Career information for young people in Austria
Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy
Career information for young people in Austria
Country
Austria
I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database
No
1. Background
What makes this an example of good/interesting practice/initiative/policy?
- The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)
- Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other national/EU policies or documents)
- Participants
Aims and targets
- Objectives of the initiative (What did the policy set out to achieve?)
- Target group
- Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and /or pedagogical)
In order to widen access to career guidance and vocational information, the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection is working closely together with the Federal Ministry of Education.
2. Implementation
Strategy and actions (Please describe the approach adopted to make the reform work and any actions taken.)
- Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)
- Implementation (description)
The ministries made a common commitment that all 7th and 8th grades should visit the career information centres of the public employment service (PES). The regional offices of the PES invite schools for a visit and provide information about their guidance services and other information material. The ambition behind this measure is that in a knowledge based economy and a dynamic labour market, young people should deal with educational and career choice in an early stage, in order to smooth the transition from primary school (1st – 9th level of education) to secondary school or to an apprenticeship in the labour market and further to prevent drop outs.
Young people must have access to information, advice and counselling in order to enable them to make a self-determined choice about their future career. As parents often play an important role in their children’s career decision, an effort is made to reach and inform them as well. Thus the career information centres organise events for groups like parents, organisers of training measures and teachers. Information is also provided in foreign languages.
Monitoring and evaluation
- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?
- What actors are involved?
3. Outcomes
Achievements (Please describe the main outcomes/results according to the following headings. Each option can be answered - up to 50 words)
- Specific results
- Cost effectiveness
- Budget
- Innovative aspects
Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success?)
- Lessons learnt
- Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative?)
Strengths and weaknesses
- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?
- Are there still challenges ahead?
4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative
Additional information
Name of contact
Role (in policy initiative)
Organization name
Address
Phone
Fax
Website address
No links specified.
Documents and publications
Attached files
Links
No links specified.
This information was provided/updated by:
No comments by users.
good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, career information, young peopleschools, guidance in schools, Austria
Guidance Network Austria – Adult Education
Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy
Guidance Network Austria – Adult Education
Country
Austria
I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database
No
1. Background
What makes this an example of good/interesting practice/initiative/policy?
- The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)
- Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other national/EU policies or documents)
- Participants
In order to improve guidance and counselling service provision, the Austrian Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture as well as the European Social Fund support networks acting at national and regional level.
Aims and targets
- Objectives of the initiative (What did the policy set out to achieve?)
- Target group
- Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and /or pedagogical)
The aims of the projects are
• to promote guidance service provision for adults all over the country
• to sustain guidance service quality
• to address target groups in accordance with their specific needs,
• to develop and/or promote tools to widen service access.
2. Implementation
Strategy and actions (Please describe the approach adopted to make the reform work and any actions taken.)
- Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)
- Implementation (description)
In every federal state a regional guidance network was or will be established, each of them consisting of service providers addressing general or specific target groups and strategic partners (e.g. gatekeepers).
A cross sectional project provides regional networks with various services and promotes quality assurance and development, by e.g.
• reviewing and certifying guidance and counselling suppliers,
• developing and implementing tools fostering common knowledge management (e.g. wiki for guidance counsellors: www.bibwiki.at), collecting information about fundings (www.kursförderung.at)
• collecting data from guidance providers out of the regional networks
• supplying further training for counsellors
• studying the evidences about reaching „difficult“ target groups
• integration of gender and diversity aspects
• developing innovative guidance types (distance counselling, competence oriented counselling)
• improving transparency and widening service access (e.g. database for guidance services www.bib-atlas.at)
The project started in 2011.
Monitoring and evaluation
- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?
- What actors are involved?
3. Outcomes
Achievements (Please describe the main outcomes/results according to the following headings. Each option can be answered - up to 50 words)
- Specific results
- Cost effectiveness
- Budget
- Innovative aspects
Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success?)
