment, school completion, and educational attainment, these countries lag behind in skills development among both secondary school students ... Read More
June 22, 2023John McCarthy
30
Apr2023
This article describes a qualitative study of the experiences, understandings, and conceptions of lifelong guidance systems of a sample of career experts based in different work settings, and mainly in European countries. It aims to elucidate how such systems develop and to identify features of effective systems and of their future ... Read More
April 30, 2023John McCarthy
29
Mar2023
FOR NEETS, EARLY SCHOOL LEAVERS, AND STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES
AN EMPOWERMENT BASED APPROACH
"Nothing succeeds like observed success" is a phrase that I learned from my professor of applied psychology back in the 1970s! These words came to mind again in recent interactions with Pascal Chaumette, the director of ID6, a ... Read More
March 29, 2023John McCarthy
28
Jan2023
Jens Bjornavold worked for many years at CEDEFOP as a lead international expert on the interrelationships between education, training, and the labour market, the changing nature and role of vocational education and training, the role of learning outcomes and competences in reforming education and training policies, and the continuous development ... Read More
January 28, 2023John McCarthy
19
Jan2023
The Department of Education, Ireland, has just published a Consultation Paper on a national framework for lifelong guidance provision. It provides a brief overview of existing career guidance provision, a rationale for a national lifelong system, a vision for a high functioning system, some guiding principles, and four strategic pillars. It offers readers ... Read More
January 19, 2023John McCarthy
02
Jan2023
THE ROLE OF CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING
EU REVIEW 2022
This CEDEFOP report maps the existing career guidance and counselling policies and practices supporting learners at risk and early leavers from vocational education and training in the 27 EU countries plus the UK. It analyses the key characteristics of these policies and practices, identifies ... Read More
January 2, 2023John McCarthy
24
Dec2022
NEW BOARD MEMBERS FOR ICCDPP
Following a worldwide public recruitment campaign, ICCDPP has appointed 4 new members to augment and enrich the knowledge, skills and experience of the Board of ICCDPP in the pursuit of its mission and goals. The new members are:
Dr David Fretwell:
Dr. Fretwell’s primary area of experience ... Read More
December 24, 2022John McCarthy
20
Dec2022
This interesting and well researched review report of career guidance provision in Viet Nam covers all the bases that one would expect using the career guidance systems review model recently developed by the ILO. Thus, the legal instruments and their applications are well described as are the ministry roles and those of ... Read More
December 20, 2022John McCarthy
01
Nov2022
The National Guidance Forum of Germany aims to promote the professional delivery of guidance in education, vocational training and employment sectors in Germany, to give stimulation for the (further)development of guidance services which meet the different needs of the users, to develop guidelines for quality and quality assurance of services and practices, and ... Read More
November 1, 2022John McCarthy
24
Jun2022
This well-intentioned joint ILO ETF publication acknowledges the socio-economic context of Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), particularly infrastructure, geography, demographics, migration and emigration, attitudes and values, gender and age expectations, and participation in and the role of the informal economy. It identifies key elements or reference points for the development ... Read More
June 24, 2022John McCarthy
24
Jun2022
In 2009, CEDEFOP undertook landmark research Professionalising Career Guidance into the roles of career practitioners in EU Member States and into their initial and continuing training and qualifications. Based on the research findings, CEDEFOP proposed a competence framework for career practitioners while recognising that career practitioner roles were not homogenous between ... Read More
June 24, 2022John McCarthy
24
Jun2022
This succinct and comprehensive Briefing Note draws attention to the importance of career practitioner professionalism in career guidance delivery, to the need to continually redefine practitioner competences and occupational profiles in response to societal and technological changes, and consequently the need for continuing government investment in re-skilling and up-skilling of practitioners ... Read More
June 24, 2022John McCarthy
23
Jun2022
There are many things that the Scots get right at a policy level: the importance of youth engagement between ages 16 to 24 years in learning, work, and other societally productive activity; the need to provide additional career learning support to disadvantaged youth to enable them to visualise and plan ... Read More
June 23, 2022John McCarthy
23
Jun2022
هناك العديد من الأمور التي يفهمها الأسكتلنديون تماماً على مستوى السياسات:
أهمية انخراط الشباب بين 16 و24 سنة بالتعلم والأنشطة الأخرى المُنتجة اجتماعياً، والحاجة الى تأمين دعم إضافي للتعليم المهني للشباب لجعلهم قادرين على تخطيط وتصور مستقبلهم في العمل والمجتمع، والحاجة الدائمة لمراجعة وتعديل سياسات وأنظمة الخدمات المهنية بالتشاور مع أصحاب ... Read More
June 23, 2022John McCarthy
23
Jun2022
تملك فنلندا واحداً من أفضل موارد أنظمة التوجيه المهني المدرسي حول العالم، حيث يُعتبر التعليم المهني جزءاً متكاملاً وإلزامياً من المنهج المدرسي، وتبلغ نسبة الطالب الى ممارس توجيه مهني المدرسي 350:1.
