European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network Database, ELGPN Database

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

The IQ Roma Service – The Centre for Counselling and Employment, Czech Republic

Country

Czech Republic

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

Background

IQ Roma Service provides accredited social services: social counselling, field work, drop-in facility for children and the young and activation services for families with children, in compliance with Social Service Law (108/2006) as amended and further complementary activities.
IQ Roma Service helps approx. 2000 people in need a year in Brno, Břeclav, Vyškov and in other localities of the South Moravian Region.
The clients are mainly Roma threatened by social exclusion, who want to resolve and change their adverse life situation actively. The social services are provided for free.

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

Vision of IQ Roma servis is “society of lively and friendly relations between Roma and other people…a world where Roma people have their dignified roles and respect as both individuals and a nation…“
Mission of IQ Roma servis is “to be a mediator which supports possibilities, opportunities and resolution of Roma in their development, social fulfilment and protects their rights and dignity within society.”
Employees of Centre of Counselling and Employment provide information and support in solving of adverse situation of people, mainly Roma and their children. They aim to improve or even solve their problems. The leading belief is that fact that someone is Roma should not be a complication in their life or on the life of their children.
IQ Roma Service wants to experience and assist success of young Romani generation in education, increase employment of Roma and set up their dignified place in the society, to support health, competencies of parents and good relationships within Romani families. An important goal is helping in ensuring accessible housing for active clients. The work also targets debts of the clients and provides help in finding active and systematic way in solving financial problems. The work aims at building positive image, pride and civic engagement of Roma. IQ Roma Services wants to be strong, independent and influential organization.

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 Program for Adults (which of the Centre of Counselling and Employment is a part) provides two ways of social work – field social work and advisory centres. The field social workers work mainly in Brno but also in other towns of South Moravian Region such as Břeclav Vyškov, Tišnov, Zastávka, Bučovice, Mikulov etc. IQ Roma servis has got four advisory centres – in Brno on streets Hybešova 41 and Cejl 49 and also in Vyškov and Břeclav. In this way a wide range of the clients´ needs is covered and also the regional structures are assisted through dissemination of the know-how and organizational methods.
Program for Children and Youth provides educational services in centres in Brno, Vyškov and Břeclav.
Apart from social and educational services the IQ Roma Service organizes various campaigns which reflect up-to-date events and trends within the whole society. “Dže andre lačchi škola” (“Go to a good school”) belongs to the most successful ones and aims to prepare children and their parents for a good start to educational system and choice of quality (non-segregated) school.
Campaign which brought a lot of attention in 2012 is “My pracujeme” (“We do work”). This campaign was launched on 1st August 2012 and aimed at showing positive examples of working Roma and so change negative attitude of the Czech majority and discriminatory tendencies. For more information on the campaign please see: http://www.mypracujeme.cz/
Similar campaign that attempted to point at discrimination on labour marked preceded on 2011 and was based on TV clip “Neviditelní” (“The Invisible”) which was broadcasted on Czech Television: http://www.ethnic-friendly.eu/nas_spot This campaign was part of concept of Ethnic Friendly Employer brand.

The strategic plan of IQ Roma servis is being updated on annual basis and is a living document that covers wide range of topics the service works on. It mainly contains goals related to social work (housing, debts, employment, social system), educational activities (catch-up classes for pupils/students, past-time activities, coaching of children to lead them to successful participation in education and decision making in further professional life, cooperation with parents, families, schools etc.), case-management (mainly work with families). The strategic plan is result of a wide cooperation of management of the organization but also participation of all employees and also clients´ ideas and opinions. Feedback from clients is gained on various occasions (feedback sessions, participation meetings, community meetings etc.)
The main strategy of IQ Roma Service is to provide complex service. It means that the focus is not on job seeking only. The aim is also to encourage the clients to set a reasonable budget in order to get rid of the debts. The assistance is provided in in financial matters, housing, family relationships etc. General aim is to set up a sustainable situation for the client.

Monitoring and evaluation

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

- What actors are involved?

IQ Roma Service has got Analytic and Methodological Department that monitors ways how social work is being provided and also results of the work. These outputs are processed on regular basis and often published in various media, magazines, strategic documents, web pages of the organization etc.
All activities are reflected by several means such as cross-check interviews, focus groups on various topics and continuous gaining of feedback from clients.

