European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network Database, ELGPN Database

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

"STOP & GO. Where do I stand - where do I want to go?"

Country

Luxembourg

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

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

What makes Stop & Go an example of good practice/initiative/policy?
It enables and empowers youngsters in a sustainable way and builds on the active involvement of the participants.
The approach is holistic, valuing the personal, social, cultural and economic context of the pupils.
The guidance and training is provided through artistic, interactive and innovative means, favoring self-expression without putting too much weight on language skills.
The working methods have a theoretical basis, are relevant to the purpose for which they are used and are implemented by competent, highly qualified and trained staff.
The project has been assessed by Trier University (Germany) researchers specialized in evaluating processes of social and personal change.

The purpose of the initiative:
Many young people have a real-life experience of multiple failures at school. To help them believe in themselves and develop a life-plan, they have to be offered a different way of learning than the one usually experienced at school: self-expression through body work and other non-verbal creative techniques. The young people are going to be perceived differently by the teacher and their classmates and they will perceive themselves more positively and feel more active because we work on their resources.

This is going to give them some energy to commit themselves to their personal careers.

The Integrative Therapy by Petzold (Petzold, Integrative Therapie: Klinische Theorie: das biopsychosoziale Modell, 2003) explains this process of learning:"Vom Wahrnehmen zum Erfassen zum Verstehen zum Erklären".

The work of the professionals of various sectors (artistic, educational and psychological) brings a great added value to the project.

Linkages with LLG policy priorities:
The project allows the educational integration of youngsters who have difficulties in accessing and understanding school culture (social inclusion). The pupils are trained to overcome social class and institutional barriers to learning and to work (social equity). To read more see "Lifelong Guidance Policy Development : a European Resource Kit, ELGPN, 2012" and "Programme gouvernemental concernant l’Education 2009-2014: Art.9. that states:"École pour tous les élèves: L’hétérogénéité des élèves constitue sans aucun doute le plus grand défi que l’école luxembourgeoise se doit de relever. Chaque enfant est différent, à la différence de capacité et de talent, viennent s’ajouter les différences socio-culturelles et les différences linguistiques. Il faut donc que l’enseignant, qui doit aider l’élève à réussir, différencie son enseignement et l’aide à progresser dans son apprentissage et à atteindre le niveau de compétence requis." available at http://www.gouvernement.lu/gouvernement/programme-2009/programme-2009/08-educ-forma/index.html. Read also "Prévention de l’exclusion scolaire" available at http://www.men.public.lu/fr/grands-dossiers/enseignement-secondaire-secondaire-technique/prevention-exclusion-scolaire/index.html


The ongoing reforms in Luxembourg aim, among other things, to provide each pupil with the resources they need in order to succeed in educational, vocational, personal and civic life. One common feature of these current policy developments is to make educational and vocational guidance a priority. Study programmes are designed so as to develop the pupils’ decision making competences and their career management skills from elementary education onwards (read more at https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/eurydice/index.php/Luxembourg:Specific_Ongoing_Reforms_and_Policy_Developments_at_National_Level). Stop&Go is one of the approaches brought to schools. It is chosen by those teams who expect guidance to be particularly responsive, which means “meeting the diverse needs of the citizens through a wide range of methods.” (Lifelong Guidance Policy Development : a European Resource Kit, ELGPN, 2012).

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)

Aims and targets:
The aim of the programme is to integrate the experiences of the students’ creative work into their everyday life and to favour the best possible development of their transversal skills. In getting self-assurance, self-worth and self-confidence they increase their self-efficacy (meaning “This conviction concerning one’s abilities determines how people feel, think, motivate themselves and act, and therefore influences perception and performance in different ways.“ Andreas Müller, Learning Factory, www.wolfhalden.ch), their ability to make decisions and to show flexibility in their actions, in a sustainable way, and without judging other participants.
The youngsters are provided with tools of expression that they can then transfer to their everyday lifes.

Objectives of the initiative:
- Developing team spirit, empathy, self-efficacy, and communication competences, …
- Learning by doing and expressing feelings and experiences.
- Providing pupils with information about training and guidance services.

Target group
- Pupils who encounter difficulties concerning certain course contents or the learning rhythm as such and who attend preparatory courses within modular classes of the Preparatory Regime.
- Pupils following transition classes after completion of the lower technical secondary education (classes IPDM – classes d’insertion professionnelle aux divers métiers).
- Early school leavers.

Methods applied to reach the objective
With his specific qualifications and competences (pedagogy of dance / theatre, eurythmics, integrative therapy), every professional brings his own perspective to the project. Still, they share the same holistic image of the young person (“Mensch als Körper-Seele-Geist Subjekt", Petzold, Für Kinder engagiert-mit Jugendlichen auf dem Weg; 2009 ). The techniques used are aimed to affect the different personal levels: body-psyche-mind. The techniques comprise body work: RSVP-model by Anna Halprin (Halprin, Anna; Kaplan, Rachel (1995). Moving toward life: five decades of transformational dance. Wesleyan University Press), theatre, photography, etc.

Teenagers use their creativity and treat their questions in different ways:
- playful and creative;
- aesthetic and perceptive;
- personal and process-orientated;
- artistically forming.
We work according to what Petzold calls „tetradisches System” which describes the four phases of the counseling method.

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)

Strategy and actions:

Stop&Go Outdoor:
"Life Stage Workshops” integrated in the continuous weekly course work help to develop social and personal skills during the school year. Intensive workshops on the "Artistic Stage" help to develop creative and artistic skills.

Stop&Go Indoor Coaching:
The outdoor version of Stop & Go is compressed into a period of one month. Young school-leavers from different Luxembourg institutions participate in the programme of their own accord.

Level of implementation:
The outdoor project has existed in Luxembourg for 6 years and is continuously developing. At this moment: we are working with 8 classes in 3 Luxemburgish secondary schools.
“Stop & Go Indoor Coaching” is provided at the Centre for Educational Psychology and Guidance at the Maison de l’orientation (House of Guidance) three times a year.

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

Monitoring and evaluation
STOP & GO was assessed by Trier University (IPW, Interregionales Institut für Professionsforschung und Weiterbildung, Wissenschaftliche Einrichtung der Universität Trier, Germany) in 2010.
The task force also participates in annual field work supervisions by professionals (Doris Von Eickstedt, Integrative Gestalttherapie, Mario Lantscheff à l’Academie Remscheid

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

Specific results
- Increased self-confidence ("I am no longer afraid to talk to someone.").
- Increased interpersonal skills by all-class-inclusive work ("I meet with students from other classes during the break.").
- Increased motivation.
- Extended problem-solving skills due to flexible reasoning.
- Increased body awareness.
- Getting involved in new situations and coping with one’s own abilities.
- Increased self-evaluation and possibilities of reflexion.
Innovative aspects
- The project develops methods permitting the participants to integrate the experiences they have made in their creative process into their daily lives.
- The participants develop a behaviour assimilated into their personality through their own experiences, and is therefore available at all times unlike behaviour acquired trough training.
- The participants operate in an interdisciplinary context (Education / Psychology / Art) of creative media: playful and creative, aesthetic and perceptive, personal and process-orientated, artistically forming.
- Paricipants tend to band together.
- The work is based on a system of creative methodology for collaboration (RSVP developed by Anna Halprin).
-The project offers the possibility to integrate a new subject in Luxembourgish schools as well as providing the collaboration with different institutions.

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?)

