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2026
Country-specific report
Inventory of lifelong guidance systems and practices
PDF version

Inventory of lifelong guidance systems and practices - Luxembourg

Please cite as:Cedefop (2023). Inventory of lifelong guidance systems and practices - Luxembourg. CareersNet national records. https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/country-reports/inventory-lifelong-guidance-systems-and-practices-luxembourg-0

Contributor:

Isabelle Reinhardt and Franziska Rieder
Acknowledgements:Agence pour le développement de l'emploi (ADEM), Ministry of Research and Higher Education, Ministry of Family Affairs, Solidarity,Living Together and Reception of Refugees, the different departments and administrations of Ministry of Education, Children and Youth
Reviewed by:Cedefop
Copyright:Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged.
Disclaimer:Translations of titles/names for entities, country policies and practices are not to be considered as official translations. The facts and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily coincide with the official position of Cedefop. Information supplied by the CareersNet core expert is updated to the best of their knowledge according to the relevant reference period and available information provided by stakeholders and sources consulted. The records have not been edited by a professional English language service. (This record was last updated: February 2026)
Previous versions:2020

Introduction

In Luxembourg, guidance refers to a series of activities that help residents at any time of their lives to identify their capabilities, skills and interests. This allows them to make well-informed decisions concerning their choice of studies and trainings as well as their professional activities, with the purpose of serving their personal development and the development of society. This definition embeds the concept of career management skills and understands guidance as a collective multi-actor responsability.

Different entities support guidance at national level: educational and public employment services, social partners – especially professional chambers -, private and non-profit organisations.

In 2012, several public services had been gathered at one single site and in 2017, to improve the coordination of guidance counselling, a national guidance centre was officially created as Maison de l’orientation (House of guidance, MO). The MO is officially in charge of the coordination of guidance activities, in cooperation with the departments represented in the MO building as well as with external partners and authorities, including the four professional chambers, pupils’, students’ and parents’ representatives and other ministerial departments.

MO became a one-stop-shop for lifelong guidance in 2021 after moving to its current address, central and accessible for all residents. The MO is placed under the authority of the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth and offers:

  1. information and advice;
  2. common and standardised information tools;
  3. awareness-raising activities in formal and non-formal educational settings;
  4. continuous training modules for guidance professionals;
  5. cooperation with schools within the framework of the national reference framework for educational and vocational guidance for schools.

A national reference framework for educational and vocational guidance lays down the minimal standards to be respected by secondary schools during the implementation of their educational and vocational career counselling. It is also used to structure, guide and evaluate all the actions and initiatives taken in the counselling process. The main goal is to provide the best possible guidance to students, especially in their transition periods.

As mentioned above, while the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth is in charge of day-to-day management of the Maison de l’orientation and for the monitoring of guidance in schools, the Ministry of Research and Higher Education and the Ministry of Labour provides important services in this area (information and counselling on higher education and recognition of diploma (Ministry of Research and Higher Education) and on the labour market and apprenticeships (Ministry of Labour through the PES)  .

The rapid pace of technological innovation, demographic change, and evolving labour market demands make lifelong learning and adult education essential for ensuring both individual employability and the long-term competitiveness and resilience of the Luxembourg economy.

In response to these challenges, the Government of Luxembourg, together with the social partners, set up the “Skillsdësch”, a round table that, in 2020 and 2021, brought together key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth (MENJE), the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the Ministry of Labour, the Public Employment Service (ADEM), the professional chambers, and trade unions. In response to the discussions at the Skillsdësch, the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy commissioned the OECD Skills Strategy for Luxembourg, which was published in 2023, with the objective of analysing the national adult learning and continuous vocational training system and formulating concrete recommendations (OECD, 2023).

The OECD study identified four strategic priority areas:

  • Providing labour market–relevant adult learning opportunities;
  • Guiding and incentivising skills choices;
  • Attracting and retaining talent to address skills shortages;
  • Strengthening the governance and use of skills data.

The findings of the OECD Skills Strategy for Luxembourg have laid the foundation for a coherent, long-term approach to upskilling and reskilling.. In continuity with this process, the 2023–2028 Coalition Agreement reaffirms the government’s commitment to implementing the study’s recommendations during the current legislative period.

Sources

Coordination and collaboration among stakeholders

In Luxembourg, Lifelong Guidance is recognized as a shared responsibility among a diverse range of stakeholders. These include educational services, the public employment service, social partners—particularly professional chambers—and private and non-profit organizations. This collaborative approach ensures that guidance services are comprehensive, based on the expertise of each partner and adapted to the needs of individuals at different stages of life.

Guidance for School-Aged Children

Responsibilities for guidance in schools are defined and distributed among key stakeholders. Guidance and Integration Units (cellules d’orientation et d’intégration scolaires) have been established at both primary and secondary education levels to facilitate coordination and support. These units work closely with the Centres de Ressources (Resource Centers) of the Ministry of Education, Children, and Youth (SIA - School Integration and Welcoming Service and the Coordination Department of Maison de l’orientation), as well as with internal and external partners.

  • Primary Education: The guidance procedure at the end of primary education involves the class teacher, parents, and—upon parental request—a school psychologist. These parties are expected to reach a joint decision regarding the child’s educational pathway. If no agreement is reached, a guidance commission is convened to mediate. Since 2023, Guidance and Integration Units are set up within each Direction Régionale (Regional Directorate). Their role includes assisting pupils and parents in selecting the most suitable secondary education pathways and supporting the integration of newly arrived pupils into the Luxembourgish school system.
  • Secondary Education: Each secondary school has its own Guidance and Integration Unit, which elaborates and puts in place an overall concept for guidance and integration. The National reference framework for school and educational guidance emphasises a "whole-school approach", engaging the entire school community—teachers, administrators, and support staff—as well as external partners. Key collaborations include (1) partners from the world of work, such as companies and professional chambers ; (2) parents, who play an active role in decision-making and (3) other stakeholders, including interest groups, non-profit organizations, and public guidance services.
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Apprenticeships: Guidance in this sector involves multiple actors, including:
    • ADEM (Agence pour le Développement de l’Emploi), Luxembourg’s public employment service, which supports career counseling and manages the enrolment for apprenticeships.
    • Professional chambers, which oversee apprenticeships and provide sector-specific advice.

The Centres de Ressources organise networking events for professionals from the units, often inviting external partners to foster direct connections.

Guidance for Adults

Cooperation and coordination for adult guidance are structured through the National Skills Strategy (Dësch). This initiative aims to upskill and reskill the workforce, ensuring that adults have access to continuous learning opportunities and career guidance services. The strategy fosters collaboration between public employment services, educational institutions, and private sector partners to align skills development with labor market needs.

Cross-Sectoral Cooperation Among Guidance Services

The Maison de l’orientation, together with the multiple government authorities and services under one roof, is facilitating cooperation and personal interactions among stakeholders. While not all relevant services are physically located in the Maison de l’orientation, the Comité de pilotage (Steering Committee) ensures strategic alignment and cohesive action across the guidance ecosystem.

Currently, the following departments are represented at the Maison de l’orientation – either through their physical presence in the building or through their implication in joint activities and the MO’s steering committee :

Activities from the  Ministry of Education, Children and Youth

CePAS - Centre for Psycho-Social and Educational Accompaniment (Centre psycho-social et d’accompagnement scolaires, CePAS) provides psycho-social and educational support.

