Career Guidance Current Context and Further Development Strategy

1. Career Guidance Current Context and Further Development Strategy Borivoje Baltezarevic Career Guidance Center University of Nis

2. CONTEXT SPECIFIC:CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC CONTEXT OF EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT Introduction of key concepts: • knowledge based society the process of transition from the industrial era into the information and communication era. Information as a key resource. • Changes in the entire economic environment, economy’s needs and developmental flows of new technologies demand adequately educated and trained individuals and nation as a whole. • learning for employment means developing abilities to find, keep and change job or to generate self-employment. These skills enable vertical and horizontal mobility of employees in the labour market and their adaptability to changes in technologies and new forms of work organization. That is a demand that each country and society encounter, whether they are a transitional economy or not .

3. CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC CONTEXT OF EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT Reflection on the national context: When it comes to the Republic of Serbia we can say that: development, reconstruction and transformation of the entire education represents one of the prerequisites of the whole social and economic development of the country as a whole. The National Employment Strategy for the period 2005 – 2010 is based, amongst other, on the assumption that a population in possession of social competencies necessary for a successful participation in the society, and trained and adaptable labour force, are both the prerequisite, and the condition of a social and economictransformation of the Republic of Serbia, its integration into the EU, and the adequate response to the challenges of technological development and global economy.

4. CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC CONTEXT OF EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT: Place of an Individual Within the Ever-changing Professional and Socio-Economic Environment Therefore, each participant in the process of education, but also in the process of work, poses the question: Q: What does the 21st century demand besides reading, writing and computer literacy skills? The answer would be that, first of all, it demands of the individual to know how to use knowledge and skills in the context of modern life. Successful economy requires the individuals to quickly and easily adapt to the changeable demands of the world around them, but also to know those changes and be able to manage them. In short, today’s economy values and looks for wide skill-base, including critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork and decision making skills,flexibility, and project work.

5. CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC CONTEXT OF EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT The problem of employing, employment and unemployment is one of the key issues in every society’s and country’s development. Practically, that is the segment where education and labor market meet in the most direct and visible way. For the countries in transition, the employment issue takes on a much more dramatic form and connotation. Nevertheless, it is equally important to consider the labor market which, especially in societies in transition, has its limitations, its complexity and aggravating characteristics. In that context, the field of career guidance and counseling becomes of a special significance and function:

6. CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC CONTEXT OF EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT In addressing the given challenges, it is necessary for the society’s key factors and stakeholders that deal with the country’s human potential to establish synergic partnership within one document/action plan in the context of lifelong learning. Career guidance and counseling are one of the very basic instruments of human resources development, by which multiple goals are achieved: - educational goals (improving the efficiency of the educational system) - economic development goals - goals of social equality and inclusion Career guidance and counseling contribute to: - realization of the elementary right to work; - more efficient investment in education and training; - greater efficiency in the labour market, which is reflected by a greater employability and mobility of the labour force; - human capital and labour development; - social inclusion and social equality of each individual; - active citizenship.

7. CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA EU model: European practice indicates the necessity of a strong network of career guidance and counseling centres for young people who are still in the process of schooling, but also for adults (the concept of lifelong learning). Examples of best practice show that the functioning and cooperation of these centres are most efficiently coordinated when they fall within -educational system, -labour market institutions, -local youth offices and non-profit sector, which enables their equal accessibility for all the categories of population: the young, the unemployed and the employed that are in need of information and this kind of expert support.

8. CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA Career guidance and counselling are new to the Republic of Serbia, because in their essence, they do not fit the traditional relationship between education and labour market. This is especially evident today, when there are more and more discussions about a new concept which comprises career as a changeable category that quickly and easily changes due to the changes in employee’s interests, competencies and values, but also due to the changes in work environment. Changeable career is different from the traditionalin many aspects: - The job security is a dynamic, instead of a static category, in which the employee and the employer use the possibilities of continual professional development and improvement of work conditions • Responsibility for the employee’s career does not belong only to the employer, but also to the employee himself/herself; • Career becomes more flexible and more changeable, and it depends on the willingness, abilities, knowledge and skills of each individual employee;

9. CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA Within that kind of concept of career, the career guidance and counselling process itself represents: systematic innovation – because through this process school reaches out to social partners and turns to outcomes-based education; institutional innovation – because it can significantly influence the organization and position of the educational institution in the local community, but it can also change the way educational institution is managed, through new forms of work and funding; curriculum innovation – by introducing through specific subjects’ contents or by introducing a separate subject on career guidance; .

10. NATIONAL STRATEGY March 4th, 2010: Pursuant to the Article 45, item 1 of the Law on Government (“Official Journal of the Republic of Serbia”, No 55/05, 71/05­- amendment, 101/07 and 65/08), The Government adopted: STRATEGY OF CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA - establishes the system of career guidance and counseling in the Republic of Serbia. The recommendations contained in this document are based on the already initiated activities of modernization and improvement of vocational education and training, adult education and reform processes in the field of employment. - direct result of National Employment Strategy of Serbia,, Strategy for Adult Education, and National Youth Strategy and the Action Plan for Implementation of the National Youth Strategy for the period 2009-2014, enacted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

11. CONCEPT, DEFINITION, AND ACTIVITIES OF CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING In countries with a tradition of professional orientation, the term “educational and professional guidance and counseling” is also used for “an organized activity that helps the individual realize his competencies and trains him to plan the appropriate steps to develop essential skills that will lead to personal, educational, economic, and social advancement for the individual, family, society and nation” (Declaration on Educational and Vocational Guidance, International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance, Paris, 2001). The same declaration emphasizes that it is a continuing process, and not a onetime intervention, the goal of which is to: -avoid or shorten periods of unemployment -create equal possibilities for all -contribute to the wider and sustainable economic development.