Funding/Cost effectiveness

It is difficult (if not impossible) to calculate influence of social work or educational activities. However calculations from 2011 show that cost of services provided to one client of the Centre of Counselling and Employment were approx. 56.6 EUR. Activities of IQ Roma Service are funded by European projects, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, South Moravian Region, Brno municipality and also by private donors. These donors fund our effort repeatedly and regularly therefore we are sure that they believe that they are worth finances invested into them.

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

Outcomes

Outcomes of the IQ Roma Service are published regularly in the Annual report. Please see the last one on: http://www.iqrs.cz/download.php
To name some facts about the main outcomes:
In 2011 50 children were helped in registering at a quality school or kindergarten, 13 families assisted in cooperation with Department of Social and Legal Protection of Children, 1,663 clients of the Program for Adults helped in solving their problems related to employment, housing, debts and social system, 535 children participated on activities of Program for Youth, 58 applied for a secondary school and 42 of them passed, 149 of pupils/students attended catch-up classes and 217 attended PC courses.


Achievements

IQ Roma Service belongs to the most prestigious non-profit organizations in the Czech Republic and it is a leading expert in the area of social inclusion which is proven by the national & international awards, recognition and accreditation (please see: http://www.iqrs.cz/kvalita).
In first half of 2012 15 clients of Centre of Counselling and Employment managed to find a job with the help of IQ Roma Service, 28 clients have set up a plan how to get rid of their debts and other 6 clients managed to get rid of them, 3 clients found house/flat rented by a private owner (which is a big success in view of the fact that Roma are frequently discriminated in housing).

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?)

All activities are watched, monitored and evaluated on a regular basis. Strategic plan sets up specific targets and rates of clients who to be employed, find a housing, pay off their debts, apply for a school and graduate it etc.
These numbers are processed and if the intended targets are not achieved the management analyses the deficiencies and searches for solutions for improvements.


Unintended impacts

All the clients helped in finding a job, flat, pay off their debts and sort out their problems with bureaus, or the children who graduated school act as the best PR for community of Czech Roma. Through work with them the view of the Czech society on Romani people is positively influenced.

Strengths and weaknesses

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

- Are there still challenges ahead?

The main strength is the complexity of the services which cover problems that occurs in life of clients throughout their whole life – from early age, through school years, entering the labour market, maintaining good family relations, coping with a difficult economic situation up to the aging and retirement issues. Not only social or educational services are provided in high quality (as many other organizations do) but the impact of the services has also an aspect of social and civic activism and participation.
Although respected and recognised by public institutions and even government IQ Roma Service still works on finding its place among those who play strategic role in decision making related to complex work with socially excluded communities. Another area of improvement is in monitoring and measuring the impact of the services on the lives of the clients.

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

Additional information

Name of contact

Role (in policy initiative)

Organization name

IQ Roma Servis

Address

Cejl 49 602 00 Brno Česká republika

Phone

+420 549 241 250

Fax

E-mail

iqrs@iqrs.cz

Website address

http://www.iqrs.cz/

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

No links specified.

This information was provided/updated by:

Jana Kvapilová

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, goods, services, access, act, active citizenship, active job seeking, adult education, adult student, adults, advisory services, alcohol and substace abuse, career counselling, civil society organisations, Czech Republic, people at risk, social inclusion, guidance in schools, unemployed, older adults, disadvantaged groups, career information

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

The Hungarian LLG Council and LLG System development

Country

Hungary

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 Hungary there is no official central ownership of guidance issues. While guidance activities and development are overseen by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (Szociális és Munkaügyi Minisztérium), the Ministry of Education and Culture (Oktatási és Kulturális Minisztérium) is also a key actor in the field. However, the two ministries do not have a long term strategic agreement on the issue. On the other hand, neither the citizens, nor the employers have a clear idea of the aims, methods or the benefits of guidance, counselling and vocational orientation.

Since the establishment of the European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN) at EU level, national developments have pushed ahead. The Hungarian LLG Council (Nemzeti Pályaorientációs Tanács, NPT) was founded in January 2008 and in September of the same year a new national programme was launched in the framework of the Social Renewal Operational Programme (Társadalmi Megújulás Operatív Programja, TÁMOP) of the New Hungary Development Plan (Új Magyarország Fejlesztési Terv, ÚMFT) 2007-2013 which includes the development of a new national LL guidance network.

The national LLL strategy (2005) as well as the National Reform Programme (2008-2010) also specifies the development of some elements of career guidance activities but a policy document was elaborated by the new Hungarian LLG Council.