Lessons learnt
- The offer has to be strongly adapted to the age of the participants as well as to the composition of the target group.
- The personal and artistic developments of young people go hand in hand. In Life-Stage, the participants develop access to their own style of life by aesthetic and body-orientated means.
- These means form the basis for artistic work. Through this creative process a personal transformation takes place that can have a supportive effect on their work prospects.
- Communication with teachers needs to be done with care.
- The School principal’s commitment to the project is essential.
- External group supervision is necessary.

What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?
- Self-efficacy, commitment to learning, ability to make decisions, flexibility in taking action, all need to be built on self-worth and self-confidence. With some under-qualified pupils, that’s where guidance needs to start.
- The balance between verbal and non-verbal techniques is a key to success.
- The personal and artistic developments of young people go hand in hand.
- It is interesting to look for opportunities that make transfer possible.
- One weakness could be that the teaching staff might stay in the role of the observers, thus not benefiting from personal experiences in order to contribute to mutual understanding.
- The academic world must remain part of the project world, in order to maintain contact between professionals.
- The professional team should continue to look for other creative ways of enhancing more accessible reflexions for young people.
Are there still challenges ahead?
-To continue guaranteeing quality through:
Permenant evaluation and development of the team.
No rigid programme but flexible adaptation to the target group.
- The highly specialized competences of the trainers/practitioners can be transferred by holding on to the learning-by-experience method.
- How could more pupils benefit from the programme while costs are kept down?

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?
- Self-efficacy, commitment to learning, ability to make decisions, flexibility in taking action, all need to be built on self-worth and self-confidence. With some under-qualified pupils, that’s where guidance needs to start.
- The balance between verbal and non-verbal techniques is a key to success.
- The personal and artistic developments of young people go hand in hand.
- It is interesting to look for opportunities that make transfer possible.
- One weakness could be that the teaching staff might stay in the role of the observers, thus not benefiting from personal experiences in order to contribute to mutual understanding.
- The academic world must remain part of the project world, in order to maintain contact between professionals.
- The professional team should continue to look for other creative ways of enhancing more accessible reflexions for young people.

Are there still challenges ahead?
-To continue guaranteeing quality through:
Permenant evaluation and development of the team.
No rigid programme but flexible adaptation to the target group.
- The highly specialized competences of the trainers/practitioners can be transferred by holding on to the learning-by-experience method.
- How could more pupils benefit from the programme while costs are kept down?

The professional team :
The team consists of four people:
Feldhoff, Barbara (music teacher, eurythmics/piano)
Giebels, Esther (psychologist, integrative therapy)
Moris, Carole (educator, dance teacher)
Stauffer, Till (director, drama teacher )

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Additional information

Name of contact

Giebels Esther;

Role (in policy initiative)

Psychologist, Integrative therapy for youngsters, Dance therapy

Organization name

CPOS (Centre de Psychologie et d’orientation scolaires) Luxembourg

Address

58, boulevard Grande-Duchesse Charlotte L-1330 Luxembourg

Phone

(+352) 247-75910

Fax

(+352) 45 45 44

E-mail

esther.giebels@cpos.lu

Website address

www.cpos.lu

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

www.lebensbuehne.eu; www.culture-4d.com; www.akademieremscheid.de; www.eag-fpi.com; www.dgt-tanztherapie.de; www.managerbildung.eu; www.tournesols.lu

This information was provided/updated by:

Feldhoff Barbara, Ferres Jeannot, Friedel Claire, Giebels Esther, Moris Carole, Noesen Joseph

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, career management skills, guidance in schools, Luxembourg

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

Career Orientation and Guidance (COG) Incentives plans the Netherlands

Country

the Netherlands

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

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

Two important initiatives have set the course for Career Orientation and Guidance. Both on secondary education (VO) and on senior secondary vocational education level (MBO) incentive plans were drawn up. Both projects started in 2009 and are still being carried out.
Both plans receive funding from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The Ministry formulated the principles underpinning the projects.
The Netherlands Association of Secondary Schools (VO-raad) initiated the LOB Incentive Project (2009) to encourage schools to improve the quality of their guidance services. The main aim is to get students to think carefully before deciding on continuing education or a career, based on past experience and their own views. Many factors play a role in this respect, ranging from having a clear view of guidance to encouraging regional cooperation and expertise at school. The LOB Incentive Project, coordinated by the MBO-Diensten project office, is being carried out in cooperation with SBB (formerly Colo) and Skills Netherlands.

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)

By intensifying guidance for students, the project aims to:
• reduce the number of students who drop out, for example because they have chosen the wrong programme;
• give students an accurate picture of their talents, qualities and potential so that they can make sensible decisions concerning continuing education or a career.
Both incentive plans are based on the body of thought of Kuijpers and Meijers.
Kuijpers introduced the concept of career skills. These skills constitute a “beacon” in the field of education:
• Reflecting on motives: Investigating wishes and values important for a career.
• Reflecting on quality: Investigating skills and aptitudes and interpreting them in terms of qualities and talents that can be used to achieve goals in learning and work.
• Exploring work: Exploring work-related demands and values and the possibility of changing one’s work.
• Managing career: Planning and influencing learning and working. This involves making well-considered decisions and taking action to match one’s work and learning to one’s personal work-related qualities, motives, and challenges.
• Networking: Building and maintaining a group of professional contacts in the employment sector that is tailored specifically to one’s own career development.
The design of the learning environment is important in the development of career skills. A powerful, career-focused learning environment has three features
1. Practice-based, functional and real-life. This eases the transition from theory to practice.
2. Active, participatory. This means that students deal with the learning demand-driven content interactively and comprehensively.
3. Reflective and in dialogue

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)

Spearheads of the projects are:
- Professionalization of teachers
- Improvement of transfer from prevocational education-senior secondary vocational education –university vocational education (MBO incentive plan)
- Improvement of transfer from VO to university (VO incentive plan)
- Parental involvement
- More self management of students in COG and study choice

Regional cooperation and partnerships play an important role in further development steps

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

Impact assessment and research are instruments used. The project goals are concretely specified and monitored. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is closely involved in this.

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

- Specific results
Both incentive plans report more awareness of COG in schools. In the VO incentive plan 7 steps are defined to measure improvement. There appears to be more formulated vision on COG at schools, more developments. IN the VO plan organizing professionalization lacks behind the goals set.
- Cost effectiveness
Because of the decentralized character of the plans this is not clearly visible.
- Budget
Because of the decentralized character of the plans this is not clearly visible.
- Innovative aspects
Both plans clearly delivered many innovative instruments and tools, as well as inspiring and innovative good practices. The mbo project gathered all this in a public available Toolbox website.

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 character of the projects is that the Ministry stimulates, not determines developments. This enables creative and innovative solutions with bottom up ownership.
The projects are based on research and researchers are involved in implementing the incentive plans;
Success factor is the network approach: active involvement off all relevant stakeholders

Schools have their own dynamics in improving COG. There are definitely no fixed steps that can be defined here. In the VO plan the professionalization of teachers regarding COG competences lacks behind.
More schools have to be involved, and in schools already involved in COG pilots many developments can still be taken but the blueprint and the tools of how this could be established have become clearer

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

From policy perspective the incentive projects are good examples of bottom up approach supported by top down incentives. The projects give strong stimulus to regional development of career guidance services. Cooperation in the project between and cooperation of relevant stakeholders embeds developments. Many innovative tools were developed.
Strong element is the use of general accepted theoretical models - and the involvement of researchers in the projects.

