The first Global Careers Month closing event, hosted by the European Training Foundation (ETF) on 13 December, posed multi-faceted solutions to shared challenges raised at the month’s start.
The month was organised by the Inter-Agency Career Guidance Working Group, which consists of Cedefop, the European Commission, the ETF, the International Labour Organization, OECD, UNESCO and the World Bank. Over 45 global and regional events and associated activities were registered during the month, organised by the regional focal points in partnership with national and regional guidance associations.
At the closing ceremony, representatives of the inter-agency group, international social partners, the International Association of Employers and the International Trade Union Confederation, career guidance professional associations and networks, including Euroguidance and the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance, discussed the project’s outcomes and proposed solutions.
This initiative stands as a notable example of successful inter-agency cooperation and offers a platform for career development professionals to share their experiences and visions as reflections for policy and strategy.
The month’s focus was timely in an era marked by calls for adaptability of workers, concrete gains on inclusiveness across policy areas, more resilient societies, and making just digital and green transitions for a brighter and sustainable future despite the continuous waves of crises.
Different solutions were forwarded on how career guidance can meet the challenges faced and how to better serve the needs of an increasingly diverse public for career guidance. All participants agreed on the need to set goals for professionalisation of services, tools and resources despite the different starting points, and that interventions should be context-resonant and evidence-informed.
Social partners underlined holistic approaches where the whole-person approach to skilling is gaining ground, even if the pathway and provisions are also important and boosting capacity of employers and human resource development in career development could make a difference.
Guidance experts also argued that clients’ individual aspirations need to be a key part of the solution, instead of focusing solely on the supply of services. This is why career guidance is critical to empower individual citizens. Certain concepts need revisiting, like career, career development and the world of work.
Career guidance providers won’t create sufficient impact working in isolation in such a critical juncture, where career development is often undervalued and where professionals tend to work alone. Policy can improve system cohesiveness, where career guidance works with other critical services.
As Cedefop Executive Director Jurgen Siebel commented: ‘Cedefop is committed to supporting policies designed to empower all individuals through lifelong guidance, validation of prior learning and financial support for training in a world of work difficult to predict.’
The Global Careers Month has served as an unprecedented initiative to open dialogue, particularly with the global community of practice on career development. Cedefop’s Cynthia Harrison said that the month was valuable in its timeliness coinciding with the incredible challenges facing societies today, but the ‘interconnectedness’ of stakeholders and issues was brought to the fore.
A detailed event synthesis will be published in early 2023 with more information on the month’s activities and outcomes.