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 national council is to develop and promote a framework for lifelong guidance policy. The work of the council is strongly related with the national development programme for LLG System in Hungary. According the Hungarian Government decision (2007) this programme was designed for the 7 years period of the NSRF (2007-2013) and cover 22,6 millions EUR total. Within this main aim the subtasks are the followings:
1. unifying the meaning of career guidance within the educational and employment, social regulations in national level
2. re-establish and also reinterpretat policy mechanism in the field of career guidance after the 70’s
3. develop an unified regulation for career guidance and also develop the financing mechanism
4. develop a cross-sectoral common understanding in the field of lifelong guidance/ carrier education and career counselling
5. develop a web-based unified cadastre for career counselling professionals and for other professionals whose are working in related fields (i.e. teachers, social workers etc.)
6. develop unified guidelines for career counselling professionals
7. upskilling professionals for LLG
7a. offering in-service trainings at two different levels:
- for career counselling professionals
- and for professionals in the related fields
7b. develop tools for all age guidance
7c. publishing a new review (Életpálya Tanácsadás) for the professional community
7d. widening access for career guidance services as a common project of different stakeholders

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)

SROP 2.2.2. under the professional supervision of the NPT implementing a numerous new features in the field of career guidance. The main items within the first 2 year-long period are:
- Development a new toolkit for career guidance professional (questioners for all-age services, web based databank)
- Get together the professionals and the related professionals of career guidance
- Provide in-service training for 2000 people whose working in related professions
- Provide 2 year-long post-graduate diploma for career guidance professionals as widening the network of trained professionals
- Develop a national and regional network of the professionals

The programme SROP 2.2.2 supports development in the areas of IT and methodology. In the area of IT development, the development of a new national guidance portal is envisaged, targeting the youth, adults and professionals/experts, with the aim of providing integrated, up to date, and user friendly information related to education and the labour market. The webpage would also offer a portal for the career guidance professionals, where they could reach all the information and tools regarding the project. It has four main functions:
- Social networking
- Knowledgebase
- Special functions: online storage of counselling case diaries, nameless statistical treatment of their facts, tools that make possible to analyse the offline questionnaires

Monitoring and evaluation

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

- What actors are involved?

The first round of monitoring will be carried out in 2010 before than end of the first phase. Internal evaluation is must of the Hungarian Development Agency (NDA) and the National Agency of European Social Fund. Four internal evaluations are compulsory within these 2 years:
- May 2009
- October 2009
- May 2010
- December 2010

NDA and ESA Agency are monitoring the programme outcomes. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour will get a professional summery before the second programme proposal will be submitted to the National Development Agency Human Resources Managing Authority till June 2010.

Two independent external evaluations are also planed within this period.
- one in policy context,
- another for measuring the performance of the 50 career counsellors’ activates working in the programme

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

Project indicators and their status:
- Number of clients receiving guidance services - base: 30 000 persons/year, aim: 40 000 persons/year, status: achieved (2009)
- Trained persons (from the fields related to guidance) - base: 0, aim: 2000 persons, status: in progress
- Number of persons who successfully finished trainings - base: 0, aim: 1900 persons, status: in progress
- User satisfaction of clients included in guidance activities - base: N/A, aim: + 20%, status: in progress
- Persons attended in post-gradual trainings - base: 0, aim: 50 persons, status: achieved
- Newly developed occupation folders - base: 202, aim: 302, status: in progress
- Updated occupation folders - base: 172, aim: 222, status: in progress
- Newly developed training materials (and courses) - base: 0, aim: 10, status: achieved
- Newly developed occupation films - base: 344, aim: 364, status: in progress
- Unique visitors of the newly developed national guidance portal - base: 223 200 visitor/year, aim: 268 000 visitor/year, status: achieved (2009)

Budget: 2,08 Bn HUF - 7,8 M EUR - is to be used in the first 2 years.

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?)

A strong professional view of the programme management and the international developments (ie. EU Resolutions 2004, 2008, EU-OECD 2004. ILO 2006. UNESCO 2002 publications etc.) help in the implementation period.

Strengths and weaknesses

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

- Are there still challenges ahead?

Lack of evidence of the real economic impact of career guidance and a very segmented human resources development system make the ongoing development and further implementation very fragile. Lack of national resources for the maintaining of the ESA founded development is also an important issue, especially after 2013/2014 for the next development period (2014-2020) of the EU. A national level and cross-sectoral unfiled re-regulation of this field is essential for the success and the marinating of the developments.