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Additional information

Name of contact

Role (in policy initiative)

Organization name

Address

Phone

Fax

E-mail

Website address

http://www.lob-vo.nl/ http://www.mbodiensten.nl/mbodiensten/p000047/projecten/loopbaanorientatie-en-begeleiding-lob

Documents and publications

LOB: de investering waard (2012) (VO-Raad)
Doorstart stimuleringsproject LOB ) (2012) (MBO Diensten)

Attached files

Links

No links specified.

This information was provided/updated by:

Petervan Deursen

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, career management skills, access, quality, co-operation, co-ordination, guidance in schools, The Netherlands

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

Developing CMS in companies undergoing restructuring in Portugal

Country

Portugal

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

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 Portuguese Public Employment Service has developed a programme addressed to companies undergoing restructuring.

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)

This programme has two main goals, in one hand to decrease the impact of these changes in the workers and in other hand to have workers with the skills to face new challenges and in adjusting the availability of their workforce.

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 first step is to realize the skills profile of employees that the company needs, after this the work with the employees begin with an interview to evaluate expectations of workers and to explain all the process. Mainly the intervention is developed inside the company.

This initiative is in the hands of guidance practitioners, who operate as part of a wider technical team (counselors, social workers and jobs technicians) that works closely with diverse entities. The goal is to support worker retraining while enhancing employability, largely by fostering the CMS that enable them to face not only this transition, but also the future management of their careers in an autonomous way.
Workers typically accumulate knowledge that can be transferred to other work contexts.

The first intervention is a ‘balance of competences’ to support identify, assess and enhance the skills acquired throughout life in various contexts, as well as to detect skills gaps. After the ‘balance of competences’ is completed, an individual plan is drawn up. This may include the development of CMS (relational skills, as well as problem-solving, information management, learning skills, and teamwork), training (tailor made, according company needs and workers skills after a validation of all knowledge and skills , or other aspects that include attitudes towards change, self-esteem and entrepreneurship. Job seeking strategies are also often part of the plan when it is not possible the worker to remain on the same company or to be placed on one of the employee offers available on the employment center.
Depending on the included actions on the individual plan, small groups, of 10-12 elements that participated on the developing CMS interventions, are constituted. They can participate on a complete program, with an average duration of 60 hours or in specific modules according to the specific needs of each candidate.


This supports efforts to re-integrate workers in employment, in the same company, in another or as a self employee, linked to the needs of the company and the labour market is more and more helpful in times of high rates of unemployment .

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

E-mail

Website address

No links specified.

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

No links specified.

This information was provided/updated by:

Marjo Halmiala

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, employability, transition, comptences, career management skills, learning skills, problem-solving, information management, teamwork, self-esteem, employment, unemployed, employed, career information, Portugal

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

Development and Pilot Operation of National Database of educational opportunities - PLOIGOS

Country

GREECE

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

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

Ploigos gives valid information about Learning opportunities and training possibilities available in Greece in all educational levels and all types of education.

The decisions of EU councils of Lisbon and Stockholm called for the creation of unified information systems on education and training opportunities in Europe. The first phase (2002-2008) of such an information system was completed with the development of PLOTEUS I (Portal on Learning Opportunities throughout the European Space), a European internet portal which aimed to help students, job seekers, parents, guidance counsellors and teachers to find out information about studying in Europe. The development of Ploteus I was assigned by DG Education and Culture to Euroguidance Network. EKEP as the Greek Euroguidance center provided Ploteus I with links to web sites of universities and higher education institutions, databases of schools and vocational training and adult education courses in Greece. The second phase of a European Internet portal on learning opportunities PLOTEUS II (2009-today) does not provide links to websites of education institutions, instead it gives the actual information – details of each educational opportunity. Necessary prerequisite for this was the creation from every EU country of a national database of learning opportunities and the connection of these datasources on the basis of a common protocol. The development of the Greek National Database on Learning Opportunities "Ploigos" was assigned by the Greek Ministry of Education to EKEP.

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)

Objective: The development of the first national database on educational opportunities in Greece

Target group: students of all education levels, their parents, graduates interested for post graduate studies, teachers, counsellors, european citizens interested for studying in Greece

Method: Cooperation with education opportunity providers for the collection of information - Field Study.

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)

Implementation:
1. First we communicated with supervising ministries asking for their support in order to secure the cooperation of the departments, services and organizations within their competence, to define all the sources of educational opportunities within their competence and to assign a representative responsible for the co-ordination of the relevant departments, services and supervised organizations
2. As a result relevant ministerial decrees were issued
3. We created the tool for gathering information, a questionnaire in excel form with the 21 fields - elements (in 4 data sheets) comprising each educational opportunity according to the common protocol of Ploteus II
4. The blank queries were sent by e-mail to the contact person of each educational institution together with detailed instructions for filling
5. The contact persons filled the queries and returned them to EKEP in electronic form (either by e-mail or by regular mail – cds) before a certain deadline
6. EKEP’s team checked the queries for right filling and sent them to contractor for translating in English and insertion to the data base

Level of Implementation: National

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

Ploigos is already accessible trough the website of EKEP. In order to safeguard the smooth operation, monitoring and evaluation of the database a "team for support and renewal of Ploigos" has been established. In particular this team is responsible for: administration of the database, communication with Ploteus II as well as with national education opportunities providers, enrichment and renewal of the contents of Ploigos (insertion - modification - deletion of educational opportunities), promotion of national educational opportunities database
The following steps have been taken:
1. The contractor (ICT company that developed the Greek national database "Ploigos") has offered EKEP a 5 years warranty for good operation and technical support
2. Since Ploigos will be a permanent national database, EKEP conducted a viability study in order to define the technical, financial and organizational factors that will permit the smooth operation of the database. The system’s architecture permits the enrichment of the content of the database e.g. the entry of new or the change of existing educational opportunities. This can be done either by the institutions themselves with the use of specific passwords or by EKEP’s ploigos team
3. In order to strengthen the dissemination of Ploigos there are plans to promote it by brochures, articles, advertisements in newspapers-TV-radio, presentations in conferences e.t.c. A promotional booklet in Greek and English has allready been handed out to students and guidance counsellors.
The actors involved are:
1. EKEP's "team for support and renewal of Ploigos"
2. ICT company CYBERCE (The company that developed the Greek National Database Ploigos)
3. ICT company EUROPEAN DYNAMICS (The company responsible for the provision of technical assistance to the Commission, in order to ensure the smooth running of Ploteus II portal) and from January 2010 onwards "Intrasoft International"
4. National Educational Opportunities Providers (Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Security etc)

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

"Ploigos" is the first official database of educational opportunities in Greece.
It gives valid information to a broad target group about learning opportunities and training possibilities available in Greece in all educational levels and all types of education. It so promotes the mobility of European citizens within the European space and offers them equal access to educational opportunities

The cost effectiveness is high since Ploigos is the first and only such database in Greece. The information it contains helps students, graduates etc in their educational and career decisions and functions as a multiplier of their opportunities in today's labour market.

The project was financed by the Operational Program “Education and Initial Vocational Training” (EPEAEK II) of the Ministry of Education - Action 2.4.1.a.: “Strengthening of the Counselling & Vocational Guidance structures” - “Support of the EKEP” (European Social Fund program). The development of the database was undertaken by the private ICT company “Cyberce” after the conduct of an international open competition announced by EKEP. The overall budget of the project was 143.266,48 Euros. The development of the system started in 10-9-2007 and finished in 15-5-2009

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 support we had from the supervising ministries e.g. the Ministry of National Education , Lifelong learning and Religious affairs, helped us very much in the process of communication and collection of educational opportunities of schools, initial vocational training institutions etc. However in the cases of educational opportunities providers that were somewhat independent e.g. higher education institutions, it proved more difficult to collect all the educational opportunities on time. Another lesson learnt is that the value of a good ICT company is very important for the successful completion of the project. Good project managing was also a very important factor as well as good cooperation – coordination of all participating parties.

