European Guidance and Counselling Research Forum

According to recent findings in career work worldwide, tremendously rapid changes have occurred in the composition of workforce and in work values. As a result, in order for people to be able to follow all these evolutions, their attitudes have changed quite a lot. At the same time, human needs have changed. In particular, there is confusion as to where the limits of professional life and where personal life begins. This affects peopleís lifestyle significantly and as a consequence traditional models of work and everyday life are continually being reviewed (Kassotakis, 2002).

Studying the new data of career work on a European scale, it is evident that:

• The development of technology and the continual changes in economy are responsible for the increasing competition between the nations all over the world. The European projects promote competitive and economic goals. For this reason, the vision of progress is achieved by the dominance of private, economic interests and the power of the open market.
• Traditional models of education are eventually given up and modern, more flexible models are developed. These models cater for the new needs of modern economy and society.
• Improvement in the conditions of education/ professional training.
• Need for further educational/ professional abilities, talents.
• Abundance of knowledge.
• Continual annulment of scientific and practical knowledge.
• Need for life-long education.
• Efforts and programs to reach an agreement on a European-international scale concerning education.
• High percentages of unemployment, particularly in women, different cultural groups and people with special needs.
• Specialization.
• Limited rights for permanent employment.
• Flexible working hours.
• Constant questioning of the social, economic, cultural characteristics of the nations.
• Promotion of self-employment.
• Merge of values, cultural models and ideas.
• Raising government awareness about the improvement of the workforce.
• Strategies by the Mass Media for the global, economic promotion of multinational companies.

All the above data show that there is great difficulty in fulfilling the requirements of contemporary life. Worldwide, government policy-makers and employers are trying to develop, attract and use qualified, progressive and adequate workers. This means that the individuals lose their personal identity and certain groups of society tend to be excluded.

In particular, there is a permanent reclamation that the citizens will have to adapt to the changes and they need to be suitably educated and trained. Otherwise, they are in danger of being socially rejected.

As a consequence, career work is not meeting the needs of the majority of users, since all these changes do not cater for the human needs, such as: personal interests, abilities, motivation, self-realization. So, in order to achieve a human-centered policy, the new projects of policy-makers must safeguard social security and high quality of both professional and personal life. Moreover, policy-makers ought to take seriously into account the social, cultural, psychological, economic differences of the individuals and this means that a fundamental change in quality and level of career provision must be applied.

Apart from the global bodies of economic organizations such as the OECD, the World Bank and the European Commission, an important attempt has been made by the services of Vocational Guidance. Special attempts such as the EGCRF (European Guidance and Counselling Research Forum) could offer significant help to people so that they are able to satisfy their needs at work. This forum, consisted by five European countries (UK, Denmark, Finland, Greece and Slovenia), gives emphasis on equal opportunity issues and reinforcement of the workforce.

The bodies of research evidence through the OECD, World Bank and European Commission should put forward strategies about career work to every government and also help facilitate them. Nevertheless, information related to career work is not adequate, because it does not show all the effects and the problems of career guidance. It is evident that all the international, economic organizations support mainly one economic-centered policy and so the human factor takes second place.

The OECD, in particular, aims for the most possible economic development and employment and the improvement of the living conditions of all the nations. This organization supports and caters for the human factor through active policies about work.

The strategy of the OECD for the work is consisting in these points (Sakellaropoulos, 2001):

• Flexible working hours.
• Reforming to reduce unemployment.
• Education /training of the workforce.
• Focus on effective policies of work (programs for training, benefits and bounties).
• Life-long education.
• Vocational guidance in Universities. Linking universities with needs in business.
• Reduction in the number of dropouts and prolongation of compulsory education.

Furthermore, the mission of the World Bank is the security of the human factor through social nets of protection. One of its goals is the fight to reduce unemployment. Despite all this, the World Bank has been accused of inability to approach the realistic problems and needs of the people (Sakellaropoulos, 2001).

Finally, the European Commission could inform the government about the new reality of the global economy, society and education and should propose the improvement of all the educational and vocational systems.