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

Additional information

Name of contact

Borbély-Pecze, Tibor Bors, NPT

Role (in policy initiative)

Secretary of NPT

Organization name

Nemzeti Pályaorientációs Tanács

Address

Nemzeti Pályaorientációs Tanács Titkársága Foglalkoztatási és Szociális Hivatal (Borbély-Pecze Tibor Bors, titkár) Budapest Kálvária tér 7. 1089 Hungary

Phone

+36.30.216.0095

Fax

+36.1.459.2099

E-mail

beneiv@lab.hu; borbelytibor@lab.hu

Website address

http://internet.afsz.hu/engine.aspx?page=full_kulfoldi_palyaor_eu_magyar_llg_tanacs

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

http://internet.afsz.hu/resource.aspx?resourceid=full_kulfoldi_palyaor_eu_magyar_llg_szakpol_ang

This information was provided/updated by:

BORBÉLY-PECZE Tibor Bors

No comments by users.

ELGPN, good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, national development, LLG system development, cadastre, career guidance counsellor, ICT, effectiveness, national standard development, education policy, PES, cross policy coordination, training of the guidance professionals, access, quality, co-operation, co-ordination, guidance in schools, unemployed, employed, older adults, career information, qualifications, Hungary

Name of the good/interesting practice/initiative/policy

The Retirement Compass

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 the light of the changing demographics and the future manpower shortage elder people are becoming increasingly important as active citizens. Active aging is an aim and necessity both of the Council of the European Union as well as of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Retirement Compass (Ruhestandskompass) is a new tool to support people with the transition from work to retirement promoting active aging.

It has been developed as part of the Federal programme ‘Local Learning’ (Lernen vor Ort) in the city of Leipzig/ Germany. ‘Local Learning’ (Lernen vor Ort) is a public-private partnership between the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and some German foundations funded by the ESF and the Federal Government with the overall aim to promote coordinated Lifelong Learning of the individual. The programme supports municipalities to strengthen education management in the region. In addition to better regional cooperation and coordination and educational monitoring, the programme aims to facilitate transitions from one life-phase to the other.

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 Retirement Compass aims to support orientation and planning of retirement and thus helps to manage the transition into a self-determined retirement as a conscious step and should assist to make this phase of life as active as possible.

The tool targets people who will retire shortly (around the age of 65 – but also those who may retire earlier or later). It can be applied individually but consulting a guidance practitioner during the process of working with the compass is highly recommended. Thus, the Compass creates an occasion for guidance and actively encourages elder people, who rarely approach guidance services, to use guidance provisions. It also encourages to exchange reflections, ideas and plans with friends, family and colleagues.

Following a portfolio approach and inspired by such approaches for young people and for competence assessment, the tool also helps to improve self-knowledge and self-reflection, assessing and acknowledging personal interests as well as planning of the future life phase.

The Retirement Compass is open to all possible outcomes including the decision, not to plan anything and leave open space for the retirement. It further provides information on opportunities for volunteer work, and possibilities of leisure, sports and other activities and related services in the municipality.

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)

After its development the Retirement Compass was piloted in 2010 with staff personnel of the municipial administration of Leipzig. Since June 2011 the tool is offered to all employees of the municipal administration who will go into retirement shortly. They are encouraged to use the retirement compass and to see a guidance practitioner. The educational guidance service of Leipzig which has also been established as part of the programme ‘Local Learning’ provides a special guidance offer for the Retirement Compass. The Compass and guidance provision is open to all citizen of the city of Leipzig. It is also available in a fully accessible version for blind and visually impaired people ( developed in cooperation with the German Central Library for the Blind).

This regional implementation results from the context of the development of the tool in the programme ‘Local Learning’ in Leipzig. But, through the exchange between the municipalities taking part in the programme at conferences and working groups, tools and experiences are communicated and shared. In general, the tool is designed to be easily adaptable in all regions.

Other cities have already become interested and are planning to implement the tool. In the city of Dresden the Office for Senior Citizens has made a cooperation agreement with the city of Leipzig to adapt and implement the Retirement Compass. Steps have been taken in the city of Dresden to evaluate the demand and ways of use and dissemination of the tool. Another cooperation agreement has been made with the city of Erfurt. Particularly, the information part on regional opportunities is specific to one region and must be adapted to the provisions and offers available elsewhere.

