Main dilemmas when accrediting at European level people delivering career guidance IAEVG 2009 Conference Jyväskylä, FI Leonardo Evangelista

Why accreditation Accreditation (i.e. official recognition of competence) of people delivering career guidance is one of the main steps to guarantee good quality in career guidance delivery This contribution deals with the main dilemmas we face when accrediting people delivering career guidance

Accreditation at EU level: not an easy task In many European countries the training of careers guidance practitioners is not formally established and based mostly on non formal and informal learning; a comprehensive system of qualification is lacking; where existing, qualifications are not comparable between different countries (CEDEFOP 2007)

Main Dilemmas 1. What to accredit (options: national official titles / a single official title at EU level / main tasks) 2. To differentiate or not accreditation by main clients groups 4. How to spread the Framework (options: managed by a sovranational organization or by national CG practitioners associations) 3. What to assess (options: educational qualifications, previous experience, competencies, performance)

1. What to accredit (1) A possibile choice is to accredit country specific official titles: career counsellor, information officer, conseiller d’orientation, operatore di prima accoglienza, etc. This would require to describe and compare each existing title in every EU country. Furthermore occupational titles identify and refer only to people that carry out an activity as their main occupation. This option will exclude by accreditation all the many people who deliver career guidance but whose primary occupation is not career guidance (teachers, etc.).

2. What to accredit (2) Option 3 is to accredit a single official title at international level, such as IAEVG’s Educational and Vocational Guidance Practitioner (EVGP) A problem is career guidance practitioners perform different tasks. In IAEVG scheme the same title (EVGP) is given to people performing very different tasks such as: research and evaluation, counseling (including on personal issues such as sexual identity, use of leisure time, etc.), sole assessment, consultation and coordination, etc. An additional pitfall in EVGP is some tasks don’t strictly belong to career guidance and/or to career guidance delivery.

3. What to accredit (3) A better option looks to drop official titles and to accredit the main tasks people delivering career guidance accomplish. A main task is defined as the main identifiable and self standing activity a person delivering career guidance can accomplish. 4 main tasks can be identified (and accredited) in career guidance: 1. Deliver information related to career guidance as a separate activity 2. Perform career guidance interviews 3. Carry out career guidance activities in small groups 4. Support clients on 1:1 base during a time span, including by networking and advocating on their behalf Each practitioner could choose the main task(s) in which to be accredited.

2. To differentiate or not by main clients groups When examining career guidance services users, several groups can be identified. Each groups is homogeneous and differs from the others in terms of culture, age, gender, employability, main CG issues, service requested. Accreditation could be granted for mainstream (same culture of the practitioner) students and adults, both employed and unemployed. Practitioners could ask to be additionally accredited for working with other clients groups such as migrants, disabled, offenders and ex-offenders, native minorities.

3. What to assess (1) There are three main approaches. We can assess and accredit: 1. People that can demonstrate to hold a prescribed educational or vocational qualification or experience 2. People that can demonstrate a set of prescribed personal features: knowledge, skills, attitudes, etc, so called competencies (McClelland 1973, Boyatzis 1982) 3. People that by several means (direct observation, an interview, a portfolio) can give reliable evidence they perform up to a standard the main task(s) on which they are seeking accreditation

Direct and indirect approaches to assessment improve possibility of Good tasks performan ce.. Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Etc. Secondary school diploma Degree Master degree in CG In service courses Experience in CG delivery Etc. Studies, training and experience demonstrated by official qualifications and official documents Good performance

Direct and indirect approaches to assessment Kno wled ge Skills Attit ude s Etc. Cause Good tasks performan ce etc etc etc etc. Task 1 Task 2 Task 3 Etc. Combined together Personal attributescause Good Performance

3. What to assess (2) Approaches 1 and 2 are speculative: ‘If you hold a prescribed qualification, experience or can demonstrate a set of prescribed personal features then PROBABLY you will be able to carry out the following job/tasks.’ In 3 assessment is carried out focusing directly on how the person performs his/her job/tasks, so it is much more effective in recognizing competent practitioners.

4. How to spread the Framework? (1) The EC doesn’t have the power to impose a framework for accreditation to national governments, so the spread of the framework should be voluntary and botton up. The Framework could be owned and managed by a sovranational organization orby a sovranational organization or by a federation of national career guidance practitioners associations.by a federation of national career guidance practitioners associations.

4. How to spread the Framework? (2) The current choice of IAEVG of a centralizeded, not European based procedure of assessment disempowers European national CG practitioners Associations and can conflict with national rules and regulations. For example in the European countries can be accredited under IAEVG framework practitioners that don’t hold credentials prescribed by national legislation and/or national Associations.

Main Dilemmas 1. What to accredit (options: national official titles / a single official title at EU level / main tasks) 2. To differentiate or not accreditation by main clients groups 4. How to spread the Framework (options: managed by a sovranational organization or by national CG practitioners associations) 3. What to assess (options: educational qualifications, previous experience, competencies, performance)

If interested in promoting a European framework based on national CG Practitioners Asssociation contact me (Leonardo Evangelista) at and/or visit Thanks for your attention

EVGP main areas 1. Assessment1. Assessment 2. Educational Guidance2. Educational Guidance 3. Career Development3. Career Development 4. Counselling4. Counselling 5. Information Management5. Information Management 6. Consultation and Coordination6. Consultation and Coordination 7. Research and Evaluation7. Research and Evaluation 8. Program and Service Management8. Program and Service Management 9. Community Capacity Building9. Community Capacity Building 10. Placement10. Placement

1. Alla ricerca della competenza

Valutazione delle caratteristiche personali o della prestazione Colloquio di valutazione delle caratteristiche personali (competenze): quali sono le sue caratteristiche? Quali sono i suoi punti forti? Quali sono le sue abilità principali? Vuole raccontarmi un episodio da cui emergono? Qual è la sua conoscenza di…… Cosa è importante per lei sul lavoro? Vuole raccontarmi un suo successo / insuccesso sul lavoro? Ritiene di essere una persona socievole? Cosa pensano di lei i suoi colleghi? Colloquio di valutazione della prestazione: Quali sono le fasi principali di un colloquio di orientamento? In un colloquio, in che modo spiega il suo ruolo / spiega in che modo è assicurata la privacy dei dati raccolti / segnala che il tempo è limitato / chiede permesso di prendere appunti / segnala che il tempo è quasi terminato / termina il colloquio / Quali autori o teorie segue quando svolge colloqui? Quali possono essere le principali difficoltà nel condurre colloqui? In che modo le affronta? In che modo rileva i bisogni dei clienti? Quando e a quali altri servizi interni e esterni alla sua organizzazione rinvia i suoi clienti? In che modo?

Il B.d.C. nell’orientamento Nell’orientamento, il B.d.C. non è altro che la consulenza di orientamento per adulti finalizzata alla scelta dell’obiettivo professionale Pertanto in Italia l’offerta di un servizio a sé stante con questo nome è discutibile.