Target groups: adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 30 and parents/guardians, families.

Services:

  • Psychological and psychotherapeutic support in regards to:
    • personal issues (unhappiness, feelings of loneliness, anxiety, depression, lack of motivation, stress management, etc.);
    • family/relationship (difficult family situations, conflicts, communication issues, etc.);
    • school (fear or lack of desire to go to school, poor grades, stress).
  • Social support (support with administrative procedures, finding accommodation, etc.);
  • Educational support (conflicts such as school violence, bullying, conflicts within the team, with parents, etc.,   dropping out of school, etc.);
  • Psychomotricity (body tension, body image issues, difficulties with emotional control, etc.);
  • Group activities for young people (development of socio-emotional skills, etc.)

SNJ - National Youth Service (Service National de la Jeunesse, SNJ): Through the Local youth antenna of the Department for Support in Making the Transition to Working Life, the SNJ offers individual guidance in drawing up and carrying out a professional project. Young people can gather practical experience in voluntary service projects, placements or workshops, supported by professionals from a local antenna. 

Target user groups: young people between 15 and 30 both those that have left school/university early or have graduated and haven’t started working yet,

  •  who want to find out about training opportunities and working life;
  • who are looking for an alternative to inactivity in education and the labour market.

Mission:

  • to offer learning and guidance opportunities;
  • to motivate young people to return to work or training;
  • to support young people in developing their independence.

Services:

  • individual support during the transition phase between school, university and working life;
  • support for those who have dropped out of school  and young people looking for apprenticeships;
  • support for young people in developing and carrying out a (new) professional and/or personal project;
  • preparing for job interviews;
  • support in getting in touch with other services;
  • information sessions on opportunities for young people;
  • alternatives to inactivity in education, training and the labour market: voluntary services, practical workshops, training courses, discovery courses.

SIA - School Integration and Welcoming Service : On 14th July 2023, a new law was passed that brought the following changes: SECAM (Service de la scolarisation des enfants étrangers)/CASNA (Cellule d’Accueil Scolaire pour les élèves Nouveaux Arrivants) à turned into SIA (Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires), in charge of the school integration and welcome of newly arrived pupils.

Target user groups: families who have recently arrived in Luxembourg

Services:

  • welcomes all families who have recently arrived in Luxembourg;
  • offers information and counselling for the pupils and their parents on all questionsrelated to the Luxembourgish school offer;
  • provides an individual monitoring for two years.

The process of welcoming newly arrived pupils is divided into four stages:

  1. Appointment request: made by the family (before arriving in Luxembourg: possibility to contact the SIA) Appointments can be made at the SIA offices in Luxembourg City or by video conference, if necessary. The meeting request form is available in: Arabic, Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tigrinya/Eritrean and Ukrainian.
  2. Support: the SIA assists the family with an intercultural mediator if necessary.
  3. Guidance: orientation suggestion towards an adequate class.
  4. Monitoring: monitoring of the pupil over two years.

School offer: the format and concept of welcome classes will be adapted to the new support measures and progressively introduced into schools

ATVA – Agency accompanying young people with special needs towards independent living:

Target groups: young people with special needs:

  • who receive support or guidance from one of the Competence Centres (CC) and who are in their final year of school;
  • who have dropped out of school and were enrolled in a CC, or formerly in Differentiated Education (EDIFF);
  • who, by decision of the National Inclusion Commission (CNI), have completed their schooling abroad, and are preparing to return to Luxembourg.

A specialised diagnosis by a CC is required. ATVA can offer all kinds of information about the transition to independent living to young people (with or without specialised diagnosis), parents as well as other professionals.

Services:

  • Counselling:
    • young people in the process of choosing a job or profession;
    • young people in their search for internships, jobs and training places;
    • parents and guardians, family and social environment.
  • Assistance and support:
    • young people and their families, according to the life project established for them, whether this involves a work placement, vocational training, a job search, or integration into a sheltered workshop or day centre (without any guarantee of a job).

Activities from the Ministry of Labour:

Vocational Guidance Department of the National Employment Service (PES) (Service d’orientation professionnelle de l’Agence pour le développement de l’emploi, ADEM OP): It provides vocational guidance and apprenticeship placement.

Target groups:

  • Young people who wish to undertake a professional or academic project;
  • Adults seeking initial/continuing training or reorientation can benefit from help, advice and guidance offered by the ADEM vocational guidance service (ADEM-OP).

Services:

  • Registration and support for young people and adults regarding placements in (initial) apprenticeships for adults;
  • Vocational guidance interviews for young people and adults;
  • Vocational guidance sessions for school classes at all levels of education;
  • Beruffsinformatiounszentrum (BIZ): information centre for individuals and school classes

Activities from the Ministry of Research and Higher Education:

Higher Education Information Department:

Target user groups:

  • high school students in “2e” and “1re”; (last two years of secondary school, ISCED 3)
  • students;
  • parents;
  • adults looking for higher education;
  • guidance counsellors in secondary schools.

Services:

  • Information on higher education:
    • entry requirements;
    • enrolment procedures;
    • recognition of study programmes.
  • Information on professions:
    • training for professions requiring a higher education qualification;
    • entry requirements for regulated professions.
  • Individual interviews with:
    • pupils and students;
    • parents;
    • adults considering a career change.
  • Information sessions and stands:
    • in secondary schools;
    • continuing education (IFEN).
  • Organisation of the annual “Foire de l’Étudiant” (Student Fair, digital platform – available before and after the Fair).

Coordination Department of the Maison de l’orientation: 

Created by the 2017 law, the Coordination Department of the Maison de l’orientation (MO) is in charge of the effective functioning of the structure and the development of Luxembourg’s strategy for educational and vocational guidance. It ensures consistency between the guidance activities of the different services and concertation (such as trainings and briefings on the MO as well as joint initiatives and information sessions) with external structures. It also includes a ressource centre for secondary schools and more specifically for their guidance and integration units (cellule d’orientation et d’intégration scolaires). The Coordination Department also explores possibilities to complete the range of services and information offered.The 2017 law also sets up the “Forum orientation”, which includes representatives from:

  1. Public authorities: Ministry of Education, Children and Youth, Ministry of Research and Higher Education; Ministry of Labour, Ministry of the Economy; Ministry of Family Affairs, Solidarity, Living Together and Reception of Refugees; Ministry of Gender Equality and Diversity;
  2. Chambers: Chamber of Agriculture; Chamber of Civil servants and Public employees; Chamber of Commerce; Chamber of Employees; Chamber of Trades;
  3. School partners: representatives of school directors, parents, pupils and students;
  4. Coordination department of the MO.

The Forum has the following functions:

  1. working as an exchange, consultation and coordination hub for stakeholders of educational and vocational guidance;
  2. participating in the development and implementation of a national strategy on educational and vocational guidance;
  3. identifying gaps in the provision of educational and vocational guidance;
  4. consulting the government on initiatives to be considered for educational and vocational guidance.

The Maison de l’orientation also regularly welcomes international delegations within the context of study visits hosted by other ministerial departments (for ex. Department Support in Making the Transition to Working Life) or other ministries (Ministry of Labour, PES).