- Lessons learnt
- Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative?)
Strengths and weaknesses
- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?
- Are there still challenges ahead?
4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative
Additional information
Name of contact
Role (in policy initiative)
Organization name
Address
Phone
Fax
Website address
No links specified.
Documents and publications
Attached files
Links
No links specified.
This information was provided/updated by:
No comments by users.
good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, guidance service, adult education, Austria
Jugendcoaching
Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy
Jugendcoaching
Country
Austria
I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database
No
1. Background
What makes this an example of good/interesting practice/initiative/policy?
- The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)
- Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other national/EU policies or documents)
- Participants
The services of the Austrian model of career guidance, professional information and individual support at the end of their compulsory school education is called ‚Jugendcoaching‘. It aims to reduce the risk of failing a sustainable integration into education and the labour market. The countrywide information concept ‚Jugendcoaching’ should provide a consulting plan to ensure that every endangered pupil has access to a wide range of individually adjusted and supportive services. The idea behind the initiative is that pupils at risk of drop out should obtain appropriate information and counselling in order to be able to make an independent and well-considered decision concerning their educational future. The concept of ‚Jugendcoaching’ is a bilateral agreement between the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Education and, therefore, a best practice example for an interagency collaboration. The construction of ‚Jugendcoaching’ follows the idea of the Austrian concept of Life Long learning (LLL).
Aims and targets
- Objectives of the initiative (What did the policy set out to achieve?)
- Target group
- Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and /or pedagogical)
One of the main objectives of the initiative is that teenagers, who have to face integration constraints, can benefit from the provision of a wide range of services such as consulting, supervision and/or individual care. Another important aspect of ‚Jugendcoaching’ aims at motivating pupils to visit school as long as possible or to start an apprenticeship in the labour market. If the objective of encouraging teenagers to complete school successfully fails, a downstream network of mentors will work out possible solutions in form of case management strategies in collaboration with those affected. The focus should lie on identifying potential problems in the personal environment of the teenager concerned. The next step would focus on finding and communicating an adequate and reasonable solution.
2. Implementation
Strategy and actions (Please describe the approach adopted to make the reform work and any actions taken.)
- Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)
- Implementation (description)
The pilot scheme started at the beginning of the school year 2012 initially in Vienna and Styria and, according to the schedule, measures will soon expand all over the country.
The services of ‚Jugendcoaching’ should not replace existing offerings, such as school social work and school psychology services. They rather claim to be unterstood as complementary counselling-orientated services. With the regional implementation of ‚Jugendcoaching‘ we aim to guarantee an open and equal access to information, support and individual counselling. A country-wide development is planned for the year 2013, which requires an adequate range of services all over the country.
Monitoring and evaluation
- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?
- What actors are involved?
3. Outcomes
Achievements (Please describe the main outcomes/results according to the following headings. Each option can be answered - up to 50 words)
- Specific results
- Cost effectiveness
- Budget
- Innovative aspects
Since the program was implemented in Vienna and Styria a few months ago, we can determine that the concept enjoys great popularity among youngsters. By now we can record very satisfying figures. Eight months after the pilot project was introduced, we count as many as 4.600 consultations.
We estimated an annual budget for the implementation of the pilot project of around EUR 8.5 million. Up to now an approximate amount of EUR 4.5 million of the available sum was spent.
Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success?)
- Lessons learnt
- Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative?)
It is too early to make a clear statement.
Strengths and weaknesses
- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?
- Are there still challenges ahead?
A pilot scheme took place in selected federal states, starting in the school year 2012/2013. The goal is to establish a well-structured and comprehensive model within the next years.
4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative
Additional information
Name of contact
Dagmar Brandstätter
Role (in policy initiative)
Organization name
Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affaires and Consumer Protection
Address
Stubenring 1
Phone
+4301711002004
Fax
dagmar.brandstaetter@bmask.gv.at
Website address
www.bmask.gv.at
Documents and publications
Attached files
Links
No links specified.