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

We can learn lessons about the use of an electronic tool (database) in order to promote access to educational opportunities and education information. Other areas are: The interconnection of such tools in European level into a bigger portal (Ploteus II) which supports european mobility. The cooperation between so many different actors (educational opportunities providers, ICT companies, Ploteus II central authority etc)

The challenge is the continuous renewal and upgrade of both the contents and systems of Ploigos in order for it to be technically modern and uptodate in terms of its contents

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Additional information

Name of contact

Dr. Dimitrios Gaitanis

Role (in policy initiative)

Project Manager of "Ploigos" National Database of Educational Opportunities

Organization name

EKEP (National Resource Center for Vocational Guidance)

Address

1 Parassiou str. & 99 Aharnon str.

Phone

+30 210 8233669

Fax

+30 210 8233772

E-mail

dimitrisgaitanis@ekep.gr

Website address

www.ekep.gr

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

http://ploigos.ekep.gr/ekep/external/index.html

This information was provided/updated by:

 

No comments by users.

ELGPN, good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, adult education, career information, career management, career planning, education planning, education provision, Greece, guidance in schools, schools and training, student counselling, vocational adult education and training (VET), career management skills, access, quality

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

Transfer of Innovative Methodology for Assessment of VET Teachers’ Prior Learning

Country

Lithuania

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

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 three partner countries – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – there are modular study programmes based on the acquisition of competencies, but there is no possibility for VET teachers to assess and recognize their non-formal and informal learning achievements. Project activities and results will promote the development of VET teachers’ education system by establishing the methodology for the assessment of the prior (non-formal and informal) learning and the study module based on this methodology. The possibility to recognize non-formal and informal learning achievements would increase the access to formal education and personalize studies for VET teachers, having practice and pedagogical experience, but having no formal teaching qualification.

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 project is to enrich the existing VET teachers’ education programmes in three partner countries – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by developing introductory module for Assessment of Prior Learning (APL). The possibility to recognize non-formal and informal learning achievements will increase the access to formal education and personalize studies for VET teachers, having practice and pedagogical experience, but having no formal teaching qualification. Expected project results:
• study of APL in VET teachers’ education systems in partner countries;
• methodology for assessment of VET teachers’ prior learning, basing on “donor” – partner (Jyvaskyla University of Applied Sciences) experience;
• study module for assessors of VET teachers’ prior learning developed and tested in partner countries;
• trained groups of assessors of VET teachers’ prior learning in three partner countries – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia;
• introductory module for assessment of VET teachers’ prior learning developed and tested in partner countries.
Target groups:
•VET teacher educators.
•VET teachers.
•Researchers of education.
•Education policy makers.

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)

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

•A study of APL in VET teacher education systems in partner countries (EN) (LT) (LV) (EE)
•Methodology for assessment of VET teachers’ prior learning (EN) (LT) (LV) (EE)
•Study module for assessors of VET teachers’ prior learning
◦Handbook (EN) (LT) (LV) (EE)
◦Study module description (EN) (LT) (LV) (EE)
•Trained groups of assessors in three partner countries (LT, LV, EE).
•Introductory module for assessment of VET teachers’ prior learning
◦Handbook for APL candidates (EN) (LT) (LV) (EE)
•Special issue of scientific journal "Quality of Higher Education"
The material is available on-line: http://projects.ambernet.lt/timabalt/en/7415

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

Aušra Fokienė

Role (in policy initiative)

Project manager

Organization name

Vytautas Magnus University, Centre for Quality of Studies

Address

S. Daukanto st. 27-314, LT-44249 Kaunas, Lithuania

Phone

0037037327973

Fax

0037037327973

E-mail

a.fokiene@skc.vdu.lt

Website address

http://projects.ambernet.lt/timabalt/en/7415

Documents and publications

•A study of APL in VET teacher education systems in partner countries
•Methodology for assessment of VET teachers’ prior learning
•Study module for assessors of VET teachers’ prior learning
◦Handbook
◦Study module description
•Trained groups of assessors in three partner countries
•Introductory module for assessment of VET teachers’ prior learning
◦Handbook for APL candidates
A special issue of the scientific journal The Quality of Higher Education No. 6 - http://skc.vdu.lt/index.php/en/journal/archive/no6
All documents and publications are available in LV, LT, EE and EN languages online: http://projects.ambernet.lt/timabalt/en/7415

Attached files

Links

http://projects.ambernet.lt/timabalt/en/7415

This information was provided/updated by:

Euroguidance LT

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, competence assessment, competence recognition, competence-based qualifications, competences, continuing education, education planning, education provision, educational development, evaluation of informal learning, evaluation of non-formal learning, further vocational qualifications, lifelong learning, quality, validation of non-formal and informal learning, valuation process, vocational education and training, vocational studies teacher, vocational teacher education college, career management skills, co-operation, tertiary education, employed, qualifications, effectiveness, Lithuania

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

The Berufswahlpass (career choice passport): A portfolio approach to support CMS and career orientation

Country

Germany

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

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 Germany career orientation plays an important part in secondary school curricula. Educational matters are under the responsibility of the 16 federal states, the Länder. However, preparation for the world of work and career orientation has a long tradition in German secondary schools. It is of particular importance in the light of the choice of a career and the transition to the dual vocational education system. Hence, in all the Länder systematic vocational preparation and orientation are taught in a special subject which may be named differently e.g. lessons in working, work- economy-technology or they are embedded in other subjects. Here, career orientation and Career Management Skills (CMS) are key contents. In order to facilitate, support and document learning processes in the area of CMS and career orientation the portfolio Berufswahlpass (career choice passport) is used in 12 of the 16 Länder integrated into the lessons.

The Berufswahlpass was developed as part of the program “school/ economy and work” (funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research) and is used since 2005. Continuous further development is ensured by a working group of the participating federal states which also runs the website and organizes professional exchange and further related activities.

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 Berufswahlpass aims to support young people in lower secondary education in their career orientation process and enables their parents, educators, guidance practitioners and employers to help them in various ways. Thus, it seeks to assess career learning and encourages critical reflection and exchange with other learners. Through the resource-oriented portfolio approach of the Berufswahlpass self-consciousness, self-esteem and self-efficacy is also strengthened.

The Berufswahlpass is a folder-based portfolio approach including information and provisions for career orientation. First it introduces important partners for making a career choice (e.g. it clarifies the roles of parents, schools, career guidance practitioners in the Employment Agencies EA , companies in the process). Further sections assess and evaluate personal interests and competences combining self- and external assessment. In addition, the Berufswahlpass contains checklists on various topics e.g. matching career profiles with personal strengths and provides documentation facilities. As the folder also includes practical information e.g. on public administrations, insurances and income, it not only focuses on vocational aspects but applies a broader understanding of life orientation.

Career education in the curriculum and the career choice process of the pupils are accompanied by career guidance activities of career counselors of the EA (lessons or short interviews in the school, visits to the Career Information Centre BIZ or counseling provision in the EA) .