Sources

Access to guidance

Information and Guidance for all residents : Maison de l’orientation

One strategy for broadening and facilitating access to guidance is the presence and coordination of available guidance services in the Maison de l’orientation (MO) (see section Coordination and collaboration among stakeholders). The 2017 law states :

"The services of the Maison de l’orientation are available to all citizens, regardless of age, who seek guidance regarding their educational and professional orientation. Its aim is to help citizens identify their abilities, skills, and interests, enabling them to make informed decisions about their studies, training, and career plans".

The MO operates a hotline, an info-e-mail service and an “counselling area” for individual counselling for any questions related to educational and vocational guidance and puts people in contact with the relevant professionals if needed. Since 2025, an online booking tool for career counselling for people from 14-22 years is in place.

The MO also organises  information sessions and workshops in the MO building, as well as more and more often at decentralised locations in order to facilitate access for young people and adults from all over Luxembourg.

Careers education and guidance for all pupils

Since 2017, the National reference framework for school and educational guidance (in secondary schools) has defined minimum standards for guidance activities, ensuring that guidance activities are organised by guidance units (since 2023: school guidance and integration units) and offered to all their students.

The guidance unit is a specific service within the Educational and Psycho-social (EPS) departments (“département éducatif et psycho-social”) created in 2023. It is composed of teachers (with one or several hours of décharge for this task), and EPS-staff such as psychologists, social workers or educators.  The School guidance and integration unit establishes a concept for guidance and integration (démarche d’orientation et d’intégration scolaires) that is documented and transmitted to the Coordination Department of the Maison de l’orientation (MO), which proceeds to an analysis of each school’s framework and establishes an overview of the major trends. The concept includes activities for classes fostering the development of pupils’ career management skills, and the preparation of their transition, the information and support of the school community, cooperation with parents, employers and other partners as well as offers for individual career counselling to students and their families.

In June 2023, a new law reinforcing and restructuring the provision for pupils with special educational needs was passed. This law introduces support teams for pupils with special educational needs (ESEB), a greater role for Inclusion Commissions, an individualised training plan for pupils with special needs in secondary schools and a new administration called the National Service for Inclusive Education (SNEI).

Also, the Centre for Psycho-Social and Educational Accompaniment (Centre psycho-social et d’accompagnement scolaires, CePAS) based in the Maison de l’orientation provides guidance interviews and offers educational, psychological and psychotherapeutic support for young people and their families.

When it comes to the schooling of newly arrived children (the term ‘newly arrived’ is defined by law), the Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (School Integration and Welcoming Service, SIA) of the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth is responsible for it (see Career guidance for immigrants and refugees).

Regional counselling and support for young people : Antennas of the National Youth Service, and their cooperation with the PES

The 11 local Antennas of the National Youth Service (Service National de la Jeunesse, SNJ) are spread throughout the country and are therefore ‘closer’ to young people. In the local Antennas, young people aged 16-30 can receive individual counselling and support in the implementation of their personal and/or professional projects. They can also find out about activation measures such as voluntary service, traineeships, training courses, and other offers as part of the transition to an "active life".

Access to guidance is also guaranteed through cooperation with local partners, such as municipalities and youth centres.

In order to reach more target groups, local offers are developed. The Vocational Guidance Department of the Luxembourg Employment Service and the SNJ have worked at local level for many years. Two examples of the cooperation between ADEM and SNJ at local level are:

  1. organisation of local job days (for example Deng Zukunft - Däi Wee);
  2. guiding young job seekers towards the National Voluntary Service (Service volontaire national, SVN) and other programmes facilitated by the SNJ.

Access to Higher Education Information

The Information Department for Higher Education Information (Service Information études supérieures, mystudies.lu, Ministry of Research and Higher Education)provides career guidance services for prospective higher education students. Its counsellors are available  for questions and assistance in person at the Ministry of Research and Higher Education and via phone and e-mail. The same team is in charge of the annual Student Fair, which takes place at the Belval campus of the University of Luxembourg to allow students to discover national and international study opportunities in the midst of student life on campus.

Access to counselling in terms of vocational training and/or work opportunities

The Luxembourg Public Employment Service (Agence pour le développement de l'emploi, ADEM), especially its department for vocational guidance, provides information and career guidance activities for students in secondary schools, employees, and jobseekers. It is conceived as a ‘first- stop shop’, (i.e. initial point of contact) for any person who wants counselling in terms of vocational training and/or work opportunities. ADEM’s vocational guidance department is also responsible for apprenticeship placement.

Every person envisaging an apprenticeship (VET) in the dual system has the obligation to enrol with ADEM’s vocational guidance department (pre-selection of applicants on the basis of requirements defined by the training company). Training companies are obliged to declare their vacant apprenticeship positions to ADEM’s vocational guidance department.

ADEM also provides advice to adults who are looking for a new career opportunity or who want to take on a qualification or a continuous training offer. Advice is also given to people who cannot continue working in their previous position and who need to redefine their professional career (See section on NEETs).

In June 2023, a new law reinforcing and restructuring the provision for pupils with special educational needs was passed. This law introduces support teams for pupils with special educational needs (ESEB), a greater role for Inclusion Commissions, an individualised training plan for pupils with special needs in secondary schools and a new administration called the National Service for Inclusive Education (SNEI).+ SNEI/ATVA

Also, the Centre for Psycho-Social and Educational Accompaniment (Centre psycho-social et d’accompagnement scolaires, CePAS) based in the Maison de l’orientation provides guidance interviews and offers educational, psychological and psychotherapeutic support for young people and their families.+ CePAS

When it comes to the schooling of newly arrived children (the term newly arrived is defined by law), the Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (School Integration and Welcoming Service, SIA) of the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth supports (see Career guidance for immigrants and refugees).

In addition, ICT tools, such as the MO-website and orientation.lu, are easily accessible to any interested public (see section ICT in lifelong guidance).

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Quality assurance

The mechanisms in the school sector

The 2017 law on guidance requires schools to set up a guidance unit (in 2023, the name changed from guidance units to school guidance and integration units). A common reference framework for educational and vocational guidance has been drawn up by the MO’s Coordination Department in collaboration with guidance professionals from schools, the MO’s services and the Department for Coordination of Educational and Technological Research and Innovation (Service de Coordination de la Recherche et de l’Innovation pédagogiques et technologiques, SCRIPT). It lays down the minimal standards for the implementation of the secondary schools’ educational and vocational career counselling approaches: those are developing and documenting a guidance process, action fields (curricular and extracurricular actions, partnerships parents, world of work and other collaborations) and a whole school approach (profile and task of the involved people). The reference framework is also used to structure, guide and evaluate actions and initiatives foreseen in the counselling process.

Within these guidelines, the School guidance and integration unit establishes a concept for guidance and integration (démarche d’orientation et d’intégration scolaires) that is documented and transmitted to the Coordination Department of the Maison de l’orientation (MO), which proceeds to an analysis of each school’s framework and establishes an overview of the major trends.

