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Guidance and counselling in Denmark

- Katrine Sonnenschein Copenhagen Business School- Benny Wielandt Technical Education Copenhagen (TEC)

National goals for guidance - 1

Seven National goals in Act on Guidance! 1: Choice of education and career -

should be of benefit to individual and society 2: Individual’s interests and – labour market 3: Targeted young people with special needs

for guidance

National goals - 2

4: contribute to inclusion and to reduce drop-out 5: be independent of sector-specific interests 6: improve qualifications of guidance practitioners 7: Setting up new standards of qualification

Two types of guidance centres

Youth Guidance Centres (municipal): Transition from compulsory school to youth

education and labour market Regional Guidance Centres (consortiums):

Transition from youth education to higher education and labour market

Smooth transition from compulsory school to upper secondary education

Guidance from the 6th form

Special attention to pupils at increased risk of not starting or completing a youth education programme

Bridging the transition from lower secondary school to a a youth education programme (VET or General)

Smooth transition

Mentoring scheme for young people who are particularly disadvantaged (now at VET, and from 2010 also at gymnasium)

Municipalities must ensure that all young people complete a general or vocational upper secondary education

Better guidance about the actual requirements in upper secondary education and VET programmes

Better feedback to secondary school system from general and vocational upper secondary programmes

Youth guidance Centres (UU)

Transition from compulsory education to youth education

Target groups: All pupils in lower secondary school (forms

6-10) Young people under 25 not in youth

education programme or in employment! Guidance provided at schools !

Working with education book & guidance plan

Youth Guidance Centres 2

With special bias on young persons with ”Special need” for guidance

Municipalities are responsible for YG-Centres

Strategies, plans and results published on web

Close cooperation with secondary schools schools and youth education institutions

Guidance in/during youth education / ”carry through-guidance”

Youth education institutions must offer guidance and counselling to their students, to support the students completing their chosen educational programme with the best possible professional and personal result

This support and guidance will among other things include

- guidance on effective study methods and learning strategies- Counselling and support on personal and social problems- Establishing special needs support if needed

All done in cooperation with YG-centres and RG-centres

Regional Guidance Centre tasks

Smooth transition from upper secondary education to higher education (short,medium,long)

Methods… Group counselling sessions with specific themes /

focus Cooperation between guidance practitioners in

chosen education programme and the regional centre for guidance

sharper focus on young persons with specific need for guidance (social,personal,family,special needs)

Regional guidance Centres - 1

Transition guidance from completed youth education to higher education

Target groups: Young people in youth education programmes Young people & adults outside education but

already qualified for access to higher education Cooperation with partners in their region

- Youth education and higher education institutions

- Youth guidance Centres

- Social partners and chambers of industry & commerce

Guidance in/during higher education: ”completion-guidance”

Higher education institutions (from diploma level and upwards) offer guidance and counselling to their students, to support completion of their chosen educational programme with best possible professional and personal result

This support and guidance will among other things include

- guidance on effective study methods and learning strategies- counselling and support on personal and social problems- Establishing special needs support if needed

Apart from having trained guidance counsellors, universities also appoint and pay senior students to function as study counsellors

National Education guidance web

www.ug.dk

Information about Education & training Professions, jobs & labour market Working and studying abroad Links to …

Centre of expertise for guidance

Appointed by Min. of Ed. – office of guidance Activities:

Collecting and sharing of best counselling practice Initiate analyses, surveys and experimental activities Quality Assurance models – manuals etc.

Virtual resource centre for counselling & guidance

National Dialogue Forum

Representatives from organisations , stakeholders and Ministries

secure cross-sectoral dialogue Quality in guidance Dialogue between diverse stakeholders

Stakeholders are: relevant ministries, representitives from counsellor associations, counsellor training providers, representitives for regional and local government, social partners, student associations, counselling experts

Changes now …

Overall national goals for education are…

95% of youth cohort to complete general or vocational upper secondary education in 2015 (presently 82 %)

50% of youth cohort to complete a higher education programme in 2015 (presently 43 %)

A coherent and professional system of guidance

The government strategy

1. Professional guidance practitioners

2. The transition from education to jobs must be better

3. Smooth transition from compulsory school to upper secondary education (Mind the gap…!)

4. Smooth transition from upper secondary education to higher education (Mind the gap…!)

1. Professional guidance

More precise rules Coherence between transition guidance and school-

anchored guidance Coherent guidance all the way through – seen from the

point of view of the student Training of guidance practitioners Counsellor Diploma : 1 year full time (60 ECTS points) Further training courses Masters in educational/vocational guidance

Professional guidance

Guidance practitioners must either have completed the diploma programme or masters programme, or have their prior learning, competencies and skills assessed and recognised

(or have a previous programme)

Measurable results Quantitative goals for completion and transition Systematic benchmarking What about quality – ways of finding out what works..!?