In line with labour market developments and wider social change, the demands placed on guidance counsellors have been growing, and guidance and counselling services are becoming increasingly complex. The working environments and client groups of guidance counsellors are also becoming more diverse. These factors make it necessary for counsellors to continually improve their skills.
Despite the general recognition of the importance of guidance, currently there are no common European guidelines for counsellor skills and qualifications. The peer learning event that was organised by Cedefop aimed to spur European action on developing guidance counsellors skills and qualifications and to assert once again the important role guidance practitioners play in ensuring high quality in service delivery.