Quality development is supported by the Coordination Department in the following ways :

  • At least once in each 5-years-period, there is a meeting between the Coordination Department and each school’s guidance unit: it serves to discuss the observations on the concept, the inspiring practices developed at the schools as well as the main challenges met.
  • The conclusions from these visits form the basis for a synthesis report as well as for initiatives launched centrally by the Coordination Department in order to respond to the challenges (i.e. create more opportunities for pupils and teachers to meet representatives from potential employers; establish new didactic material that can be used for guidance).
  • The Coordination Department also develops and adapts the training offer for guidance professionals in order to respond to the needs expressed during the meetings or within the concepts. It creates opportunities for schools to present their inspiring practices and main learnings in order to foster a joint understanding and competence development in the community of guidance practitioners in schools.

Nevertheless, there is no customised quality assurance, apart from proposed quality criteria as an annex to the framework, which schools can use for self-assessment purposes, and on which the feedback from the Coordination Department is based. The reference framework is currently being revised to include integration and welcoming measures for newly arrived pupils – aiming to provide them the same chances for academic success.

Mechanisms outside the school sector

When it comes to guidance outside of schools, public departments, wether MO’s or outside the MO’s, have their own quality standards for their structure and there is no overarching framework.

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Career management skills

Career management skills are included in the common reference framework for educational and vocational guidance (Cadre de référence pour l'orientation scolaire et professionnelle) that applies to all public secondary schools. In the second edition (2022), the reference framework highlights Career Management Skills (CMS) and their development, notably via a structuring of the learning process in pyramid form.

CMS scheme

Source: Maison de l'orientation (2022), p. 13

Within their guidance concept, guidance and integration units are invited to indicate to which are of CMS each activity is corresponding, in order to make sure that all the areas are covered in each educational pathway.

Many activities at national, regional or school level, which are part of the guidance process and are in alignment to the reference framework, aim to give school pupils a more complete picture of the functioning of the world of work and of possible career perspectives (possibility of try-out-days, invitation of employers and partners into the school). Traineeships or apprenticeships are part of all VET programmes and more often of the other school pathways as well. Practical work experiences, such as voluntary services, workshops and traineeships, are facilitated by the National Youth Service (Service National de la Jeunesse, SNJ), especially for young people not in education, employment or training. Descriptions and videos of different professions are also available on orientation.lu

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Evidence, monitoring and assessment

There is no national research centre specialised in guidance related topics. Studies are generally commissioned by the different public guidance departments in order to evaluate the impact of their work and their counselling methods. Research is mainly conducted by the University of Luxembourg by the Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) and different research groups.

Some important findings related to educational and vocational guidance in schools are presented in the triannual National Report on Education (Nationaler Bildungsbericht – latest edition 2024). The report is produced jointly by the University of Luxembourg and SCRIPT and provides analyses on student pathways, transitions, and the functioning of guidance in secondary education. A full list of editions (in German and French) is available on the website of the Ministry of Education.

In February 2023, the OECD Skills Strategy Luxembourg identified several opportunities and issued recommendations to improve the alignment between skills supply and labour‑market needs. The report emphasised the importance of providing labour‑market‑relevant adult learning opportunities, strengthening incentives and guidance for skills choices, improving the attraction and retention of foreign talent to address skills shortages, and enhancing the governance and integration of skills data in Luxembourg.

The National Institute for the Development of Continuing Vocational Training (Institut national pour le développement de la formation professionnelle continue, INFPC) also conducts a longitudinal survey on the educational and career paths of pupils who left school without having obtained a formal diploma or qualification (Transition School - Active life, TEVA).

The National Observatory for Childhood, Youth and School Quality, together with the University of Luxembourg, is currently conducting a major study on the quality of educational guidance in general secondary education. This project is currently under development. It is still too early to publish a description.

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Career information, ICT in guidance

There are several examples of ICT platforms providing specific types of information for career decision-making in the different sectors for different users. Orientation.lu is an instrument, launched at the end of 2023, that serves as a comprehensive online resource for every resident, mainly youth, when it comes to transition moments in their guidance process. It is operated by the Maison de l’orientation (MO), complementary to their interface and referring to the key actors in lifelong guidance in Luxembourg.

Both platforms, orientation.lu and MO, present various possibilities regarding guidance, apprenticeships, studies, training, employment, voluntary services, and youth projects. There are many stakeholders involved in the development and maintenance of orientation.lu. chools, teachers, youth workers and career counsellors. This group in particular serves as ‘multipliers’ for the use of existing tools where they use these platforms for their (guidance) services and motivate young people to visit the Maison de l’orientation and contact the represented departments, administrations and ministries.

The Employment portal is an information portal provided by the Luxembourg Public Employment Service (Agence pour le développement de l’emploi, ADEM). The website offers information about the Luxembourg labour market and addresses jobseekers, employers and young people wanting to become active. Jobseekers receive information about financial aid and measures helping them to (re-)integrate quickly into the labour market. Employers are informed about the assistance provided by ADEM’s employer service (pre-selection of candidates, tailor-made training of jobseekers, financial recruitment aids). The portal also provides information and guidance for young people who want to build their professional careers.

The platform lifelong-learning.lu , hosted by the National Institute for the Development of Continuing Vocational Training (Institut national pour le développement de la formation professionnelle continue, INFPC) gathers information on public and private training courses and training providers (see section Career Guidance for adults).

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Training and qualifications

In Luxembourg, there is no Bachelor’s or Master’s degree specialised in  educational, vocational or lifelong guidance. Career guidance practitioners from schools have a background in psychology or education sciences. From 2020 to 2023, several coordinators of the school guidance and integration units took part in the “University Course Careers Education and Guidance in Schools (CEGS)”, developed for this purpose within a cross-border pilot project realised by the Coordination Department of the Maison de l’orientation, the National Education Institute of Training (Institut de formation de l'Éducation nationale, IFEN) and the University College of Teacher Education Lower Austria (PH NÖ), and supported by Euroguidance. The 2-year-course led to a 10 ECTS higher education certificate issued by PH NÖ. Since 2023, this course is not offered, but a new concept for training and qualification is being established in order to adapt it to all the changes put in place since 2023.

Counsellors in the Local youth antenna of the SNJ (Antennes locales du SNJ) and career guidance practitioners from the Public Employment Service (ADEM) and its vocational guidance service (ADEM-OP) generally have a BA degree in social sciences. Teachers of secondary education can work as guidance teachers.

Guidance practitioners acquire their specific skills through in-service or continuous training organised, in accordance with the reference framework for educational and vocational guidance, mostly by the National Education Institute of Training (Institut de formation de l'Éducation nationale, IFEN), the Centre for Psycho-Social and Educational Accompaniment (Centre psycho-social et d’accompagnement scolaires, CePAS), the Public Employment Service (Agence pour le développement de l'emploi, ADEM),or by experts invited by the Maison de l’orientation. Each year, some participants from schools or from the departments represented at the MO take part in Euroguidance trainings and study visits, facilitated by the national Euroguidance centre.

Sources

Funding career guidance

National guidance services are State-funded. Their annual budget is integrated in the State budget; professionals are mostly civil servants or public employees. Some guidance activities and projects for job seekers are jointly funded via contracts with the State, mainly with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and within European projects.