Monitoring and evaluation

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

- What actors are involved?

In Leipzig educational guidance on the Retirement Compass is regularly evaluated on the basis of questionnaires handed out to clients. The evaluation of the 1st edition of the Retirement Compass was broadened by involving senior citizen’s clubs and associations as well as providers of continuing education for senior citizen’s. On the basis of these questionnaires and further reactions and responses a second revised and updated edition of the Retirement Compass was developed.

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
Results from the piloting show that individuals who have used the Retirement Compass felt better informed about opportunities in their region. Further, they had clearer plans for retirement which they were confident to realize.

- Cost effectiveness
The tool is free of charge and is available online as well as in print.

- Budget
The budget is part of the overall budget of the “Local Learning” project in Leipzig which is funded by the city of Leipzig, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, partly by the ESF and which is supported by private foundations.

- Innovative aspects
In the aging society the elder generation is becoming more and more important for the society. Many retired people are still healthy and motivated to work or engage themselves voluntarily. It is important to keep social contacts and to ensure participation in the society. This may also support well-being and health as some studies suggest. The transfer of knowledge and experience to new generations is also of importance to the individual as well as to the society.

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?)

Despite the need for orientation at the transition to retirement and the growth of further education for senior citizens confirmed by the Senior Citizen’s Council in Dresden (Seniorenbeirat), the actual demand for the tool is low. Elder citizen are not usually accustomed to using guidance provisions and hesitate to visit places they are not familiar with. Hence, the Retirement Compass needs to remain a voluntary tool which may be used in easily accessible guidance provisions. Thus, the tool is intended to be offered and guidance may be provided in places which older citizens frequently visit, such as libraries, senior’s citizen’s centres etc.

The information on provisions and offers in the region supports local networks between the relevant stakeholders in the field of education and social work for senior citizens.

Strengths and weaknesses

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

- Are there still challenges ahead?

The Compass may be used individually without consulting a guidance practitioner which may not lead to the same results as if a professional practitioner supports the reflection of the personal interests and aims.

Implementing the Retirement Compass more strongly in public administration and to involve more organisations (e.g. the Job Centers for the long-term unemployed, the local PES) remains to be a challenge in Leipzig. In addition, the Retirement Compass shall be disseminated to as many employers as possible. It should be offered more openly than before in the educational guidance service of Leipzig.

Another critical question which is discussed in other cities is the question of publishing. If the tool is published by the municipality it may, on the one hand, receive a higher level of authority. On the other hand, it runs the risk of becoming part of public administration. The question of publishing through the public authorities or the local agencies and non-profit organisations for education or senior citizen’s and social well-fare is also a question of top-down and bottom-up mechanisms of cooperation and coordination with all its implications.

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

The Retirement Compass is organised in three parts:
1. Reflection of working life (positive and negative aspects, leaving and new beginning)
2. Clarification of interests (hobbies, commitments voluntary work)
3. Information and service including adresses, profiles and courses offered of providers adult education etc.
Discussions on the contents of the Retirement Compass and their organisation and arrangement are still going on. While some exoperts feel that the contents and their representation in the tool is banal, others argue that the simplicity of the tool enables all citizens to easily access the Compass by themselves encouraging them to access educational guidance and to review their past, present and future.

Additional information

Name of contact

Stadt Leipzig, Amt für Jugend, Familie und Bildung, Stabsstelle “Lernen vor Ort”

Role (in policy initiative)

Bureau responsible for Local Learning in the city of Leipzig

Organization name

Stadt Leipzig, Amt für Jugend, Familie und Bildung, Stabsstelle “Lernen vor Ort”

Address

Postfach, 04092 Leipzig

Phone

Fax

E-mail

jugend-familie-bildung@leipzig.de, lernen-vor-ort@leipzig.de

Website address

http://www.leipzig.de/lernen-vor-ort

Documents and publications

Attached files

Links

No links specified.

This information was provided/updated by:

Bernhard Jenschke

No comments by users.

good practice, initiative, interesting practice, policy, access, active ageing, citizenship, transition, continuing education, elderly persons, employed, Germany, hobbies, guidance services, information, instrument, libraries, life planning, lifelong, guidance, municipal, administration, municipalities, portfolio, project, Regional level, self-assessment, social welfare, transitionadult education, older adults

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