This information was provided/updated by:
No comments by users.
good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, drop-out, young people, access, people at risk, disadvantaged groups, career information, Austria
Career information centres
Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy
Career information centres
Country
Austria
I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database
No
1. Background
What makes this an example of good/interesting practice/initiative/policy?
- The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)
- Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other national/EU policies or documents)
- Participants
The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs collaborates with the Federal Ministry of Education in order to widen access to career guidance and vocational information. Both ministries agreed on a bilateral commitment that all pupils on the transition from school to further education or to the labour market should visit career information centres (BIZ-Berufsinformationszentrum). The motivation behind this step is that in a knowledge-based economy and a dynamic labour market, young people should concern themselves with further schooling and career choice as early as possible in order to make a well-considered decision.
Aims and targets
- Objectives of the initiative (What did the policy set out to achieve?)
- Target group
- Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and /or pedagogical)
The aim of the initiative is to enable youngsters to making well considered career decision as a lack of information or support often leads to drop outs and break ups. Another important aspect of the measure is to encourage girls to take up professions which are traditionally assigned to male domains, such as mechanical and technical jobs. At the same time vocations in the health and care sector, which are typically known as female occupations, should be introduced to boys. In that sense we try to break up labour market segmentation and force equality between men and women as both sexes have the same access to all professions.
2. Implementation
Strategy and actions (Please describe the approach adopted to make the reform work and any actions taken.)
- Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)
- Implementation (description)
The initiative is based on a common commitment between the Federal Ministry of Labour and the Federal Ministry of Education. A national action plan was set up and the curriculum schedules a vocational information class. In this class teachers and pupils together visit a career information centre of the public employment service. The regional offices (66 in Austria) provide information about their guidance services and other material about further education, professions, apprenticeships etc. Pupils are invited to test their skills in different workshops and may find out more about their professional interests through various tests. As the services are free youngsters and their parents are invited and motivated to come again if they need further guidance on their career choice. As parents tend to be the contact person when it comes to a child’s career decision, one part of the strategy aims at including them in the decision-making process.
Career Counsellors of the PES are educated with special seminars and they update their knowledge regularly in in-house trainings. Fifty new career counsellors were hired and qualified to handle the run on this new service as well as to provide good quality.
Monitoring and evaluation
- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?
- What actors are involved?
The career information centres provide data and statistics about the group visits on school level. Data is also provided on sex, age and type of school. Additionally the public employment services report on their pursued strategies for reaching and supporting the schools once a year.
Teachers fill in an online-questionnaire after the visit.
3. Outcomes
Achievements (Please describe the main outcomes/results according to the following headings. Each option can be answered - up to 50 words)
- Specific results
- Cost effectiveness
- Budget
- Innovative aspects
55.300 pupils came to career information centres during vocational orientation class. Compared to the beginning of the initiative a plus of + 12.200 or +28,3 % visitors in this age group is recorded.
Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success?)
- Lessons learnt
- Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative?)
The key success factor of this initiative is the cooperation between schools and the career information centres of the public employment service. The guidance services are provided all over the country with a special regional focus.
Strengths and weaknesses
- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?
- Are there still challenges ahead?
The initiative is successful in reaching secondary modern schools (Hauptschule) but it hasn’t been that successful in grammar schools (Gymnasium) so far. The focus is to get in contact with all types of schools that educate pupils from the 5th to the 8th level of education.
4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative
Additional information
Name of contact
Dagmar Brandstätter
Role (in policy initiative)
Organization name
Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affaires and Consumer Protection
Address
Stubenring 1
Phone
+4301711002004
Fax
dagmar.brandstaetter@bmask.gv.at
Website address
www.bmask.gv.at
Documents and publications
Attached files
Links
No links specified.
This information was provided/updated by:
No comments by users.
good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, access, guidance in schools, career information, Austria