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 tool is widely used in secondary schools with about 70%-80% of the pupils in 12 federal states. It is often combined with other provisions for career orientations such as printed information material and the Internet portal “Planet Beruf” both provided by the EA (see good practice/ Case Study 5 Planet Beruf: WP2, ELGPN, 2010) and the portfolio “ProfilPASS® for young people”.

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

Self-evaluation is part of quality assurance in the context of the use of the Berufswahlpass in schools. Defined quality standards as input criteria structure this work and provide the basis of evaluation for which material is provided online.

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

The Berufswahlpass supports the acquisition and development of Career Management Skills. In particular, it strengthens self-reflection and evaluation-skills and builds self- esteem and self-efficacy. Hence, the self exploration of interests and abilities provides a contribution to a reflected and individual career choice. At the same time the Berufswahlpass increases the motivation of the young people to involve in further learning, job search and career planning. Further, the tool may help teachers to identify students at- risk of early school leaving and may help to refer them to another programme for pupils at-risk (see good practice/ Case Study: Educational chains WP 2).

The folder is not free of charge. The prizes differ depending on the mode, type and scope of delivery but range around 5 Euro per folder. These expenses may be paid by the schools, the pupils or it may be sponsored by a government or private body.

The Berufswahlpass supports CMS acquisition and development as well as self-assessment through intensive reflection and evaluation of personal strengths, competences and interests as well as through goal setting and career planning. As an integral part of the curriculum of secondary education it is linked with other tools and initiatives and activities concerned with career orientation and guidance such as online resources, visits to the BIZ and career counselling interviews in the EA... Hence, in many German Länder it supports and accompanies a longer and systematic process of career education, orientation and planning, continuously building CMS.

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 tool may function as an accreditation instrument for those pupils who do not succeed gaining their secondary school certificate.

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

The folder based approach of the Berufswahlpass involves some challenges as it rather appeals to young people who are at with written work and with portfolios and folders. In addition, the intensive use of the portfolio in the school may attach the tool closely to the logic of school and to this period of time. Thus, there is a danger that young people will not go back using their folder after they have left school.

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

On the whole, the Berufswahlpass contains the following sections:
- Introduction: Overview over the steps and stages of successful career orientation
- Part 1 “Providers and cooperation”: introduction to the important partners and their tasks (e.g. school, parents, guidance service of the EA, companies)
- Part 2 “Way towards career choice”: assessment and evaluation of interests, competences etc.; checklists on matching skills and interests with job demands (includes counselling of EA and planning the transition from school to VET)
- Part 3: Documentation: collection of all the information gathered
(e.g. interests, goals, practical experiences); arrangement and valuation of the collected documents and certificates

More details in German language under : www.berufswahlpass.de

Additional information

Name of contact

Dr. Bernhard Jenschke

Role (in policy initiative)

Vice President of German National Guidance Forum in Education, Career and Employment ( nfb)

Organization name

National Guidance Forum in Education, Career and Employment (Nationales Forum Beratung in Bildung, Beruf und Beschäftigung e.V., nfb)

Address

Nationales Forum Beratung in Bildung, Beruf und Beschäftigung e.V., Kurfürstenstr. 131, 10785 Berlin, Germany

Phone

+493025793741

Fax

+4930263980999

E-mail

bernhard@jenschke.de; info@forum-beratung.de

Website address

http://www.forum-beratung.de

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

http://www.berufswahlpass.de

This information was provided/updated by:

Dr. Bernhard Jenschke, nfb

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, assessment, best practice, career choice, career education, career guidance, career management, career management skills, competences, drop-out, early school leaving, educational, occupational, information, general upper secondary school, Germany, young people, guidance in schools, guidance in transitions, initial VET, instrument, parents, people at risk, portfolio, school curriculum, schools and training, secondary education, self-assessment, self-evaluation, teaching, teaching materials, schools, VET

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

Development and Elaboration of the Open Information, Counselling and Guidance System (AIKOS)

Country

Lithuania

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

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

Main problems and challenges before the start of the project:
– The need of further development of the Open Information, Counselling and Guidance System (AIKOS) portal (www.aikos.smm.lt) in order to improve it’s usability, user-friendliness, appropriateness to different target groups, to ensure accuracy of information, to introduce on-line career information services. The need to develop and ensure effective interconnection of AIKOS and PLOTEUS II (Portal on Learning Opportunities throughout the European Space).
– The need to broaden the existing network of career information services by establishing 640 new Career Information Points (CIP).

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 project had two main objectives:
1. elaboration of the Open Information, Counselling and Guidance System (AIKOS).
2. developing of the career information system facilities and establishing the network of Career Information Points (CIP).

Direct beneficiaries – students of general education, vocational education and higher education schools, career advisors, teachers. Indirect beneficiaries – all citizens interested in learning opportunities.

Methodologies and tools: applying IT technolgies, making research, creating models.

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)

1. Development of the elaborated AIKOS portal programme equipment (new functional components, new contents produced according to the Standard – descriptions of occupations, qualifications, study programmes, other)
2. Development of the model of establishing the network of Career Information Points in the country. Establishing the CIP’S in the general schools, vocational schools, libraries, labour exchanges, prisons, etc. Equiping the CIP’s with the computors and other office facilities.

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

The main indicators are:
1. number of the new AIKOS portal functional components and new content items (e.g. number of the descriptions of occupations, etc.).
2. number of the instititions in which the Career Information Points were established.

The Ministry had contracted the IT company (JSC “Sintagma”) for the development of the AIKOS portal, this company worked together with the project partner – Centre of Informations Technologies of Education.
The Ministry worked in cooperation with the 60 municipalities in order to ensure the establishment of the network of Career Information Points in the country.

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

1. New programme equipment of the Open Information, Counselling and Guidance System (AIKOS) portal.
2. 640 Career Information Points established in various institutions.

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?

The main strength – usability of project results, free and easy access of the AIKOS portal and the network of Career Information Points for the beneficiaries (various groups of users).
The main weakness – need to find financial resoursces for persistent mainteneance of the AIKOS portal and support of the established Career Information Points.

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Additional information

Name of contact

Aleksandra Sokolova

Role (in policy initiative)

Representative from the The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania in regard with the information about the Project

Organization name

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania

Address

A. Volano g. 2/7, LT-01516, Vilnius

Phone

00370 5 219 1190

Fax

00370 5 261 2077

E-mail

Aleksandra.Sokolova@smm.lt

Website address

http://www.smm.lt/es_parama/projektai/smm_projektai/projektas_%20aikos.htm

Documents and publications

General information about the project (in Lithuanian) and it’s results is available on the official web-site of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania (www.smm.lt)
Direct link to the poject’s information:
http://www.smm.lt/es_parama/projektai/smm_projektai/projektas_%20aikos.htm

Attached files

Links

http://www.smm.lt/es_parama/projektai/smm_projektai/projektas_%20aikos.htm; http://www.smm.lt

This information was provided/updated by:

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania and Euroguidance

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, guidance, career management skills, access, quality, guidance in schools, people at risk, tertiary education, unemployed, employed, older adults, disadvantaged groups, career information, qualifications, Lithuania

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

The approach to Early School Leaving in the Netherlands

Country

the Netherlands

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

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

Tackling the problem of early school leaving is one of the priorities of the European Commission. Currently,
1 in 7 young Europeans leave school early without gaining a basic qualification. The aim is to reduce the
average percentage of early school leavers from 14.1% to less than 10% by 2020. This will involve all young
people aged between 18 and 25 who are not undertaking education/training. Measured according to the
European definition, the Dutch target is 8% in 2020. The Rutte-Verhagen Government has decided on a
more ambitious target than that for the EU, namely a maximum of 25,000 early school leavers by 2016.
The Netherlands compares well with other European countries. In 2010, the European average fell from
17.6% to 14.1%. In the Netherlands, the figures for 2010 again showed a decrease, from 15.4% in 2000 to
10.9% in 2009 and to 10.1% in 2010, making the country one of Europe’s leaders in tackling the early school
leaving problem. Better cooperation between the EU Member States, exchange of know‑how, best practices,
and focussed use of EU funding can help solve the problem.
Early School Leaving in the Netherlands – Pupils leaving school early – is an economic, social, and individual problem. Each young person has his or her own aims, wishes and ambitions, and having a good education increases the likelihood of achieving them. The Dutch knowledge economy requires well-educated employees, while Dutch society also finds itself confronted by dejuvenation and the ageing of the population, with the pressure on the labour market consequently increasing.
Tackling the problem of pupils leaving school early is one of the priorities of the Dutch government implemented by the “Drive to Reduce Drop-out Rates” approach. The Dutch target is to have no more than 25,000 new early school leavers each year by 2016.