Career guidance for school pupils

In primary education, first steps are undertaken to lay the foundation for individual decision-making. Teachers propose activities that should contribute to pupils’ self-awareness and their decision-making skills: for example, pupils can collect their productions in a portfolio, which helps them think over their own learning processes, their strengths and their weaknesses. Formative assessment reports, introduced by the 2009 reform of primary education, aim to contribute to pupils’ and parents’ understanding of competence development, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each child. A visit to the annual School Fair (YEP – Youth, Education and Professions) becomes more and more popular since its first edition in 2022, with the teacher or the parents.

At the end of the fourth cycle of primary education for children between 10 and 11 years of age (ISCED 1), pupils are oriented towards a class of classical secondary education (7e de l’enseignement secondaire classique) or general secondary education (7e de l’enseignement secondaire général ou 7e de la voie de préparation) based on a guidance decision (décision d’orientation).

Since the law of 22 June 2017 on the organisation of the Maison de l’orientation, each secondary school has to set up aguidance unit (as from June 2023: school guidance and integration unit) composed of teachers, educators, psychologists and most often a member of the school management or the principal. The unit is responsible for implementing the educational and professional guidance process according to the minimal standards of the national reference framework, which is revised within a 5-year cycle based on the evaluation of guidance strategies and feedback coming from schools and partners.

This framework serves as a tool for structuring and steering all actions and guidance initiatives already organised by the schools, to evaluate them (assessment done internally by the unit and externally by the Maison de l’orientation) and, if necessary, to introduce new initiatives.

All this happens through curriculum activities and extracurricular activities in partnership with parents, the economic world and the partners in the field of guidance.

Local youth antennas of the SNJ (Antennes locales du SNJ), provide individual counselling and support for young people aged 15 to 30. The services focus on the transition between educational levels as well as on vocational training and work and the development of individual career projects.

The Information Department for Higher Education Studies (Service Information études supérieures, mystudies.lu, Ministry of Research and Higher Education) provides career guidance services for prospective higher education students he same department is in charge of the organisation of the annual Student Fair, which is organised at the Belval Campus of the University of Luxembourg, notably to allow students to discover national and international study opportunities in the midst of student life on campus.

Orientation.lu is an instrument that serves as a comprehensive online resource for every resident, mainly youth, when it comes to transition moments in their guidance process. It is operated by the Maison de l’orientation and several of its partners and is complementary to their interface. Both platforms present various possibilities regarding guidance, apprenticeships, studies, training, employment, voluntary services, and youth projects.

Sources

Guidance for VET participants

In primary education, first steps are undertaken to lay the foundation for individual decision-making. Teachers propose activities that should contribute to pupils’ self-awareness and their decision-making skills: for example, pupils can collect their productions in a portfolio, which helps them think over their own learning processes, their strengths and their weaknesses. Formative assessment reports, introduced by the 2009 reform of primary education, aim to contribute to pupils’ and parents’ understanding of competence development, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each child. A visit to the annual School Fair (YEP – Youth, Education and Professions) becomes more and more popular since its first edition in 2022, with the teacher or the parents.

At the end of the fourth cycle of primary education for children between 10 and 11 years of age (ISCED 1), pupils are oriented towards a class of classical secondary education (7e de l’enseignement secondaire classique) or general secondary education (7e de l’enseignement secondaire général ou 7e de la voie de préparation) based on a guidance decision (décision d’orientation).

Since the law of 22 June 2017 on the organisation of the Maison de l’orientation, each secondary school has to set up aguidance unit (as from June 2023: school guidance and integration unit) composed of teachers, educators, psychologists and most often a member of the school management or the principal. The unit is responsible for implementing the educational and professional guidance process according to the minimal standards of the national reference framework, which is revised within a 5-year cycle based on the evaluation of guidance strategies and feedback coming from schools and partners.

This framework serves as a tool for structuring and steering all actions and guidance initiatives already organised by the schools, to evaluate them (assessment done internally by the unit and externally by the Maison de l’orientation) and, if necessary, to introduce new initiatives.

All this happens through curriculum activities and extracurricular activities in partnership with parents, the economic world and the partners in the field of guidance.

Local youth antennas of the SNJ (Antennes locales du SNJ), provide individual counselling and support for young people aged 15 to 30. The services focus on the transition between educational levels as well as on vocational training and work and the development of individual career projects.

The Information Department for Higher Education Studies (Service Information études supérieures, mystudies.lu, Ministry of Research and Higher Education) provides career guidance services for prospective higher education students he same department is in charge of the organisation of the annual Student Fair, which is organised at the Belval Campus of the University of Luxembourg, notably to allow students to discover national and international study opportunities in the midst of student life on campus.

Orientation.lu is an instrument that serves as a comprehensive online resource for every resident, mainly youth, when it comes to transition moments in their guidance process. It is operated by the Maison de l’orientation and several of its partners and is complementary to their interface. Both platforms present various possibilities regarding guidance, apprenticeships, studies, training, employment, voluntary services, and youth projects.

Sources

Guidance for higher education students

Academic counselling for students is mainly provided by the Higher Education Information Department and Financial Aid Department.

Higher Education Information Department (Ministry of Research and Higher Education)

Target groups:

  • high school students, mostly in “2e” and “1re” (last two years of secondary school, ISCED 3) ;
  • students;
  • parents;
  • adults looking for higher education;
  • guidance counsellors in secondary schools.

Services:

  • Information on higher education:
    • entry requirements;
    • enrolment procedures;
    • recognition of study programmes;
  • Information on professions:
    • training for professions requiring a higher education qualification;
    • entry requirements for regulated professions;
  • Individual interviews with:
    • pupils and students;
    • parents;
    • adults considering a career change;
  • Information sessions and stands:
    • in secondary schools;
    • continuing education (IFEN);
  • Organisation of the annual “Foire de l’Étudiant” (Student Fair, digital platform).

The Financial Aid Department of the Ministry of Research and Higher Education manages the State financial aid to higher education.

At the University of Luxembourg, the Student Service (Service des études et de la Vie étudiante, SEVE) accompanies students from the beginning of their studies until their early working life. SEVE manages the obligatory mobility of bachelor students and organises their training periods. Furthermore, the University of Luxembourg runs a Career centre for its students, as well as an Incubator for developing students entrepreneurial skills.

Many schools cooperate with student organisations, or with their alumni, so the pupils in the two or three last school years receive information and impression on higher education studies by their peers.

Sources

Guidance for adult learners

Information and counselling in adult education are provided by various guidance and information services.

The platform lifelong-learning.lu , hosted by the National Institute for the Development of Continuing Vocational Training (Institut national pour le développement de la formation professionnelle continue, INFPC) gathers information on public and private training courses and training providers. The INFPC also operates the Training Observatory, which provides studies on training practices and continuing education offers in Luxembourg.  Additionally, a legal reform in 2024 created a new strategic department within INFPC. This new department’s mission is to gather the views and suggestions of all relevant stakeholders and subsequently establish recommendations to the board of directors, with the aim of developing, analysing, and adopting a skills-oriented strategy that responds to labour market needs, thereby ensuring the regular adaptation of the continuing vocational training offer.