12. CONCEPT, DEFINITION, AND ACTIVITIES OF CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING The activities of career guidance and counseling in the Republic of Serbia can be classified in six categories: 1)career information is all information necessary for planning, achieving, and maintaining employment and volunteering. 2) career education is received in educational institutions and it helps individuals understand their motives, values, and the way in which they can contribute to the society they live in. 3) career guidance (as a specialized expert activity) helps individuals understand their own goals and aspirations, their own identity, helps them make informed decisions, commit to activities, and manage changes in their career whether they are planned or not. 4) counseling for employment helps individuals define immediate employment goals, understand and engage in job training and gaining the needed skills and competencies, and acquire the skills needed for job searching and maintaining it 5) job placement (mediation in employment) is organizing or placing individuals in vacant job positions. It can be organized through public institutions or private initiative. 6) career guidance and counseling for employees enables them to advance in their career, maintain their job and move through the labour market. It also represents providing support for employers in the process of professional education of employees when it is required by the work process and organization.

13. GOAL AND PRINCIPLES OF CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING An effective system of career guidance has to be regarded as the basis for the implementation of national lifelong learning policy and the realization of active employment policy (Council of Ministers for Education and Youth, Resolution on Lifelong Learning, 2004). According to the recent researches by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Training Foundation, career guidance and counseling affirm and promote their role in achieving the following social goals: 1)lifelong learning goal – by fighting against young people leaving school early, and especially those from vulnerable social groups as defined by the National Youth Strategy, and by providing an adequate base of knowledge and skills needed for facing the challenges of creating a knowledge-based society in the context of economic globalization, and by promoting the adequate connection between education, training, and the world of work; 2) labor market goal – by reducing the gap between offer and demand, by actively dealing with the unemployment issue, and improving the quality of labor force, its competitiveness and mobility in the field of work;

14. PROVIDING CAREER GUIDANCE SERVICES AT THE LOCAL LEVEL One of the ways to make the access to career guidance and counseling services easier is to bring the services closer to users at the local level, i.e. place where they receive education, live or work. Bringing the services closer to users is one of the prerequisites of their improved quality and efficiency, by creating a network of service providers and taking into account the characteristics of each local community.

15. Local Level: University of Nis: Center for Career Development Center for Career Development Center for Career Development is an organizational unit of the University of Nis. Center for career development was established to support students of all levels in development of skills and abilities that are crucial for their employment, as well as  to provide information on education and scholarship opportunities, both national  and international.. The Center was opened in June 2008, with the help of Foundation /of Crown Prince Alexander for Education and the University of Nottingham One of the key roles of the Center is networking of the academic and business community and providing information and services in support of more efficient  multi-sector cooperation. Activities: The Center monitors and analyses the student admission and efficiency of studying, prepares informative publications, internet presentations and other forms of introducing the possibilities of studying at the University to the potential students, establishes contacts with relevant employment services, collects information on employment opportunities for students, creates unique database on University alumni employed in country or abroad, organizes meeting of students and potential employers. Center has its director and the corresponding council.Web portal of this center is www.karijera.ni.ac.rs

16. Local Level: FURTHER DEVELOPMENT Capacity Building Taking into consideration that the Center is understaffed and with strictly limited absorption capacity, in order to answer the growing demands and provide the most efficient and professional service, it needs to be able to increase its activities in each respective Sector, improve the expertise of its staff through various targeted trainings and exposure to good model practices from the European universities. The improvement of the mentioned aspects of the Center will facilitate organization and wider implementation of training programs and workshops for our students, employers and companies presentations etc. The draft of general strategy for capacity building can be addressed through differentiated sectors, according to their functions: • Sector for working with students • Sector for cooperation with business community and economic entities • Sector for general functioning of the Centre (daily activities of the Centre, media cooperation and providing means for further development of the Centre)

17. Local Level: FURTHER DEVELOPMENT The main goal of the Centre is to - create the multi-sector platform to address the improvement of the students’ employability in a sustainable way through the system approach by connecting the academic and the business community. One of the modalities informing this strategy is student oriented, through supporting students and graduates in developing practical skill base and generating professional experience, as well as other added competitive assets. The other key activity underpinning the employability capacity of student population is focused on awareness raising and information dissemination of employment and further education possibilities (post-graduate studies, scholarships, internships, fellowships...) The Center also aspires to introduce the ongoing dialogue between the students and employers aimed at bridging the gap existing in the employment, employment demand and absorption capacities, as well as to help employers identify and better articulate their needs in terms of demands of the future employees, their education and specific expertise. There is a range of services aimed at the employers so that the cooperation would be successful and a long-term one.