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 2010, the Rutte-Verhagen Government tightened up the target, setting it at a maximum of 25,000 new early school leavers by 2016. Efforts to achieve the new, tighter target will primarily be based on what has been achieved so far. This is why that policy will continue to be pursued: systematic improvements in education, support from the youth care, public safety and employment sectors, closer monitoring, and
stricter enforcement. These measures, combined with close coordination by the municipalities, have led to success. It is
an approach that requires long-term policy and the certainty of structured, long-term funding. To achieve the 25,000
target, long-term performance agreements and transparent figures have again been decided on. The motto continues to be “prevention is better than cure”.
Continuing the approach means:
* New agreements for 2012-2015; regional cooperation;
* Truancy policy: improvements are still possible. Agreements with those in the field;
* Improved education, specifically at secondary vocational education levels 3 and 4;
* Early school leaving figures: clear and more thorough;
* Continuous learning pathway from pre-vocational secondary education to secondary vocational education;
* Focus on first year of secondary vocational education;
* Integrated approach by the youth care, public safety, and the labour market

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 2011, the Netherlands set a new and ambitious objective: maximum 25,000 new early school leavers in 2016. To achieve this objective, the current approach will be sustained and strengthened where necessary. The five key measures are:

1. Adequate and complete non-attendance and ESL registration.

2. Long-term performance covenants between the government, municipalities and schools. Schools are held to strict percentage targets and receive a performance bonus if they reduce ESL.

3. 39 regions throughout the country will work together to implement measures to combat ESL. The regions will receive funding to develop policies themselves. Good examples are actively promoted online and during regional and national conferences.

4. Extra facilities for vulnerable youth: a combination of regular education with care and support and vocational training if necessary.

5. In secondary vocational education: intensification of first year teaching, close pupil supervision and career guidance.

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

The report The approach to Early School Leaving Policy in the Netherlands and the provisional figures of the 2010-2011 performance agreements http://www.aanvalopschooluitval.nl/userfiles/file/2012/2012026_OCW_VSV_UK-versie_VSV_beleid_LR_internet.pdf gives extensive information on monitoring and evaluation

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

At national level, there were 38,600 new ESL’s between 1 October 2010 and 1 October 2011. This figure is based on more accurate records than previously.1 The national ESL percentage for the 2010-2011 school year has fallen to 2.9%. At secondary schools (VO), that figure has fallen to 1.0% and at schools for (senior) secondary vocational education (MBO) to 7.2%.
None of the regions saw a rise in the number of ESL’s compared to 2005-2006.

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 consistent theme of the Dutch approach is the collaboration between the ‘golden triangle’ of the government, municipalities and schools. Together they are responsible for reducing ESL numbers. This collaboration is set down in long-term covenants per region, while the national government initiates, stimulates and co-ordinates.
At the regional level, the approach begins with the day to day assurance of quality education and effective organisation. Inspiring teachers, challenging lessons, reliable schedules, a smooth transition to the labour market, pupils’ self-confidence: these all play a role in motivating pupils to stay at school. Moreover, we approach ESL not only as an educational issue, but as a social issue too. Pupils are frequently faced with various social problems that affect their performance at school, such as debt, addiction or neglect. To combat these issues, schools offer their pupils care tailored to individual needs. More investment in career guidance helps pupils to choose follow-up programmes that offer them realistic perspectives and match their talents.

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

The collaboration between the ‘golden triangle’ of the government, municipalities and schools is one of the succes factors. Another success factor of the Dutch approach is the reliable Student Number registration system. This makes it possible to track exactly who leaves school and when, so that immediate and targeted action can be taken if necessary.

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

EU Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou had this to say about the Dutch approach: “Tackling early school leaving is a challenge because it means so many sectors have to work together. In most Member States, this does not yet happen in a systematic way, though some countries such as the Netherlands show the way forward.”. A number of European countries have expressed an interest in the integrated approach and accurate record-keeping system adopted by the Netherlands.

Additional information

Name of contact

Martine Soethout

Role (in policy initiative)

Projectsecretaris

Organization name

Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap. Directie Voortijdig Schoolverlaten (VSV)

Address

Phone

Fax

E-mail

m.m.f.soethout@minocw.nl

Website address

http://www.aanvalopschooluitval.nl/english

Documents and publications

1. Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (2012). The approach to Early School Leaving Policy in the Netherlands and the provisional figures of the 2010-2011 performance agreements
http://www.aanvalopschooluitval.nl/userfiles/file/2012/2012026_OCW_VSV_UK-versie_VSV_beleid_LR_internet.pdf

2. Van Bijsterveldt, Marja. Preventing Early School Leaving: the Secret of the Dutch Approach. Government Gazette. http://governmentgazette.eu/?p=3701

Attached files

Links

No links specified.

This information was provided/updated by:

Peter van Deursen

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, early school leaving, career management skills, evidence-based policy, co-operation, guidance in schools, people at risk, qualifications, The Netherlands

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

National Quality System for Guidance Provision - Portugal

Country

Portugal

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

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 present initiative stands as the first articulated attempt to create a fully comprehensive system of quality assurance for guidance activity in Portugal.
Although previous measures existed, providing the quality of instruments and methods used in PES-supplied guidance, as well as basic training for professionals, there was a clear need for a more integrated instrument, with adequate monitoring tools.
Given its institutional mission of assuring the adaptability and adequacy of guidance provision, the national public employment service, IEFP, has taken initiative in establishing a national standard, which will also account for the visions of an advisory network of relevant participants.
Other entities will be enrolled in the project to guarantee diffusion and improvement of standards, namely: the Portuguese Ministry of Education; Universities with research on guidance; professional/scientific associations; inter-national structures.

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 objectives of the initiative can be resumed in three main points:

- Gaining efficacy and efficiency in guidance provision through implementation and constant check of clear standards, measures and practises
- Increasing autonomy of citizens in establishing critical learning and labour pathways, both by competence building and ease of access
- Sponsoring innovation through systematic research on critical factors in guidance for employability and job stability/success

The end target of the system is the guidance user, although we can also consider both guidance professionals and employment/educational service managers as being targeted by the measures undertaken.
The system is implemented by understanding guidance activity as part of a value chain and acting upon the phases of that chain, considering inputs, process and outputs. Primarily is considered the intervention of the PES and its creation of public value and economic spillovers.
Up-date of instruments, improvement of registry tools, accessibility, competence-assessment and of management information supports and fluxes are part of the methodology, affecting all aspects of guidance provision (materials, contents, technology).

