3.4 Career guidance and counselling
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Career guidance and counselling services
The MLSAF provides counselling services via its Labour Offices and the MESRS within the network of schools. Professional organisations and non-profit sector are active in this field, too.
The MLSAF provides counselling services via its Labour Offices and the MESRS within the network of schools. Professional organisations and non-profit sector are active in this field, too.
Career guidance provided in the sector of the MLSAF:
Information and Counselling Centre (Informačno-poradenské stredisko) helps to create CV and motivation letter using templates and guides;
- provides services connected to the choice of employment and employment changes;
- provides information on further study opportunities and on professions demanded by the labour market;
- helps with selection and adaptation of personnel;
- ensures communication with the future employer
Information Fairs (Burzy informácií) for students of the primary schools final year are organised in cooperation with education counsellors working at schools to promote craft professions and
- to provide information on schools, fields of study and demanded professions;
- to ensure consultations with employers;
- in cooperation with EURES Slovakia to provide information on studies, internships and voluntary service abroad.
Expert Counselling Services are delivered to an individual or to a group in order to identify personal qualities and abilities and to assess competencies. Moreover, the individual action plan, containing procedures and timetables of measures for successful placement on the labour market, is produced.
Career guidance provided in the framework of the MLSAF has been financed within the Youth Guarantee SR since 2013.
Career guidance provided in the sector of the MESRS:
Centres of pedagogical and psychological counselling and prevention operating in 78 districts and employing 800 experts (Euroguidance, SAIAC, 2014) provide counselling for primary school pupils and secondary school students. These centres also organise activities in cooperation with Labour Offices, such as special information days, job fairs, consultations with parents, etc.
There are 82 Centres of specialised counselling and prevention employing 518 experts and providing counselling to young people with disabilities attending special schools. There are 2 119 education counsellors working at schools.
Students of the final year of secondary schools may opt for a specialised schools subject 'An introduction to the labour market'. Counsellors from Labour Offices are invited as lecturers.
400 career counsellors working at secondary schools were trained within the national project Development of Secondary Vocational Education’.
Activities implemented by the ministries and the COLSAF: job fairs, contacts between employers and graduates (JOB EXPO, JOB FORUM etc.)
Non-governmental non-profit organisations
There is no unique system of career guidance within the non-profit sector, but some activities and initiatives:
There are 9 Youth Information Centres in Slovakia providing information on employment opportunities in Slovakia and abroad and on entrepreneurship;
Organisation Tandem, n.o provides information to secondary schools students on choice of their employment and planning of their future;
Organisation K.A.B.A. Slovensko implements project 'Skills and competences assessment – new career guidance and counselling approach' (Hodnotenie schopností a zručností – nový prístup v kariérovom poradenstve);
Organisation TeCeMko provides group counselling for primary schools pupils and secondary school students
Organisation People in need provides career guidance to young people living in remote locations (Project Together we overcome barriers/ Spolu ideme cez bariéry!);
Civic association V.I.A.C. implements project 'Compass' combining career guidance with mentoring and internship;
Organisation Alliance for Youth focuses on career guidance and counselling in the field of job interviews, etc.
Non-profit organisation EPIC implements projects aimed at enhancing of youth employability, such as 'Simulator of job interviews', 'Employment services delivered by youth workers' and 'Youth Employment Week'.
Umbrella professional organisations:
- Association of education counsellors (Asociácia výchovných poradcov) works in the field of professional orientation and career education of primary school pupils and secondary schools students. It gathers employees providing education, study and career counselling.
- Association of university counsellors of Slovakia (Asociácia vysokoškolských poradcov Slovenska) works in the field of career guidance for university students.
- Slovak union of supported employment (Slovenská únia podporovaného zamestnávania) works in the field of career guidance for disadvantaged groups, including youth. There are 31 agencies working within this union.
- Association of lecturers and career counsellors (Asociácia lektorov a kariérových poradcov) works in the field of professional and social status of lecturers and career counsellors and ensures their professional development.
The main users of these services:
Labour Offices provide information and counselling services mainly to registered job-seekers directly at their premises. In 2019, counselling services were provided to 8 824 young people aged 15 – 30 (35,24 %) (Annual report 2015 COLSAF).
Career guidance and information services within the school system (also in cooperation with the MLSAF) are provided to pupils and students directly at primary and secondary schools and also by visiting various activities, such as information days, job fairs, etc. In 2019, counselling services were provided to 19 943 pupils and students alltogether (Annual report 2019 COLSAF).
All the measures are set up uniformly for all the target groups, applying individual approach according to the profile.
Funding
Complex information on financing of individual measures is not available.
Quality assurance
Currently, mechanisms for monitoring of quality of provided services are missing – mainly the numbers of clients have been monitored so far. Quality is partly covered by studies and researches of SAV (Slovak Academy of Sciences) or other organisations, such as for example SGI.