Year 2020 is the year of challenges all over the world. It is hard for us to model and estimate the impacts of the COVID-19 epidemics; still, we need a progressive strategy. The unplanned situation established in connection with the COVID-19 epidemics also means a challenge for the career advisors, who are currently the supportive pillar of the labour market supporting the economy. They are standing in front of an unexpected task – the provision of the continuity of their work without having a chance for personal meeting with the clients. They can adjust to the new reality by providing distance counselling with the help of the available communication tools. The strengthening of the career counselling system is the interest of all. However, in order to enable the advisors to manage accumulated challenges, their training and renewal is indispensable. Due to the fact that the problems arising from the epidemic are of global nature, and that according to the needs assessment and the needs analysis implemented in each of the partner countries, career orientation services and their use in the everyday practice takes place to a different extent and on a different level, this question should be treated within an international context, in the framework of which we can get to know the best practice examples of the partner countries, and in cooperation, we can work out a global training program for the digital (e-)career orientation service providers, in order to provide them guidance according to the challenges of the 21st century, that can be applied in all partner counties as well as in other countries of the EU. There are 5 organisations involved in the project, operating in the fields of career counselling, research, digital skill development and adult education from Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, France and the Netherlands, that provide guidance, training and special service as well as special services, and that also provided the support of their members as an umbrella organisation. Main objectives of the project: - Facilitation of digital counselling and competence development of professionals implementing career counselling by working out a new, innovative modular blended-learning training programme reflecting to the challenges of the 21st century. - Facilitation and development of international cooperation of professionals implementing lifelong guidance, professionals implementing career counselling, advisors, training institutions and organisations providing other labour market services, and establishment of partnership networks. - Deployment of digital technologies as well as innovative and open pedagogies among career counsellors. - Facilitation of lifelong learning of career counsellors. The direct target group of the project include career guidance counsellors in different sectors (schools, labour offices, counselling and HR consulting agencies, outplacement agencies). The project will also be beneficial for the indirect target groups: practitioners in career guidance in different sectors, researchers in the field of career guidance, policy makers in the field of career guidance for different target groups, life coaches, business coaches, organization developers, NGOs providing assistance to vulnerable groups, social partners and professional associations, other relevant stakeholders in career guidance and for the unemployed people and the employees taking the career advisory and counselling services, who are in a crisis situation from multiple points of view. We are planning to prepare 4 intellectual outputs within the project. In the first phase of the project, mapping good practices and following that, the exploration of success factors and their impacts provide an opportunity for working out a methodological guide based on (explored) outcomes, facilitating the use of high-quality and modern digital tools. Following that, we will work out a blended-learning training material targeting the professional and digital competence development of career counsellors, as well as an experience exchange that can be applied both on a national and international level for the establishment of an electronic platform. The biggest advantage of modular blended-learning training programme provided for career counsellors is the acquisition of new competences that meet the requirements of 21st century. We place emphasis on digital competences, completed by a methodological guide that facilitates more efficient, higher quality and client-oriented career advising and counselling services. Partner organisations plan to incorporate in the offer of educational activities outputs of the project, which will be made available also to other interested parties. Project activities will facilitate the development of partner networks of professionals and organisations operating in multiple sectors.
Project partners aimed to develop a global training program for the digital (e-)career orientation service providers, in order to provide them guidance according to the challenges of the 21st century, that can be applied in all partner counties as well as in other countries of the EU. The main objectives of the project that were achieved are the following ones: -it facilitated digital counselling and competence development of professionals in career counselling via the development a new innovative modular blended-learning training programme that meets the challenges of the 21st century; -it promoted and developed international cooperation of professionals and established partnership networks with an aim being to implement lifelong guidance in professional career counselling, that covers a wide range of sectors and domains, such as advisors, training institutions and organisations that provide other labour market services; -it deployed digital technologies as well as innovative and open pedagogical tools among career counsellors; -it expedited lifelong learning of career counsellors. The feedback received from the direct and indirect target groups is the best evidence that the aim and the objectives have been achieved.
Year 2020 was the year of challenges all over the world. The unexpected situation, established in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, also meant a challenge for the career advisors, who have always been the supportive pillar of the labour market. During the pandemic Career counsellors needed to assure the continuity of their work without having a chance for personal meeting with the clients, i. e., online. In addition, research (Savickas, 2012; Hooley et al., 2016; Nota et al. 2016; Pordelan et al. 2018) demonstrated that e-career counseling and use of the internet technologies will be an inevitable necessity in the future of career services. Taking the latter into consideration, the strengthening of the career counselling system is the interest of all. However, in order to enable the advisors to manage accumulated challenges, their training and renewal is indispensable. Due to the fact that the problems arising from the epidemic are of global nature, it was necessary to work out a global training program for the digital (e-)career orientation service providers, in order to provide them guidance according to the challenges of the 21st century that can be applied in all partner counties as well as in other countries of the EU.