The Joint Report of the Council and the Commission on the implementation of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) also includes medium-term deliverables for vocational education and training (‘VET’), including enhancing access to qualifications for all through more flexible and permeable VET systems, in particular by offering efficient and integrated guidance services and making available validation of non-formal and informal learning. Throughout the last decade the importance of career guidance to VET students has been repeatedly acknowledged and strongly featured in European cooperation in the field of education ('Education and Training 2020' program). At the end of high school years, the young graduate person will either pursue a higher education to continue education for a certain profession or will be in the work life. In both cases, there is a decision to influence the rest of their life at the beginning of their high school. It is inevitable that this decision will enable the individual to receive the necessary help services in terms of professional development in order to be the most appropriate and correct decision. Contemporary education understanding, which aims to give individuals, productive and open qualities to development in the development of countries, gives importance to choosing the most suitable profession where the individual can reveal his potential to the maximum level. Services carried out in this field by the individual in the training process are covered by the "Career Alignment". The vocational school teachers who are supposed to support the students in this regard are not well informed. So the teachers and the directors at Vocational School should be well trained about the needs of labour market and they can guide the students effectively to their future career. By helping them they can also help to their coutnries' economy. In this context ECS (Early Career Support) is very important both for the educators and the students. They both need to be trained in the field of "Career Alignment in VET". Target group will be teachers, directors, guidance service teachers, parents and students of VET schools in partner countries. Training of trainers will be selected from different VET schools of the participating countries. Trainers who will attend the training of trainers will be from VET schools' teachers and guidance service teachers. Target group of the project is 100 VET schools, 250 directors, teachers, guidance service teachers, 1000 parents and 5000 students. There will be two LTT meetings one in Denmark and one in Portugal. First one is the training of trainers the participants will be the trainers during the project. Second training is for directors who are the decision makers. After these training the parent and student trainings will be held in all partner countries. Four transnational meetings are planned to discuss the management, implemantation, budget, evaluation, dissemination, monitoring, risk management, quality management plans of the project. In the project lifetime ECS-Early Career Support system will be developed and applied to all participating VET schools' students so as to support them not to make mistakes for their whole life. Then CPD-Continuous Professional Development process will be applied to the students to prepare them to labour market. CPS-Career Planning System will help the students to plan their career together with their parents and their teachers. In the project period OTRI-Occupational Tendency Recognition Inventory will be done to present the Vocatioanl Education systems in partner countires according to Work Based Learning in VETriangle. PRI-Profession Recognition Inventory will be done to present the labour market professions needs according to Work Based Learning. The partners will form PIC Desks-Professional Information and Counselling Desk at participating VET schools to guide the students while choosing their future careers. The Council Resolution of 21 November 2008 on better integrating lifelong guidance into lifelong learning strategies (8) invites the Member States to make use of four guiding principles for supporting the lifelong career transitions of citizens: encourage the lifelong acquisition of career management skills; facilitate access by all citizens to guidance services; develop the quality assurance of guidance provision; and encourage coordination and cooperation among various national, regional and local stakeholders. Implement motivation and outreach measures that include raising awareness on the benefits of upskilling, making available information on existing guidance, support measures, upskilling opportunities and responsible bodies, and providing incentives to those least motivated to take advantage of these. Provide guidance and mentoring services to support learners’ progression through all steps of the upskilling process to make students satisfied with their future
Project’s context and background: Contemporary education understanding, which aims to give individuals, productive and open qualities to development in the development of countries, gives importance to choosing the most suitable profession where the individual can reveal his potential to the maximum level. Services carried out in this field by the individual in the training process are covered by the "Career Alignment". The vocational school teachers who are supposed to support the students in this regard are not well informed. So the teachers and the directors at Vocational School should be well trained about the needs of labour market and they can guide the students effectively to their future career. By helping them they can also help to their countries' economy. In this context ECS (Early Career Support) is very important both for the educators and the students. They both need to be trained in the field of "Career Alignment in VET". Our projects’ initial target groups were Vet students then VET teachers, directors, guidance service teachers and of course the students’ parents. We had two LTT’s one in Denmark and one in Portugal. For the first LTT titled “Training of trainers” in Denmark; guidance teachers and VET teachers were chosen. From Denmark 5 participants, from Turkey 5 participants, from Romania and Macedonia 4 participants from each and from Portugal 3 participants attended the LTT. It was a 5 day training course who became the trainers of the teachers, students and parents. These participants gave trainings for VET teachers, VET students and their parents after they go back to their countries. Teachers were informed about the guidance systems in other countries and importance of guiding a student how to decide their job for future. Students were informed about the VET schools and job opportunities in their fields. Parents were informed about the departments at school and job opportunities those their children could have in the future. Till the pandemic situation training were held face to face and at the covid period we had online trainings. For the second LTT titled “Training of directors” in Portugal; directors, deputy directors and teachers from VET schools who are the decision makes in their schools were chosen. From Denmark 2 participants, from Turkey, Portugal, Romania and Macedonia 3 directors and two staff from Turkey attended the LTT. It was a 5 day training course about the guidance systems and job opportunities. During the LTTs the participants had chance to collaborate for other future projects. After these trainings the parent and student trainings were held in all partner countries. The LTT activities were really well organized by the host partner and they addressed to the aims and objectives of the project. Five Transnational meetings were organised in Turkey, Romania, Macedonia and Portugal. 39 staff from the partner institutions attended the meetings. Communication was really good enough not to have any mistakes. The partners formed PIC Desks-Professional Information and Counselling Desk at participating VET schools to guide the students while choosing their future careers. Vocational Education systems in partner countries according to Work Based Learning in VETriangle was presented from each partner. Different VET schools were visited during the TPMs and LTTs. It gave the teachers and directors the opportunity to observe the Vocational systems at different countries. ECS-Early Career Support was applied to VET students to know their interests and expectations from their future. With the help of CPD-Continuous Professional Development process, the students were informed about labour market. Career guidance teachers had meetings with students about CPS-Career Planning System which helped the VET students to plan their future careers. With the help of these activities there will be long term benefits for the VET students who took part in this project.