INTRODUCTION/THE DEFINITION OF VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE

In 2000, in Lisbon, the ministers of the EU member states have adopted the Lisbon strategy. The strategic goals of the strategy follow:

1. by 2010, the EU must have the most competitive economy based on knowledge
2. the EU must become the community characterized by social involvement of all its members.

The above listed goals represent the general framework for improvement of training and employment policies, and the development of vocational guidance system is recognized as the key component of the national lifelong learning strategies, i.e. as the support to the citizens` involvement in economy and in the knowledge-based society.  

In accordance with that, in May 2004, the EU Council of Ministers adopted the Resolution on lifelong vocational guidance which says:

“Lifelong guidance refers to a range of activities that enables citizens of any age and at any point in their lives to identify their capacities, competences and interests, to make educational, training and occupational decisions and to manage their individual life paths in learning, work and other settings in which these capacities and competences are learned and/or used.”

Expert assistance in making decisions on further professional path of a person is one of fundamental functions of the CES, and its realization is conducted in accordance with international conventions.

Vocational guidance includes the following activities:

• Vocational informing – the process by which important information regarding choices of occupation, profession and area of work. Vocational informing can be written, oral, self-informing; individual or group informing
• Vocational counseling – the process which, through collecting the relevant data (person`s educational and working past, capabilities, health condition, interests, motivation), help user define his further vocational activities. Vocational counseling includes psychological testing and the interpretation of the test done by the psychologist.

WHO CONDUCTS VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE?

Vocational guidance is conducted by the vocational informing and counseling counselors. These are usually psychologists, pedagogists, social workers and similar experts.

In case there is a need for it, the occupational medicine specialist gets involved in the vocational guidance process, as well as the employment counselor.

Psychological testing is performed exclusively by licensed psychologists, authorized by the Croatian Psychological Chamber.  

WHO USES THE SERVICES OF VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE?

- PUPILS
- STUDENTS
- UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO SEEK EMPLOYMENT
- EMPLOYERS