- 2024Implementation
Background
Setting up a National Career Guidance Network (NCGN) was deemed necessary in order toto support the proliferation of a lifelong learning culture. The network shall bring together career guidance professionals in Malta to ensure a cohesive and inclusive career guidance service for individuals of all ages, ensuring equity in access and quality of services.
Through consolidating national efforts on career guidance, individuals of all ages may benefit from this service throughout their lives in order to engage in VET programmes or micro-credentials, and acquire key competences to actively manage their education, training and employment phases.
Objectives
The NCGN aims to:
- bring to the forefront the discussion and strategic direction of career guidance services on a national scale;
- coordinate and enhance collaboration amongst career guidance stakeholders, including educational institutions, employment agencies, and industry partners, to ensure a unified national approach to career guidance;
- equip career guidance practitioners with the knowledge and skills required to support career transitions in alignment with emerging labour market needs, including digital and green skills;
- promote vocational education and training (VET) and work-based learning (WBL) through career guidance activities that align with national VET strategies;
- coordinate engagement efforts and cross-functional collaborations targeting under-represented and disadvantaged groups to ensure inclusive access to career guidance services.
Description
The National Career Guidance Network (NCGN) seeks to comprise the guidance offices of all institutions as to create synergies in the provision of guidance and information, securing a seamless experience to clients. The NCGN plans to:
- work closely with the National Skills Council (NSC) and existing service providers to promote VET pathways and to align career guidance services with national strategies, including those developed by the NSC;
- create an interactive online platform where individuals can access guidance services, ensuring user-friendly access to information on initial vocational education and training (IVET) and continuing vocational education and training (CVET) offers, explore career pathways, and connect with affiliates of the NCGN;
- develop and manage the National Career Guidance Services Registry, ensuring it is accessible and up to date with information on registered guidance professionals;
- facilitate continuous professional development (CPD) for registered career guidance professionals to ensure they remain up to date with the latest trends in the labour market.
On 24 April 2024, the National Career Guidance Network (NCGN) was officially launched during a business breakfast titled, 'Looking beyond the European Year of Skills', co-organised by the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research & Innovation (MEYR) and the National Skills Council (NSC). A series of consultations started thereafter, led by the NSC, with a total of 19 meetings taking place between July and October 2024. The aim of the consultations is to understand the needs of the various stakeholders, and therefore shape the activities and remit of the NCGN to be fit for purpose.
Bodies responsible
- National Skills Council (NSC)
Target groups
Learners
- Young people (15-29 years old)
- Adult learners
Education professionals
- Guidance practitioners
Thematic categories
Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation
Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.
This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.
This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.
This thematic sub-category refers to providing high-quality lifelong learning and career guidance services, including making full use of Europass and other digital services and resources.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- Flexibility and progression opportunities at the core of VET
- VET as an attractive choice based on modern and digitalised provision of training and skills
- VET promoting equality of opportunities
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). National career guidance network (NCGN): Malta. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/48130