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 system has a national scope and is sustained in an incremental and progressive logic. Firstly, its scope is the operation of the PES services with a test run in some of its main job and training centres. Secondly, the initiative should be generalised to the full PES network. A third step should enable the adjusted diffusion of the system to different sectors and networks, namely education and private operators. As early as step two, the standard is to be shared and discussed in a advisory forum of external participants.
Common standards and information tools are already under development.
Some key measures to undertake are:
- Set periodic updates and testing of diagnosis tools, guidance methodologies, information supports, on-line contents/tools
- Improvement of registry and information transitions that allows for interchangibility of user information while guarantying users' rights
- Improvement of accessibility by development of comprehensive e-guidance tools and the improvement of information to disabled people (paper and online) and immigrant users
- Set evaluation and update of guidance professionals' competencies, with strict standards and ethical conduct
- Development of adequate tools for the follow-up of guidance users
- Balanced score-cards for guidance management and multi-level modelling of supervised

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

Monitoring and evaluation is primarily undertaken by the Guidance Directorate of IEFP in articulation with other network participants.
A monitoring mechanism has been established, measuring the efficacy of the planned measures affecting inputs and process as well as a system of indicators aimed at measuring impact variables.
Input variables are monitored through direct control of measures and by user enquiring.
Process/organisation variables are monitored by tools' assessment, management enquiring and technical staff enquiring.
Outputs are monitored by follow-up of PES users (with and without guidance), defining samples that have as basic statistical unit the job/training centres. Follow-up focus on job stability/success, job mobility, autonomy assessment (labour and education), educational success, labour market queuing, entrepreneurship capacities.
A balanced scorecard has been defined with all the assessment dimensions deemed relevant.
A statistical modelling process is being developed to enable research-based adjustments to guidance policy, using as a methodology multi-level analysis.

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

Specific results: only planning and tools have been developed
Cost effectiveness: progressive implementation and thigh instrument control should allow for low costs of project and improvement of present cost-result ratio in provision
Innovative aspects: Research-based approach

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

Pedro Moreno da Fonseca

Role (in policy initiative)

Organization name

IEFP

Address

Phone

Fax

E-mail

pedro.fonseca@iefp.pt

Website address

No links specified.

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

No links specified.

This information was provided/updated by:

Pedro Moreno da Fonseca PhD

No comments by users.

ELGPN, good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, career management skills, access, quality, evidence-based policy, co-operation, guidance in schools, people at risk, unemployed, employed, disadvantaged groups, career information, qualifications, effectiveness, Portugal

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING FOR THE CAREER INFORMATION, GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING SERVICES IN TURKEY

Country

Turkey

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

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 “Career Information, Guidance and Counseling Services Cooperation Protocol” was signed and came into force on 26th October, 2004 with participation of all related stakeholders including public authorities, social partners, and NGO’s to provide coordination and cooperation on career information, guidance and counseling services. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in 2009 with participation of the organizations in the protocol in order to update the tasks and roles defined in the protocol and define the responsibilities for the National Career Information System (CIS). The MOU has been a significant effort and outcome to enhance the communication, coordination and collaboration of all the stakeholders.
It has links with all four LLG policy priorities:
Encourage the lifelong acquisition of career management skills,
Faciliate access by all citizens to guidance services,
Develop quality assurance in guidance provision,
Encourage coordination and cooperation among the various stakeholders
Participants are:
The Ministry of National Education, PES in the Ministry of Labor and Social Security , the Undersecretariat of the State Planning Agency, The Turkish Institute of Statistics the Higher Education Council, National Qualifications Authority, the Agency for Development and Support of Small and Middle Scale Industry, the National Productivity Center, the Turkey Union of Chambers and Stock Exchanges, the Confederation of Turkish Employers Unions, the Confederation Turkish of Tradesman and Artisans and the Confederation of Turkish Workers Unions

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 main aim of the MOU is to define and contribute to the development of the roles and responsibilities of all the the related stakeholders, government, social partners, universities and non-governmental organizations in the national web based CIS. Moreover, to also support an integrative approach to all the services in Turkey.
The target group includes individuals from every age and a wide range of groups such as students, youth adults, unemployed, employment seekers, people want to change career, retired, disabled, women, dropouts etc.
Methods applied to reach the objective are face-face interviews ,meetings, workshops and the process of writing the country reports (2003,2006)

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)

All the stakeholders will provide updated data periodically to the national web-based system.
Career guidance services will be carried out in a coordinated way
The stakeholders will share the materials and documents they develop.
The MOU covers the guidelines for the actions to be carried out by the stakeholders on lifelong career information, guidance and counseling services at national, local and international levels (Euroguidance, PLOTEUS etc.) and on the national web-based system to be coordinated by the Ministry of National Education. Moreover, the MOU has guidelines on how to carry on the services at the local level.

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

At governmental level, monitoring and evaluation will be carried out by the Career Guidance Services Development Unit established under the General Directorate for Special Education Guidance and Counseling Services of the Turkish Ministry of National Education (MONE) and by Occupation Information Commission, MEDAK) under the Turkey Employment Agency; and
At local level, by Guidance and Research Centers and Provincial Directorships of the Turkey Employment Agency
The strategic plan is in the process of development by all the stakeholders has outcome indicators to be used, ie. number of personnel trained for ICT skills, number of students who used web based self-assessment tools, etc.)

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

Inter-agency cooperation.
Cooperation, coordination and collaboration at the national level.
Effective use of human resources and finances.
Sustainability of the national web-based information system.
Awareness on guidance services
Increase in the quality of the services
Right to use of career guidance services
Leading to the development of the strategic plan as a joint effort of the stakeholders
Each institution will finance its own activities itself.
Although career guidance services have been provided mostly in educational institutions previously, hereafter individuals from every part of the society will have opportunity to have information about these services and benefit from them.

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 cooperation, coordination and collaboration of all stakeholders are a major success factor. Twelve public authorities, social partners and NGO’s came together and they undertook some tasks and responsibilities for providing career information, guidance and counseling services.
Lessons learnt are:
Team work
Importance of cooperation
Effective use of the resources
Use of stocked information

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

There are organizations providing career guidance services at local level. Also, structured and institutionalized career guidance providers are available. The MOU is an opportunity to further cooperation, coordination and collaboration among all the related the stakeholders. A web-based career information system has been established. A strategic plan for the career guidance services in Turkey is in the process of development.

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Additional information

Name of contact

Ruhi KILIÇ, PhD

Role (in policy initiative)

Director General for Special Education Guidance and Counseling Services of the Turkish Ministry of National Education and also National Coordinator for Turkey for ELGPN

Organization name

Directorate General for Special Education Guidance and Counseling Services of the Turkish Ministry of National Education

Address

MEB Kampusu A Blok Beşevler/ANKARA/TÜRKİYE

Phone

+90 312 212 76 14-15

Fax

+90 312 213 13 56

E-mail

ruhikilic@meb.gov.tr, orgm@meb.gov.tr

Website address

http://orgm.meb.gov.tr

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

No links specified.

This information was provided/updated by:

Seza Karaman, ELGPN National Representative for Turkey and the Career Guidance Services Development Unit in MONE

No comments by users.