So, apart from the operations of the above organizations, every government is responsible for the creation of the professional status of the citizens. It is necessary for all the policy-makers to know how to deal with issues such as unemployment, part-time jobs, parental leave, self-realization, training, the quality of work, equal opportunities.

All of the above proves that the available bodies of finding evidence are not adequate to meet the human needs. Other policies are necessary for this task. The agents of career guidance in every country have to inform government policy-makers about career work. There is a need for more quality research that would show all aspects of career work. As a result, the Vocational Guidance would be able to promote the information about education, work-training and the reinforcement of the workforce.

The most suitable agents of research evidence could be school counsellors, career counsellors, the National Centers of Vocational Guidance, the international guidance programs such as the EGCRF, the career magazines, the Institute of Education, the private and state counselling services. In particular, the role of the counsellor focuses on matching interests, abilities and knowledge of the world of work.

The twenty-first century began with a new approach to career counselling. It is evident that career counselling is not only a matter of matching an individual to a job. As a result, this new approach is aware of both continuity and change throughout an individual, which means that every person is viewed as an important part of society, economy and civilization.

Therefore, more and more human-centered projects and guidelines are being launched, taking into consideration the needs of human individuals (http://www.educause.edu). It is necessary for government policy-makers and all the bodies of career guidance mentioned earlier to co-operate. It is the only way successful projects concerning career work will be developed.

Projects that have been launched by vocational guidance:

• The implementation of the European project ì EQUALî for full-time jobs, the quality of work, the development of information and guidance services.
• The National Centers of Vocational Guidance that promote the research for guidance and counselling. Moreover, they inform and present all their activities and their data in Ministries of Education, Economy, and Labour and Social Security. They deal with very vital issues, such as: decision-making, self-knowledge, self-confidence, abilities, education and training, quality of work, organizations of enterprising, career prospects, social services, the social-economic situation of the population, job opportunities, working relationships, rights and privileges, multi-cultural communication.
• The National Manpower Employment Organizations, the Organizations of Training and other factors that develop activities and provide information about career work.
• Finally, all the counsellors and the policy-makers have the chance to participate in the Net Euroguidance (EGCRF), aiming at communication, production and provision of quality information for career work between the European countries. This forum provides quality data about education, training, career and counselling.

Taking all the above into consideration, it is evident that particular strategies need to be employed to increase policy-makersí involvement in using career research and as a result informing the ministerial policies. All the approaches related to the vocational guidance seem to be very promising together with the measures which the European Commission, the OECD and the World Bank are undertaking in order to improve policy-makersí research about career work.

Substantially, all the agents of career work ought to focus on the implementation of projects with multi-cultural content, quality of life, safeguarding human rights and needs.

Summing up, the best way of obtaining information concerning career work is the collaboration of all the agents that are associated with guidance. This can be achieved by organising seminars, conferences (such as the international, educational conference of Unesco, Crete 1998), meetings on a European scale (such as the meeting for Vocational Guidance, Salzburg 1998), public discussions, career magazines, Mass Media, sites on the Internet (http://www.guidance-europe.org, http://europa.eu.int/ploteus), massive investments on research, education and training, easy access to knowledge. Last but not least, there is the National Library Resource for Guidance on the Net by EGCRF.

It is obvious that there is a need for quality data and statistics in order to achieve effective planning of projects. Particularly, the ongoing communication between the career counsellors on a European scale could promote the establishment of common policies. It is a good opportunity for multi-cultural communication between the nations.

REFERENCES

• European Commission (2006). For the equality of women and men.
• Dimitropoulos, E. (1999b). Counselling- Orientation. Part b. Career Counselling. Athens: Grigoris.
• Kassotakis, M. (2000c). Information about Education and Career. Athens: Grigoris.
• Kassotakis, M. (2002). Counselling and Professional Orientation. Athens: Tipothito- Dardanos.
• Sakellaropoulos, Th. (2001). International Social Policies in the era of Globalisation. Athens: Kritiki.

Useful Sites

• http://www.findarticles.com
• http://www.educause.edu (chapter 10. Human-Centered Design Guidelines).
• http://europa.eu/abc/keyfigures/successstory/index_el.htm