Career planning and management as key qualifications
Brigita Rupar, Slovenian Education Institute

Across the European Community, there are several methods of provision of career education and counselling in schools. The main difference among countries is where the career counselling experts are and in which field of work are they working. In numerous countries, career guidance was and is provided in external institutions, e.g. employment services or similar agencies. But in the latter years, the schools are taking on this role. In the nineties in some countries, e.g. in Ireland, Portugal and Greece, school and career guidance counsellors were employed at schools, which spend part of their time providing career education in classes, and devote the other part to other fields of counselling (personal counselling, counselling for students with learning problems, and similar). Within the profession and the society it is increasingly believed that the career guidance contents should be linked to other subjects that are taught at schools and that teachers should participate in this process. By this it is meant that every teacher should include some themes or activities from this field into his or her teaching. This approach is supported by experts both in theory as in practical recommendations.

A specific attempt of introducing this content into the curriculum of our schools is the key qualification Career Planning and Management, which was prepared together with other qualifications for the requirements of modernisation of vocational education programmes. The basis for the preparation were the Starting Points for the Preparation of Education Programmes in Lower and Secondary Vocational Education and Programmes of Secondary Professional Education [Izhodišča za pripravo izobraževalnih programov nižjega in srednjega poklicnega izobraževanja ter programov srednjega strokovnega izobraževanja], which were prepared by the Professional Council for Vocational and Professional Education in 2001. The document determines the key qualifications as knowledge, aptitudes and skills that are useful in different working circumstances, in different professions, in different professional fields and in different living situations.

In setting the basic and operational goals and minimal standards of Career planning and management we have built on global goals and guidelines for development of education programmes as well as modern theories on learning. While planning general and operational goals of the key qualification, we have built on the DOTS model (Decision, Opportunity awareness, Transition skills and Self-awareness). DOTS was developed in the seventies by Bill Law and A. G. Watts and it foresees that the individual will consider his characteristics, wishes, interests, abilities an possibilities when making his decision. When making the decision, the individual compares them to the possibilities and searches for solution, where the characteristics and possibilities match best. The first goal of this model is self-awareness: what sort of a person am I, what are my aptitudes, abilities, interests, viewpoints and values. The second goal is learning about the opportunities that the individuals (students, young people) have across the world and in the environment where they live. They learn how to find and collect the information, evaluate them critically, select them and use them.

They learn what the requirements of individual professions and working environments are and what are other life roles of every person. The third goal of this model is accepting the decisions and managing career which expects the development of aptitudes and skills, with the help of which young people more easily and more correctly make decisions on future steps. The students learn about the factors that influence the career decision, compare them and evaluate them critically. They learn to systematically exclude unsuitable choices, choose an appropriate goal and accept responsibility for the consequences of their decisions. The fourth goal works toward the development of knowledge and skills on transitions from one education level to another or into employment. The students learn the skills for realization of their intentions and career goals, like: how to present oneself in a job interview, how to fill out various questionnaires as successfully as possible, how to write a job application, they learn the elements of good communication, self-promotion and assertive behaviour. They learn about scholarship opportunities and other forms of help and about the enrolment procedure at the university, the rights and obligations of secondary school and university students.  They are also introduced to the workers' rights, the work of unions and possibilities of advancement at the workplace. As assistance in the introduction of this key qualification into the life and the work of school (school subjects, curriculum, direct work with students) we have prepared at the Employment Service of Slovenia a special manual that is currently being prepared for print. The manual offers a theoretical framework, professional recommendations and didactic solutions, as well as a range of work papers, exercises, questionnaires and other practical tolls for direct work in the class. It is intended for teachers, counsellors and other professionals in secondary schools.