Key challenges for Europe’s labour markets and societies: Migrants and refugees, demographic change and future jobs At the beginning of the 21st century, the European labour market is in transition and Europe’s societies face a number of substantial employment and social challenges. For instance, the impact of demographic change is becoming more apparent, migrants and refugees need to integrate into the EU labour market. The labour markets are becoming more international, work is becoming more mobile, more flexible and volatile and the information and knowledge society is approaching. Additionally, there will be a wide reaching impact of future jobs or so called ‘labour 4.0’. The key role of guidance practitioners Guidance practitioners and employment services play a key role in addressing the challenges of Europe’s labour markets and societies. They do not only address the needs of the unemployed, they also deliver services in skills assessment, profiling, training delivery, individual career guidance and client counselling. Furthermore, they match people to job profiles, and offer services to employers, as well as care catering for those furthest removed from the labour market. For coping with today’s challenges of Europe’s labour markets and societies, a high level qualification as well as state-of-the-art information on effective concepts and approaches is essential. Due to the increasingly transnational nature of challenges, transnational trainings, placements/work shadowing as well as the networking of practitioners on a Europe-wide level is becoming more and more important. In this way, guidance practitioners have the chance to learn more about current approaches to tackle current challenges. They also have the chance to learn from other countries’ approaches and experiences, both in theory and in practice. Academia+: Study and training exchange programmes that combine theory, research, practice and mobility The Academia+ project aims to develop and pilot 3 research-based counsellors’ study and training exchange programmes (C-STEP) for career guidance professionals from across Europe. Academia+ allows guidance professionals to take part in annual one-week C-STEPs in each of the partner countries. Each of the C-STEPs combines theory, research and practice. As well as providing state-of-the-art information, a strong focus of the C-STEPs is on allowing participants to achieve a deeper insight in the host countries’ approaches, i.e. in the form of study visits (i.e. to employment agencies, VET-providers, companies, chambers etc.). This involves representatives from practice (i.e. in form of lectures, work shops etc.) and/or immersive experiences where participants engage with the target group and carry out a learning/guidance activity together. In the project’s first year the thematic focus of the C-STEPs held in the partner countries - Germany, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Luxembourg will be on ‘counselling migrants and refugees’, in year 2 on ‘future jobs’ (labour 4.0) and year 3 on ‘demographic change’. The development of the course units for each C-STEP build on an analysis of the target groups’ needs as well as analysis of literature, media and resources in the project’s first phase. The C-STEPs will make use of a blended learning concept that brings together elements of face-to-face courses and training with ICT-based elements, such as a media centre, alongside an interactive learning environment to be used in the piloting of the courses. The media centre will provide a variety of resources and material such as videos, activities or exercises. These materials and resources will support the learning process and aim to be of practical use for the work of career counsellors with the project’s indirect target groups (i.e. migrants and refugees). Academia+: Preparing the wider Academia network for the demands of a more digitalized future In terms of its overall concept of offering annual visits to host countries, Academia+ builds on the Academia network that was set up in 1992 and which has since then provided mobility for more than 2000 guidance professionals from up to 18 member countries. The Academia+ unites a core group of Academia member countries that will develop and pilot new concepts, more formalized and coordinated material and resources and new ways of linking with practice. Moreover, Academia+ will develop a web-based infrastructure consisting of a web portal, media centre and a virtual learning environment that clearly goes beyond what the Academia network was able to provide in the past. The close link to the wider Academia network does not only ensure a sustainable use of the outcomes of the Academia+ project but it also ensures that the wider Academia network will be prepared for the requirements of an increasingly digitalized future.
Context European labour markets and societies face various challenges and transitions such as the refugee crises, demographic change and future jobs, having a big priority e.g. in the EU Horizon 2020. Guidance practitioners play a key role in adressing these challenges successfully. Their tasks comprise individual career guidance and client counselling for unemployed as well as employed persons who want or need to reorient themselves, profiling, skills assessment and training delivery. Furthermore, they match people to job profiles, and offer services to employers, as well as care catering for those furthest removed from the labour market. To perform this range of tasks competently, a high-level qualification and transnational training as well as state-of-the-art information on effective concepts and approaches and networking of practitioners on a Europe-wide level is essential. Objectives On this basis, the Academia+ project supported the exchange of experiences and transnational trainings of counsellors in Europe. To do so, the project partners developed, piloted and evaluated 3 research-based online Counsellors Study and Training Exchange Programs (C-STEPs) for qualified career counsellors that reflect a transnational, European perspective and meet the needs of the target groups. Each of the C-STEPs focused on a current key challenge, and combined theory, research and practice of guidance: Counselling migrants and refugees, Future jobs, Demographic change. Through the trainings and a learning environment, the project supported provision of better services and guidance on competencies and qualifications and helped to raise the profile of international cooperation within guidance. Undertaken activities The topics of the C-STEPs and their units built on literature and resources reviews from all partner countries, a transnational synthesis with recommendations, online questionnaires answered by counsellors, practitioners and experts regarding the topic from several European countries as well as reviews of the unit structure plans. All C-STEPs were transnational online trainings integrating the knowledge and experiences from a variety of experts and speakers, coming from different European countries with different personal and professional background, providing specific knowledge about several approaches, perspectives and innovation on career guidance. The project developed an innovative and detailed media centre and learning environment based on course units containing all presentations, videorecordings, group work tasks and results, discussion protocols and further material. The project also created a website in four different languages for course participants and trainers including different outputs from the C-STEPs. To promote and disseminate the project and to support international networking the projectteam connected to several networks with the focus on counselling/guidance, published information in frequent newsletters, on websites and in journals, hosted a LinkedIn-group for discussion throughout the project timeline and organized a multiplier event at the end of the project timeline. Participants In total 257 persons from 22 different European countries (Belgium, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain) and 13 Non-European countries (Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijani, Australia, Egypt, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia, Russia, Uganda, UK) participated in the trainings. The project partners acquired 47 participants for C-STEP1 (EU-countries: 11; Non-EU: 3), 89 participants for C-STEP2 (EU-countries: 16, Non-EU: 10) and 70 participants for C-STEP3 (EU-countries: 12, Non-EU: 5). The participants had a wide variety of professional backgrounds e.g. professional career guides from local, governmental and non-govermental organisations, local private businesses or freelancers, psychological institutions, universities and higher education departments, refugee organisations and small NGO’s, but also students and some unemployed persons with a professional background rooted in Career Guidance. Results/benefits The C-STEPs reached 257 participants and involved over 40 speakers. The learning environment and media centre functions as a stand-alone resource for non-participants and trainers who like to multiply the event. Email, newsletter, website information and articles in journals addressed more than 10.000 persons. Professionals directly participating in the training or recreating it from the learning environment benefit from the training, so they can better advise and integrate the workforce, unemployed and jobseekers. This enables their counselling organisations to focus strongly on the problems of the respective countries.This has a positive effect on the national labor market, which strengthens the EU.