بالتالي، من الطبيعي ان تملك مؤسسات التعليم العالي والمستمر في فنلندا (بما في ذلك التعليم والتدريب التقني والمهني TVET) معدلات ... Read More
June 23, 2022John McCarthy
23
Jun2022
In July 1966, the European Commission issued a Recommendation on Career Guidance to the then 6 Member States which highlighted in its first article the importance of annual monitoring and evaluation of career guidance services for young people and adults at national level. Such evaluation was intended to provide an evidence base to support the development of ... Read More
June 23, 2022John McCarthy
23
Jun2022
USEFUL LINKS AND TOOLS FOR WORKING WITH REFUGEES
EU Skills Profile for Third Country Nationals
https://ec.europa.eu/migrantskills/#/
This tool is intended for persons and organisations in the EU who work with refugees.
It helps to map the skills, qualifications and work experiences of third country nationals
and to give them personalised advice on further steps,
e.g., a ... Read More
June 23, 2022John McCarthy
23
Jun2022
TRANSFORMING CAREERS SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS
Northern Ireland, with a population of 1.9 million is located on the island of Ireland and forms an integral political part "home country" of the United Kingdom for over 100 years. It also currently benefits from being part of the EU's Single Market, ... Read More
June 23, 2022John McCarthy
23
Jun2022
As vice President for North America for the International Vocational Education and Training Association (IVETA) I would like to alert ICCDPP members of the International Conference of IVETA in December 2022. IVETA has a MOU of cooperation with ICCDPP, and the Chairperson of ICCDPP, Sareena Hopkins (CCDF, Canada) is a ... Read More
June 23, 2022John McCarthy
01
Jun2021
This UCAS publication (April 2021) explores the reasons for choice of degree subjects of UK higher education students and applicants, and maps their decision-making journeys from primary through secondary school. It also explores the barriers and challenges they faced in the decision-making process. Based on the responses of 64,600 higher education ... Read More
June 1, 2021John McCarthy
23
Apr2021
ETF published 2 volumes under this title in Autumn 2020.
In Volume 1, the authors, from their perspectives, identify and describe 4 mega-trends in career guidance: the use of ICT for career guidance delivery; career learning-the teaching and acquisition of career management skills; inter-ministerial coordination and cooperation in policy and ... Read More
April 23, 2021John McCarthy
09
Apr2021
CEDEFOP is inviting applications for expressions of interest in participating as a CareersNet independent, voluntary national expert in lifelong guidance and career development. It aims to select one core national expert for each country, as well as alternate experts who can serve in national reference groups.Eligible countries are all countries ... Read More
April 9, 2021John McCarthy
05
Jan2021
JOINT RESEARCH REPORT: ICCDPP, OECD, UNESCO, ILO, EC, CEDEFOP, ETF
This report, recently published through CEDEFOP, captures changes in career guidance policies, systems and practices arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, as observed across 93 countries globally between the end of June and the beginning of August 2020.The research findings show that career ... Read More
January 5, 2021John McCarthy
14
Dec2020
‘Towards European standards for monitoring and evaluation of lifelong guidance systems and services’
CEDEFOP has just launched a call for papers for a reference publication on the monitoring and evaluation of career guidance systems and services for adults, entitled ‘Towards European standards for monitoring and evaluation of lifelong guidance systems and services’ which can be downloaded here: https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/2020_11_16_call_for_papers_cedefop_careersmonitoring.pdf
Contributions will be used for developing a ... Read More
December 14, 2020John McCarthy
21
Oct2020
October 21, 2020John McCarthy
03
Apr2020
There are at least two categories of workers who continue to show up for work during this pandemic: those whose jobs do not permit them to work at a distance from home and who can't risk losing their jobs and income; and those whose jobs are critical to the functioning ... Read More
April 3, 2020John McCarthy
03
Apr2020
The provision of career guidance/learning in schools in many countries has been impacted by COVID-19. Schools and career practitioners have had to adapt to providing online support for students. These Guidelines just published by the Department of Education and Skills (Ireland) provide advice to guidance counsellors on how to manage ... Read More
April 3, 2020John McCarthy
23
Mar2020
SECTION 3 D - EDUCATION AND PRE-EMPLOYMENT TRAINING"Ensure provision of vocational, labour market and career information and guidance and employment counselling, supplemented by information on the rights and obligations of all concerned under labour-related laws and other forms of labour regulation"All member countries of the International Labour Organisation signed up to ... Read More
March 23, 2020John McCarthy
23
Mar2020
The previous post highlighted the OECD PISA 2018 findings on the impact of social class on the job expectations, career aspirations, and career planning of young people, in particular the negative impact for disadvantaged young people.This special report from the NYT (February 2020) gives a concrete example of how a Careers Centre ... Read More
March 23, 2020John McCarthy
29
Jun2025
CAREER GUIDANCE AND VET – EUROPEAN UNION POLICY PERSPECTIVE