Resources for guidance, now available online, is a new project dedicated to managers of careers services, practitioners and policy-makers working in career development and activation policies.

The resources result from a research process of over three years on the effective usage of labour market information (LMI) and information technologies (ICT) in career development services across Europe. Many practices have been inventoried and the most significant were documented and analysed in great detail.

This web-based set of tools showcases LMI’s importance with a special focus on the use of ICT tools.

Resources for guidance consist of three main sections:

  • a  toolkit on LMI usage;
  • a handbook for transferability of practices;
  • training modules on how to use LMI and ICT in guidance.

The toolkit on LMI highlights the importance of labour market information and the use of ICT tools. It offers tips on how to effectively use career relevant information during the guidance process. It provides a wealth of information including definitions, examples, methods, national LMI sources and selected ways of LMI integration as well as information on the necessary LMI skills. The toolkit is translated into all EU languages.

The handbook departs from careful documentation of the most successful practices in Europe. It documents technical requirements, challenges and success factors in detail. It also offers a decision-making tool to select the best options and drive the reflection on what is better for the adopter. The decision-making tool is available as a printable document and will be also available as an interactive resource in the near future.

The training modules offer practitioners and careers service managers training on how to successfully integrate LMI contents and new technologies in career support practices. The modules are meant to help manage organisational change and prepare staff for innovative processes. The modules are currently available as downloadable pdfs and will be reworked into an interactive learning platform.

The resources for guidance were piloted during the first European guidance week in Tallinn Estonia (26-29 September 2017), which gathered representatives of the European guidance community, including practitioners, policy-makers and researchers.

Cedefop is open to suggestions regarding the expansion and improvement of the resources.