3.4 Career guidance and counselling
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Career guidance and counselling services
In 2020 the Parliament passed an amendment to the Education Act that gives the counties a statutory duty to provide career guidance. This is a follow-up to the Norwegian Official Report 2016: 7 Career guidance for individuals and communities which recommended that career centres with sufficient capacity should be established in all counties. The public career centres offer free career guidance and job search assistance to anyone over the age of 19.
The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills [Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse] coordinates the career guidance field in Norway. The directorate is the executive agency for the Ministry of Education and Research within the higher education sector and responsible for the national skills policy. Career guidance services in Norway are available in a range of different sectors to many different target groups, and the services offered are diverse and provided under varying framework conditions. To ensure that the population has access to career guidance services of high quality, the directorate has developed a National Quality Framework for Career Guidance. The quality framework is meant for practitioners, managers and owners of career guidance services and establishes common standards, principles and values for career guidance.
Career guidance and counselling services specifically for young people
According to the Education Act § 9-5 and § 22- 3 pupils in upper secondary school have the right to educational and vocational counselling through advice and information on:
- choice of profession and education
- education tracks
- occupational areas and the labour market
- guidance tools, application deadlines, entry conditions and funding schemes
- job search and application procedures
The law also stipulates (§ 3-6 and § 13- 3) that youth up to the age of 21 who are not in education or work should receive individual follow-up and supervision. The county is responsible for establishing the follow-up services and establishing contact with individual youth in the target group.
Online information and guidance
karriereveiledning.no and utdanning.no are online platform rund by the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skilss to provide career guidance and information about education and career choices.
NAV has a dedicated online platform with information about rights and available services for jobseekers with less experience.
Ung.no, a public information website administered by the Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs for young people aged 13 – 20 provides information and guidance about opportunities, rights and obligations related to the labour market. The website offers information and guidance through both articles and a question service where young people can ask questions.
Funding
The county careers centres are funded from various sources and this may differ among the counties. The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education has on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Research managed a state grant for career guidance partnerships. A good portion of these funds have been used to finance career centres. In addition, the counties themselves, NAV and municipalities contribute with financing or other resources. Some centres receive project funding as well.
NOK 175 Million was allocated in 2023 for nationwide strengthening NAV's capacity to conduct enhanced follow-up of young people through a ”youth guarantee". The goal for the youth guarantee is for more young people to complete their education and get into work.
Quality assurance
The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills is responsible for quality development and quality assurance in the career guidance field in Norway. Quality in career guidance is ensured through several measures and tools, primarily based on the National Quality Framework for Career Guidance. This framework includes the following main areas:
- Competence standards: these define the skills and knowledge a career counselor should have to provide effective guidance.
- Career competence: input and inspiration for how to facilitate career learning with the objective of increased career competence for the individual.
- Ethics: guidelines for good ethical practice in career guidance.
- Quality Assurance: systematic measures to ensure that career guidance services maintain high quality.
The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) is responsible for the implementation of the national “youth guarantee” and reports to the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion.
The Ministry of Education and Research oversees the Education Act. The Directorate of Education has developed recommendations for counties, municipalities and private schools regarding the formal education, knowledge, attitudes and skills a career counsellor should have.