At the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth (Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, de l'Enfance et de la Jeunesse, MENJE), the Adult Guidance Department (Cellule Orientation des adultes) is dedicated to supporting adults in their training pathways, in shaping their learning and career development. It provides personalised guidance to clients seeking to enhance existing skills (upskilling) or to embark on a new professional direction (reskilling). The department serves individuals seeking educational or career orientation, with a particular focus on those pursuing a second qualification pathway. Services include comprehensive skills assessments as well as guidance toward continuing education opportunities—be they formal, non-formal, or informal. Services are tailored to a diverse adult audience, reflecting differences in age, qualification levels, cultural backgrounds, and language skills.’

Furthermore, the Unit for the validation of non-formal and informal learning (Cellule Validation des acquis de l’expérience, VAE), provides information to those preparing a request for the validation of previous learning.

All adults, regardless of their professional status, can consult the Service for vocational guidance (Service d’orientation professionnelle) of the National Employment Service (Agence pour le développement de l'emploi, ADEM) (see section ICT in lifelong guidance).

For higher education, adults can contact the services described under the section for higher education (see Guidance for higher education students).

Additional information and counselling on training possibilities and validation is provided by the Chamber of Employees (Chambre des salariés, CSL), Chamber of Commerce (Chambre de Commerce) and Chamber of Trades (Chambre des métiers, CDM) and by education and training providers.

Sources

Guidance for the employed

Beyond the guidance information and access points provided in the mentioned  national platforms,  we also have to consider the information and counselling provisions within training opportunitis for employed, through funded schemes or employers’ learning opportunities for upskilling or reskilling such as:

ILA -Individual training leave (congé individuel de formation)

Individual training leave allows individuals to take time off to attend training. It can be granted for up to 80 days over the course of a career, with a maximum of 20 days during any two-year period. One paid day of leave is granted for every three days of training attended. This leave scheme and is administered by the Department of Vocational Training of the MENJE.

Eligible persons include 

employees who:

  • work in the private sector in Luxembourg (regardless of residence);
  • have a valid employment contract with a legally established Luxembourg-based business or association;
  • have worked for their employer for at least six months at the time of the request;

self-employed persons (including liberal professions) who: have been registered with the Luxembourg social security system for at least two years;

  • reside in Luxembourg;
  • work in Luxembourg;

persons who:

  • have an apprenticeship contract;
  • are preparing for and taking part in international, European, or Luxembourgish trades competitions.

Training Funds

In Luxembourg, there are no publicly funded training funds. However, several privately funded schemes exist.

the Fonds de Formation Sectoriel pour l’Intérim (FSI), established by agreements dated 29 September 2009 and applicable to all temporary employment agencies in Luxembourg, is financed through a 0.6% levy on total gross payroll (including both permanent and temporary staff) to support training obligations;

the Centres de Compétences de l’Artisanat are financed through a 0.5% levy on total gross payroll paid by companies in the crafts sector, in accordance with the Grand-Ducal Regulation of 1 November 2015, to support its operation and training programmes.

The Institute for Training in the Construction Industry (IFSB) also operates partially as a training fund. Based on a collective agreement, employers in the construction sector contribute 0.65% of payroll to the fund. This is complemented by EU funding, which covers approximately 50% of the fund’s total budget (about EUR 3 million). The fund supports training, research, and development in the building sector. No preferential treatment is granted to specific target groups.

Professional chambers and associations also fund training in their respective sectors using member contributions. For instance, the House of Training, under the supervision of the Chamber of Commerce, coordinates with sectoral professional associations to support training initiatives. The Chamber of Employees has developed a dedicated Lifelong Learning Centre, while both the Chamber of Crafts and the Chamber of Agriculture also offer training programmes. In the healthcare sector, the DeWidong association utilises member contributions to organise training sessions. 

Sources

Guidance for unemployed adults

As part of the Luxembourg’s Public Employment Service (Agence pour le développement de l'emploi, ADEM), the ADEM-OP (Service d’orientation professionnelle de l’Agence pour le développement de l’emploi) offers job guidance interviews and information sessions for young people and adults on how to choose a suitable job. This service is also in charge of apprenticeship placements for young people and adults.

In the framework of the reform process of the national Public Employment Service (ADEM), a new accompanying scheme has been implemented in all regional ADEM agencies providing jobseekers with individualised support based on an objective profiling. During registration at ADEM, the jobseeker is asked to provide thorough information on his or her qualifications, professional experience and career aspirations. According to the individual profile, the jobseeker is oriented to the most suitable assistance scheme (regular support / intermediate support / intensive support) and is assigned to a personal ADEM counsellor, specialised in the support of young people,  with whom the jobseeker will have regular guidance meetings. Young jobseekers who have not yet defined their career path, or who have unrealistic career plans, integrate a special support scheme (coaching) that aims to detect their personal interests and capabilities.

Young jobseekers (18 to 29 years) who do not have the necessary qualification to start an apprenticeship or to enter the labour market have the possibility to participate in the Jobelo programme. During this programme, the young participants spend two months at the Socio-Professional Guidance Center (Centre d'Orientation Socio-Professionnelle, COSP) where they have the possibility to explore different vocational fields (administration, construction, gardening). According to their interests and capabilities, the participants join a company for a two months’ work experience internship. If this internship is successful, the young jobseeker can conclude a one-year employment support contract (contrat d’appui emploi) with the company. During this time, the jobseeker also has the possibility to attend school and to obtain the degrees that are necessary to qualify for apprenticeship training.

To facilitate the (re)integration into the labour market, ADEM has established collaborations between different stakeholders (including employers’ associations, public and private training providers) with the aim of organising specific training.

Additional actions in collaboration with the ADEM and the European Social Fund in favour of employment are:

  1. Fit4Entrepreneurship: Programme to identify opportunities that can be transformed into an entrepreneurial project;
  2. FutureSkills: Support employers and employees whose activities and required skills are or will be strongly transformed by digital or other disruptions;
  3. Fit4JobStart: Development of knowledge and skills for unskilled young people wishing to integrate into working life in Luxembourg.

Sources

Guidance for older adults

Special employment measures, such as the Professionalisation internship (Stage de professionnalisation) and the Employment reintegration contract (Contrat de réinsertion-emploi) have been put in place to facilitate the reintegration into the labour market of the most vulnerable groups, including older jobseekers, persons with reduced working capacity and persons with disabilities.

During the professionalisation internship, which lasts for six weeks (nine weeks if the jobseeker is highly qualified – at least three years of higher education), the jobseeker has the possibility to work in a company to discover the real work environment and to demonstrate his or her professional skills and personal capabilities. The Employment reintegration contract (lasting one year) allows older jobseekers (45+) to work in a company and receive tailor-made vocational training, as the company has to provide a tutor and must establish a training plan.

Sources

Guidance for early leavers

The Ministry is actively working on new initiatives and reforms. A major initiative to combat early school leaving will come into force in the September 2026 : in 2023, a new law was passed to raise the age of compulsory education from 16 to 18 in order to reduce school leaving and youth unemployment. The first cohort affacted by this law will be pupils born after the 1st September 2009 (those under 17 years old in September 2026).

Compulsory education will end at age 18 or upon obtaining a secondary school leaving diploma or a VET diploma. Pupils under an apprenticeship contract will fulfill the requirements by attending concurrent courses at school.

Pupils aged 16 or older who have a work contract may apply for an exemption from compulsory schooling for the duration of the contract.

