Career management skills combine elements of several transversal competences, highlighted in the European Framework of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning such as learn to learn (setting and following learning goals related to career choice made, investing efforts and maintaining discipline for continuous development in the professional area of one's interest); digital competences (applying ICT to process career relevant information, develop electronic portfolio of one’s professional and personal development, market oneself in social media and the web in general); social competences (ability to communicate effectively own strengths in the context of working life relations).The promotion of „career management skills“ is part of basic competences that are indispensable for young people in order to independently take decisions about their future job or further vocational training program. The role of a career counselor is to assist individuals in making career decisions that suit their needs best. Currently existing career guidance systems are not entirely related to the world of work. As a result, young people do not have a clear insight what professional field/career to choose. This is very much valid for the VET sector, where students have already made their first choice and are even in greater need for someone to either strengthen their confidence that they have taken the right decision OR help them make an informed decision to “change direction”. Teachers in VET schools are currently regarded as the key stakeholders in this process, due to their direct everyday contact with students and high potential to influence their attitudes, motivation for further development and attainment levels. Our proposal builds on the profound knowledge base and policy recommendations of ELGPN – European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network on providing accessible guidance for learners, which calls for more active involvement of VET teachers in the process. Currently, VET focuses predominantly on developing competences for a specific profession/occupation and is not offering enough guidance for learners to yield the so called horizontal skills that increase adaptability to different occupational settings. Therefore, the CARMA project will be aiming at empowering teachers to deliver career guidance and foster the development of career management skills among VET students in order to prevent early school leaving, increase motivation and attainment levels, as well as employability.To achieve this, five organisations from three countries (Hungary, Finland and Bulgaria) are joining forces – a leading education materials publishing house, two VET schools, a renowned university and a best practice career guidance provider. Among our key objectives are:- to develop a comprehensive manual for VET teachers to support VET learners in developing career management skills; - to enhance VET teachers competencies in career guidance through structured training, thus allowing for multiplying the innovative approaches among their peers and other relevant stakeholders;- to engage VET students in pilot career guidance sessions with trained teachers;- to disseminate project activities and results across teachers’ communities across Europe.The CARMA project foresees the development of innovative Manual for VET teachers, as well as Policy recommendations targeting high-level decision makers in the field of education and training.Our methodology involves maximum exploitation of existing expertise and plans for realisation of project activities within eighteen months to ensure prompt response to a pressing need. The CARMA project very much relies on testing and piloting of envisaged core product (manual), as well as focused and extensive dissemination campaign to employ various means and channels, thus ensuring wider exploitation and sustainability of results. Impact is foreseen at several levels and could be summarised as follows:- improved competencies of VET teachers to deliver high-quality and relevant career guidance;-enhanced career management skills of VET students to increase attainment and motivation for learning and further professional development;-increased awareness of the importance to introduce career guidance at all levels of VET, as well as employing available resources and stakeholders in the process. Longer term benefits relate to raising the quality and relevance of VET and employability of young people.
Increasing numbers of students are at risk of dropping out from VET schools. Young people who leave education early lack skills and qualifications. They face a higher risk of unemployment, social exclusion and poverty. Also, the employment pattern of “a job for life” is gone due to global political, economic, social, and technological changes. The ongoing transforming nature of work, jobs and careers implies the continuous need for personal and professional development and the ability to adapt to the transformation of the workplace. Students need to acquire plenty of skills and competences, in order to be able to make career choices accurately and effectively and to meet the labour market’s demand. Students who are less knowledgeable about career most often choose a career that does not fit with their needs. The above statement is even more valid for VET students, who are very often focused mainly on acquiring a certain set of vocational competences, without paying much attention on nurturing their soft skills. Therefore it is important that all key VET stakeholders are involved in the process of improving VET students’ career management skills (CMS). Students need guidance in the course of study and training, and it is a huge responsibility for the vocational institution to provide them with relevant skills. To ensure their students’ have up to date knowledge and skills, VET teachers can no longer only teach vocational subjects without incorporating CMS within the curriculum. It is the teacher who are closer to students and have access to them on a daily basis, therefore they are in a perfect position to influence children’s choice of career as well as shape students’ attitude towards given profession. The main aim of the CARMA project is to empower teachers from partner countries and beyond to deliver career guidance and foster the development of career management skills among VET students in order to prevent early school leaving, increase motivation level, as well as employability. Our objectives: - to develop a manual for VET teachers to support VET learners in developing career management skills; - to improve VET teachers competencies in career guidance through training; - to engage VET students in pilot career guidance sessions with trained teachers; - to disseminate project results across teachers’ communities through multiplier events, online free access to the manual and an extensive dissemination; - to develop Policy recommendations targeting high level decision makers in the field of education and training. The project was a transnational cooperation of 5 institutions: o The coordinator of the project was the Raabe Klett Kft. (HU), a publishing house and training institute in the field of education and training. o Raahe VET school (FI) provides qualified vocational upper secondary education and training at three different schools in Raahe region. o BKSZC Weiss Manfréd VET (HU) offers mainly electric electronic and IT studies. o BME University (HU): The Department of Technical Education within the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences prepares teachers for technical vocational training schools. o Selfinvest Ltd. (BG) is a private company. Their main goal is to provide high quality career guidance services to diverse target groups offering individual career consultations and group programs aiming to develop CMS among people from different ages. Our most important activities include: • 3 Transnational Project meetings • Development of Manual for teachers • Testing and Piloting of Manual • Development of Policy Recommendations • Multiplier events: Workshop Sofia, Final conference Budapest • Dissemination including: promotion emails, online presence, newsletters, presentations, personal encounters Results: 1. Career Management Training Manual for VET Teachers and Policy recommendations – 4 language versions (HU, FI, BG and EN) 2. 10 school staff members from 2 partner schools trained in applying the manual 3. 100 students participated in pilot lessons 4. 110 stakeholders from partner, other EU and non-EU countries informed of project results through 2 multipliers events in Budapest and Sofia. 5. More than 5.000 individuals reached through dissemination Impact: VET teachers involved understand the importance of CMS and the role of teachers in it, have improved competencies to deliver it in the classroom and have a raised sensitivity to the prospects of students with various social background/motivation/capacities. The project created awareness among VET students who participated in the pilots of the need and importance of CMS, it improved understanding the connection of CMS with future employability, that not only professional skills are needed to establish a future career, but one has to have lots of different soft skills if they want to achieve something in life/profession. Longer term impact are expected in raising the quality and relevance of VET and employability of young people.