Guidance defined: choices 'at any age'

Prof. Sultana defines career guidance as "a set of interrelated activities that have, as a goal, the structured provision of information and assistance to enable individuals and groups, of any age and at any point throughout their lives, to make choices on educational, training and occupational trajectories and to manage their life paths effectively."

Career guidance, he says, is increasingly viewed as a key to the public policy goals of lifelong learning, social inclusion, labour market efficiency and economic development.

"Guidance builds confidence and empowers individuals as well as making people aware of learning, work, civic and leisure opportunities.

"It promotes employability and adaptability by assisting people to make career decisions both on entering the labour market and moving within it.

"Guidance also helps improve the effectiveness and efficiency of education and training provision and labour market instruments, by promoting a closer match to individual and labour market needs and by reducing non-completion rates.

"Such public policy goals are fundamental to attaining the Lisbon Council (2000) aim of making Europe the most competitive economy and knowledge-based society in the world by 2010."

A report on the Lisbon strategy implementation calls for strengthening the role, quality and coordination of career guidance services to support learning at all ages and in a range of settings, emprowering citizens to manage their learning and work.