A working group is developing a system of complementary educational offers, tailored to the diverse profiles of students who cannot continue in the regular education system and are at risk of dropping out. Enrollment and support for students in the CISPs—managed by organisations in the child and family support sector—are carried out in close collaboration with partner secondary schools, the Regional Office for Child and Family Services (ORE – Office regional de l’enfance de proximité), and the young person’s family and social environment.

One existing offer for a specific group of young people disengaging from their school career, or for certain early leavers, are the CISP (Centres d’insertion socio-professionnelle). Introduced in 2023, CISPs are alternative eduation centres designed to meet the needs, skills and interests and provide a supportive environment for adolescents who struggle in school.

The Local youth antenna (Antennes locales du SNJ, which is part of the SNJ's transition support department) systematically contacts early school leavers and work with them to develop their next steps. The services focus on the transition between educational levels and between education and work, as well as on the development of individual career projects. Options that may be considered after individual counselling may include an internship, training aimed at developing social skills, voluntary service or the participation in a workshop (atelier).

The voluntary service is open to all young people between the ages of 16 and 30 who wish to gain practical (professional) experience in Luxembourg or abroad. They receive individual support throughout the programme and are encouraged to go back to school to complete a qualification. Workshops are a low-threshold offer aimed at young people who have been inactive for a long time.

Also, the Centre for Psycho-Social and Educational Accompaniment (Centre psycho-social et d’accompagnement scolaires, CePAS) based in the Maison de l’orientation provides guidance interviews and offers educational, psychological and psychotherapeutic support for young people and their families.

The National School for Adults (École nationale pour adultes, ENAD) is accessible to early school leavers aged 17 to 30 and provides, amongst others, both general and vocational training (including an internship with companies), extra-curricular activities and comprehensive socio-pedagogic support.

The ESL interventions are also linked to the Luxembourgish Youth guarantee scheme insofar as it foresees coordination of the so-called school-oriented trajectory, which consists of systematic follow-up of early school leavers and the coaching of early school leavers in small groups to prepare and organise their return to school or apprenticeship.

Sources

Guidance for NEET

The National Youth Service (Service National de la Jeunesse, SNJ) contributes to the implementation of youth policies and offers, amongst other activities, a contact, information, counselling and support point for young people and actors working in the youth field. The division Transition to Active Life (Division Soutien à la transition vers la vie active) oversees the programmes facilitating integration in professional life (for example Voluntary Services).

The Youth Guarantee, introduced in June 2014, is aimed at young people between the ages of 16 and 29 who have left school or lost their job. Its goal is to make certain that young job seekers do not remain for longer than four months without an offer of a job, training, or apprenticeship  placement. The Youth Guarantee considers the young person's profile and personal situation. This means that all young people are offered individual accompaniment throughout their path towards active life.

With regard to employment: Luxembourg’s Public Employment Service (ADEM) supports young people in entering the labour market. Specialised youth counsellors and coaches work with them to define the professional pathway and the necessary training and measures that would bring stable employment into their reach.

See also the section Guidance for early leavers.

Sources

  • The Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. (n.d.).  Agence pour le développement de l'emploi, ADEM Luxembourg’s Public Employment Service. https://adem.public.lu/fr.html
  • The Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. (n.d.).  Orientation.lu. https://www.orientation.lu/
  • Service National de la Jeunesse, SNJ (National Youth Service). (n.d.). Transition. https://www.snj.public.lu/a-propos/#transitions
  • The Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. (n.d.).  Service National de la Jeunesse, SNJ (National Youth Service). https://www.snj.public.lu/
  • European Commission. (2023). YouthWiki (Country profile Luxembourg). https://national-policies.eacea.ec.europa.eu/youthwiki/chapters/luxembourg/overview

Guidance for young people at risk

In secondary school, specific programmes are available for pupils who are at risk of early leaving from education and training (ELET).

Since 2017, each secondary school also has had a socio-educational service (Service socio-éducatif, SSE) that contributes to promoting a positive school climate and preventing school drop-out by offering non-formal education and low-threshold activities outside classroom hours. Guiding principles for their work are laid down in the common reference framework for psycho-social and educational accompaniment and extracurricular offers in secondary schools. Socio-educational services, as well as services for psycho-social and educational accompaniment (Services psycho-sociaux et d’accompagnement scolaires, SePAS), work in close cooperation with the schools’ guidance and integration units (cellules d’orientation et d’intégration scolaires).

Since 2023, every school has an educational and psycho-social department (Département éducatif et psycho-social), which is composed of the following units:

  • SePAS (educational and psycho-social department);
  • SSE (socio-educational department);
  • ESEB (pupils with specific needs);
  • COI (school guidance and integration unit);

Boarding school, where applicable.Students from secondary schools and early school leavers have access to one-year Classe d’initiation professionnelle (CIP) (Professional initiation class) for young people under 18 years, and toCours d’orientation et d’initiation professionnelles (Vocational orientation and induction courses) for youngsters 18 years and over. This class of the pre-vocational education is part of general secondary education (enseignement secondaire general, ESG) and therefore the programme of the courses is developed normally by the programme commissions. The CIP provides a personalised education, meaning that the teaching is adapted. Concerning the COIP (undergoing a change for the moment), it is offered to the young people (18) who have no possibility (for the moment) to continue in the general secondary education.

Mosaic classes (Classes mosaïques) aim to provide a more flexible educational approach for at-risk students, inside their own secondary school, to help them identify their educational path and complete their studies. Classe Mosaïque was the initial project that was then generalised in schools, sometimes under different names. The goal is to reintegrate pupils that are at risk of dropping out (and future early school leaving) and help them find their way within the framework of a class and adapt their behaviour accordingly. The procedure consists of the following elements:

  1. duration: depending on progress, the student usually stays in the Classe Mosaïque for 6 to 12 weeks;
  2. support: the team creates an individual support plan for specific support of the student;
  3. tutor: each student is assigned a tutor, i.e. a reference person (a member of the team);
  4. contact: regular meetings take place between parents, the student, the social pedagogue, the team and the teachers of the regular class;
  5. grading: in principle, students are regularly graded in the main subjects. In the ’minor subjects’, the focus is on project work that is intended to meet the needs of the respective pupils (development plan). During the stay in the Classe Mosaïque the student remains under the responsibility of the teacher of his regular class;
  6. reintegration: it is prepared in the class approximately one to two weeks in advance. Depending on the student's level in respect of goals to be achieved, the team decides on full or partial reintegration. In the case of partial reintegration, the student initially only joins his regular class on an hourly basis. In the case of full reintegration, student is immediately accommodated. During reintegration, interventions can take place in the regular class. The Classe Mosaïque team takes care of further aftercare.

The “Antennes locales du SNJ” offer workshops in the classes of the secondary school preparatory section to accompany the transition of pupils from school to vocational training or the labour market.

Sources

Guidance for persons with disabilities

Pupils with special needs within the school system

In general, the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth aims to integrate pupils with special educational needs into the institutions of mainstream education by providing the necessary support and adaptations. To ensure neutral and objective admission to special education (if needed) and to prevent children from being prematurely excluded from mainstream primary education, the guidance procedure for pupils with special educational needs involves the regional Commission for Inclusion (Commission d’inclusion, CI) and the National Commission for Inclusion (Commission nationale d’inclusion, CNI). Based on a diagnosis of the child’s needs, an individual support plan is drawn up and a guidance proposal is submitted to the parents.