ELGPN, good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, career management skills, access, quality, co-operation, co-ordination, career information, Turkey

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

Learning & Working

Country

The Netherlands

I am proposing that this example will be published also in the KSLLL database

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 project directorate Learning & Working has developed a method to successfully translate EU- and national-level goals with regards to adult learning to concrete local-level actions. Stimulating and facilitating regional cooperation between local and regional governments, public employment services like the Centre for Work and Income (CWI) and the Social Security Agency (UWV), educational institutions, employers and employees is the heart of the project and has proven to be the key to it’s success.

• The motivation of the initiative (What is the history/background of the policy?)

The interdepartemental project directorate Learning & Working is a joint project of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment with the involvement of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Food Quality. It was started in 2005 to take concrete steps forward to advance adult learning.

• Linkages with LLG policy priorities (Please add references to other policies or documents)

Obviously the activities of the project directorate Learning & Working are closely connected to (the national implementation of) the Lisbon objectives on training and education, specifically the following:
- 20% of the Dutch between the ages of 25 and 64 should be following a course or educational programme in 2010. The Lisbon objectives state that 12,5% of the adult population should participate in education and training. In 2000 the Dutch percentage already exceeded this with a score of 15,6%. Therefore a more ambitious national goal was formulated for 2010.
- 50% of the working population should be highly educated in 2020.
- 80% of the Dutch working population should have a basic qualification (MBO level 2) in 2010.

• Participants

Adults in broadest sense

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 intention of the project directorate was to take concrete actions. This was implemented and stimulated by formulating concrete objectives that were to be reached at the end of the project period, initially planned at the start of 2008. The goals and objectives from the 2005 action programme related to the intended regional infrastructure for adult learning were the following:
- Ensuring that more young people and adults combine their job or job-seeking efforts with training and education that will lead them to acquiring a vocational and educational training qualification.
- Employers and employees, education providers and local governments in the region conclude collaboration agreements (at least ten in 2005) concerning the creation of work based learning in the region.
- These collaboration agreements will result in a total of 15,000 work-based learning programmes being realized before the start of 2008. This concerns learning-working programmes aimed at integration into the labour process or at earning an occupational qualification, possibly in combination with learning the Dutch language.
- The interdepartmental project directorate for Learning & Working has resolved to realize 20,000 APL procedures (Accreditation of Prior Learning) before the start of 2008.
- Setting up easily accessible and independent contact desks for learning and working in the region is to provide employed people, job-seekers and employers with low-threshold access to career advice, assessment of competencies acquired and education opportunities.

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)

When the project directorate Learning & Working was set up, it was decided that an unorthodox and dynamic approach was needed to achieve progress with adult learning. In the years before, there had been plenty of discussions, expert meetings had taken place and many policy documents were written, but very little action had been undertaken. The establishment of an interdepartemental and temporary project directorate was a change in approach. A pro-active, almost activistic, mentality focused on regional cooperation was chosen.

In the first phase of setting up an infrastructure many parties in the region (employers, employees, education providers and local governments) were consulted concerning concrete objectives. They were asked to establish these objectives in regional collaboration agreements. It started with establishing contacts with regional partners in four regions with regard to setting up such an infrastructure for APL, including career advice and services on educational opportunities. Based on the experiences gained in these four regions, similar initiatives were launched in other regions.

• Level of implementation (national, regional etc.)
Regional implementation , national driven

• Implementation (description)
Several actions were taken to encourage and involve more regional parties. Among others these steps were:
- Conduct discussions with interested parties to explore their interest in collaboration.
- Analyse existing initiatives in order to gain greater insight into the opportunities and possible bottlenecks in the process of launching extra work-based learning programmes in the region.
- Organize account management in order to support parties in finding partners and closing deals.
- Provide temporary financial contributions (subsidies) in order to stimulate and support the organizational capacity of parties.
- With regards to the project plans the account manager from the project directorate Learning & Working played various roles in the implementation ranging from support, steering and feedback up to evaluation.
- Gain more insight into and increase access to financial resources such as subsidies from the European Social Fund.
- Organize a national communication campaign in order to get individuals and employers to invest more in training and to support regional projects, make funds available to them for communication.
- Organise interactive meetings, workshops and work conferences for regional partners.
- Trace any (institutional) bottlenecks and, if possible, solve them or have them solved.
- Monitor, both quantitative and qualitative, results to distinguish successful (and unsuccessful) projects, so other projects may learn from their experiences.

Monitoring and evaluation

- What has been put in place for monitoring and evaluation?

- What actors are involved?

An adult learning infrastructure was created virtually covering the whole country. Today there are over 40 partnerships. With the number of parties involved in each of these ranging from five to sometimes fifteen, there are literally hundreds of local organizations taking part in our effort to take adult learning in the Netherlands to the next level.

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

• Specific results
See above
• Cost effectiveness
Every two years the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science carries out a big research about the external valuation of directorates. This research evaluates directorates in six areas: Transparency, understandability of communication, quality of policy, quality of employees, customer driven and consistency. On all levels the project directorate Learning & Working scores better than other directorates

• Budget
Participating monitoring is used in combination with more formal monitoring by independent agencies. In other projects or subsidies, where government officials are far more monitoring from a distance, less FTE is necessary. The way account management is designed in this project, is more expensive.

• Innovative aspects
The approach of the project directorate Learning & Working is innovative in four different ways. First, the role of national government as both partner in the region and subsidiser. Second, both on the local as the national level a break with traditional structures. Third, as a result of more cooperation between regional and national level, difficulties are made explicit far more quickly. Fourth, partner selection is based on innovative criteria, which strengthens the progress of the regional projects.

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?)

Success factors (What key success factors have led to or prevented success? Up to 200 words)
Using a whole new approach compared to the years before, the target number of work-based trajectories was easily surpassed. In terms of network, infrastructure and innovation, much more was achieved than anticipated. Only APL lagged behind, though the number of trajectories completed tripled in comparison to the years before 2005.
• Lessons learnt
Even though an important push has been given, the project directorate’s activities in relation to the whole Dutch society remain modest. External spin-off effects and as mentioned in the previous paragraph further concept-development and implementation of our experiences into new policies are all needed to give this ‘big push’ in adult learning in the Netherlands.

Unintended impacts (Have there been any unintended impacts? Positive or negative? Up to 100
words)
On top of the structural challenges we will have to deal with the impact of an economic crisis whose full scope remains to be grasped. The full package of actions by the Dutch government is still being discussed at the time of writing. It is very likely that the project directorate Learning & Working and it’s regional projects will be involved in the realisation of these actions.

Strengths and weaknesses

- What areas of the policy can we learn lessons from?

- Are there still challenges ahead?

In the Learning & Working project, no blue print was used to force the partner selection; an open intake was made possible. This bottom-up process formed the basis for composition of new partnerships in the region. Beside this innovative approach to forming new partnerships, it is obliged to involve employers or employer representatives. This enhances the sustainability for following years, when there will be no financial stimulus on cooperation. This way, companies themselves are involved in the project, which means more focus on human resource management and development.

4. Additional narrative description of the policy/practice/initiative

Additional information

Name of contact

Amnon Owed

Role (in policy initiative)

Project Advisor

Organization name

Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment

Address

Anna van Hannoverstraat 4, 2595BJ The Hague

Phone

+31 70 333 5413

Fax

+31 70 3334318

E-mail

aowed@minszw.nl

Website address

http://www.leren-werken.nl

Documents and publications

- Carrying on with Learning & Working: Plan of approach 2008-2011
- Reinforcing Learning & Working: Action programme 2005-2007

Attached files

Links

No links specified.

This information was provided/updated by:

Peter van Deursen

No comments by users.

ELGPN, good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, career management skills, access, co-operation, employed, The Netherlands