In June 2023, a new law reinforcing and restructuring the provision for pupils with special educational needs was passed. This law introduces support teams for pupils with special educational needs (ESEB), a greater role for Inclusion Commissions, an individualised training plan for pupils with special needs in secondary schools and a new administration called the National Service for Inclusive Education (SNEI).

Guidance service for pupils with special needs

The Agence pour la transition vers une vie autonome (ATVA) (Agency for Transition to Independent Living) is part of a network for school inclusion set up by the Ministry for Education, Children and Youth, alongside the 8 “Centres de compétences en psycho-pédagogie spécialisée” (specialised psycho-pedagogical skills centre). The ATVA is located in the Maison de l’orientation.

ATVA's educational and psycho-social staff facilitates the transition to an active life for young people with specific needs, whose diagnosis has been confirmed by a specialised psycho-pedagogical skills centre.

Unemployed adults with special needs

ADEM’s Service for Disabled Jobseekers and Persons in Professional Redeployment (Service handicap et reclassement professionnel, S-HRP) provides counselling for unemployed adults with special needs and gives them the possibility to draw up a competence profile. There are several support measures for this target group, such as personalised assistance by special counsellors, participation in targeted training and employment measures, organisation of recruitment workshops (DuoDays) and special jobfairs.

Sources

Guidance for immigrants

Pupils

When it comes to the schooling of newly arrived children (the term newly arrived is defined by law), the Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (School Integration and Welcoming Service, SIA) of the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth supports and :

  • welcomes all families who have recently arrived in Luxembourg;
  • offers information and counselling for the pupils and their parents on all questions related to the Luxembourgish school offer;
  • provides an individual monitoring during two years.

There are four stages in welcoming newly arrived pupils to Luxembourg:

  1. Appointment: appointment request made by the family (before arriving in Luxembourg: possibility to contact the SIA);
  2. Support: the SIA assists the family with an intercultural mediator if necessary;
  3. Guidance: orientation suggestion towards an adequate class;
  4. Monitoring: monitoring of the pupil during two years.

Appointment request

To benefit from the welcoming, counselling and monitoring services offered by the SIA, it is possible to make an appointment online. The meeting request form is available in: Arabic, Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tigrinya and Ukrainian. It is accessible here: Online form: Schedule an appointment with the Service de l’intégration et de l’accueil scolaires (SIA). Appointments can be made at the SIA offices in Luxembourg City or by video conference, if necessary. Parents, guardians, teachers and education professionals can request free help from an intercultural mediator. Interculturality is one other major topic in collaboration, amongst others, with schools (primary and secondary).

Adults

All adults who live or work in Luxembourg can join the “Pacte citoyen (Biergerpakt)”. Membership of the ‘Biergerpakt’ is voluntary and gives access to the intercultural living-together programme. The programme consists of:

  • 3 introductory modules to life in Luxembourg, including:
    • an orientation day to facilitate administrative procedures and civic participation in Luxembourg;
    • a Discover Luxembourg module to explore the Grand Duchy's history, traditions and values, natural and cultural heritage, political system and intercultural and multilingual context;
  • free access to language platforms to familiarise yourself with Luxembourg's 3 administrative languages (Lëtzebuergesch, German and French) and
  • a catalogue of individual modules, which take account of the diversity of participants and contain a choice of activities and training courses designed to promote access to information and encourage civic participation.

The catalogue of modules includes, among others, themed training courses focusing on key issues such as employment, housing and health. These modules are specifically designed to meet the needs of people from third countries (non-EU) or who have recently settled in Luxembourg. Their main objective is to promote the empowerment of participants by providing them with the practical knowledge and skills they need to fully integrate into Luxembourg society. By promoting a better understanding of the services and rights related to these key issues, these modules also encourage the active participation of the people concerned in the social, economic and civic life of the country.

The ‘Welcome to Luxembourg’ module aims to empower people from third countries (non-EU), in particular holders of international protection (IPR) and beneficiaries of international protection (BPI). It encourages their active participation in the life of the host society by providing them with essential information on living together and the tools they need to find useful resources.

In the context of integration, the Department of Adult Education is offering various training options, i.e.:

  • language and literacy courses for people who have just arrived in the country as language integration courses (IL);
  • courses and exams "Vivre ensemble au Grand-Duché de Luxembourg";
  • language courses throughout the country.

In the frame of the Biergerpakt (citizens’ pact) proposed by the Ministry of Family Affairs, Solidarity,Living Together and Reception of Refugees, the Department of Adult Education is involved with language and civic education courses.

Language Integration Programme

The Language Integration Programme is provided by the Department of Adult Education. It is aimed at applicants and beneficiaries of international protection (DPI & BPI) who have no knowledge of any of the country's official languages. These are free language literacy courses or beginner level courses for French as an integration language. They are also open to newcomers who are not literate and have no prior knowledge of the French language.

Individual guidance session

Learners will provide their contact details, information about their language skills and their academic background at the Maison de l'Orientation.

A test will allow to determine if they should attend a literacy course or a beginner course in French or Luxembourgish. Learners can specify their course preference (time and location). The French language was chosen since it represents the main language for the labour market and the administration.

At the end of this meeting, future learners will receive an appointment to pick up their school material and receive any further information about their course.

Language Integration Course (IL)

With around forty hours of lessons and workshops per week depending on the level, these hybrid courses take place mainly in person. They include workshops to develop multidisciplinary skills (autonomy, numeracy, digital skills, discovery of Luxembourg, etc.) and to use the French language in practical and everyday communication situations.

Attaining at least the Level A1 of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is the target of this linguistic integration course. The whole contents of the French courses are available for free on: sfadocs.lu.

Enrolment in the Language Integration Courses (IL)

Enrolment is possible without appointment and exclusively at the Maison de l’orientation.

Sources


The Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. (n.d.).  Pacte citoyen du vivre-ensemble interculturel - "Biergerpakt".

https://guichet.public.lu/fr/citoyens/citoyennete/vivre-ensemble/pacte-citoyen.html

The Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. (n.d.). Ministry of education web page. https://men.public.lu/en.html

The Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. (n.d.). Ministry of Family Affairs, Solidarity, Living Together and Reception of Refugees Select language. https://mfsva.gouvernement.lu/en.html

The Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. (n.d.). Liguistic integration of newly arrived adults. https://men.public.lu/en/systeme-educatif/formation-adultes/integration-nationalite/integration.html

Guidance for other groups

Back-to-back with the regular school guidance and integration units, the State Socio-Educational Centre (CSEE), which receives minors entrusted to it after a decision by the legal authorities for an indefinite period and as a general rule until these minors reach the age of 18, also has a guidance unit. They are part of the national guidance network of secondary school guidance units.

Source

The Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. (n.d.). Centre Socio-educatif de l’ Etate - News. https://csee.lu/fr/

 

Sources

Country-specific report details

Country report type
Inventory of lifelong guidance systems and practices
Related Country
Related Project
Lifelong Guidance
Related Network
CareersNet
Keywords
Guidance and counselling
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