Development of lifelong career orientation and counselling in Higher VET

Policy development
Practical measure/Initiative
Slovenia
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Timeline
  • 2023Implementation
  • 2024Implementation
ID number
48453

Background

A brief overview of the context and rationale of the policy development, explaining why it is implemented or why it is important.

Career centres operate within higher VET schools, fostering stronger connections between students and employers. A key objective of the Higher VET Strategy and the Resolution on the Adult Education Master Plan of the Republic of Slovenia for 2022-2030 (RENPIO), is to further enhance the counselling system at the higher VET (EQF level 5), providing tailored support to students and graduates of Slovenia's higher vocational schools.

Objectives

Goals and objectives of the policy development.

The project, 'Development of Lifelong Career Guidance and Counselling in Higher Vocational Education', aims to raise student's awareness of the importance of career planning and lifelong learning (LLL) for an effective entry and stay into the labour market. It also seeks to establish the professional foundations for developing a career counselling system in higher VET.

Description

What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.

The project 'Development of Lifelong Career Guidance and Counselling in Higher Vocational Education' aims to enhance career counselling and support for students and graduates of higher vocational schools in Slovenia. Key activities include:

For students:

  1. raising awareness of lifelong career guidance through workshops to develop skills for entering the job market;
  2. establishing an e-learning platform for career counselling;
  3. creating an online information hub, planning my career, aiming higher,
  4. developing the career opportunities finder, app for internships and job placements;
  5. providing individual career counselling;
  6. organising,business breakfasts, for networking with potential employers;
  7. conducting an analysis of distance learning during the 2020/21 academic year to assess the impact of COVID-19.

For higher vocational schools:

  1. hosting meetings with employers to align educational outcomes with labour market demands;
  2. using the Career opportunities finder, for internship and job postings;
  3. implementing a methodology for career centres at higher vocational schools.

For career centre staff:

  1. training and professional development for career advisors;
  2. setting up an e-learning platform with career counselling materials;
  3. establishing an Information Hub for Career Centres,
  4. providing resources for career centres to improve their operations.

For employers:

  1. using the Career opportunities finder to post internship and job opportunities;
    2. ...

The project 'Development of Lifelong Career Guidance and Counselling in Higher Vocational Education' aims to enhance career counselling and support for students and graduates of higher vocational schools in Slovenia. Key activities include:

For students:

  1. raising awareness of lifelong career guidance through workshops to develop skills for entering the job market;
  2. establishing an e-learning platform for career counselling;
  3. creating an online information hub, planning my career, aiming higher,
  4. developing the career opportunities finder, app for internships and job placements;
  5. providing individual career counselling;
  6. organising,business breakfasts, for networking with potential employers;
  7. conducting an analysis of distance learning during the 2020/21 academic year to assess the impact of COVID-19.

For higher vocational schools:

  1. hosting meetings with employers to align educational outcomes with labour market demands;
  2. using the Career opportunities finder, for internship and job postings;
  3. implementing a methodology for career centres at higher vocational schools.

For career centre staff:

  1. training and professional development for career advisors;
  2. setting up an e-learning platform with career counselling materials;
  3. establishing an Information Hub for Career Centres,
  4. providing resources for career centres to improve their operations.

For employers:

  1. using the Career opportunities finder to post internship and job opportunities;
  2. attending networking events with students;
  3. engaging in Business Breakfasts for student-employer connections.

For the broader community: promoting self-employment initiatives.

The project is funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport and aligns with the Strategic and Development Plans of the Association of Higher Vocational Schools (Skupnost VSŠ).

2023
Implementation

The 2023 activities included:

  1. the organisation of a conference in September 2023 for career counsellors on how to motivate students to use counselling tools;
  2. updating two online classrooms for students and career counsellors;
  3. the organisation of a conference 'Challenges in working with special needs students' in May 2023 entitled
  4. the organisation of two training events for students on career orientation and financial literacy (17 May 2023 online and 26 May 2023 as a live session);
  5. meetings with representatives of companies: 13 meetings between higher VET schools and companies were organised. Employers were invited to present how they can support young people at the start of their careers, explain their needs for technical staff, and outline what they expect from and offer to students in practical training.
2024
Implementation

Between August and October 2024, the Higher VET school association carried out an evaluation of career centres in Higher VET schools based on interviews with employers, a focus group consisting of career counsellors in Higher VET schools, and approximately 183 questionnaire respondents.

Career centres play a crucial role in providing students with information about professions and the labour market while also offering personalised counselling tailored to individual needs and goals. In today's rapidly evolving world, lifelong learning has become essential, and career centres continue to support individuals even after they complete formal education. This field requires skilled professionals and strong collaboration with various stakeholders to be effective.

Evaluation highlighted:

  1. Students consider career centres valuable for career planning but see room for improvement, particularly in adapting programmes more effectively to their needs.
  2. Competencies among higher vocational school graduates vary. Strengths include familiarity with SWOT analysis and awareness of their career interests, whereas weaknesses lie in understanding the labour market, job interview skills, and application preparation. Moving forward, greater emphasis should be placed on individual counselling and support in finding employers for practical training and employment.
  3. Employers value the theoretical foundation gained by students but highlight challenges in applying this knowledge in practice. Strengthening soft skills, enhancing practical experience, and fostering lifelong learning readiness are essential, alongside improving collaboration between Higher VET schools and employers.

Looking ahead, systemic support is necessary to define clear roles and allocate dedicated staff for counselling in Higher VET schools. At present, these schools primarily provide group counselling and often lack the capacity for individual support. Career counselling is mostly informal and dispersed among different staff members, leading to workload strain and a lack of continuity. As a result, students do not have access to structured individual counselling. Greater attention must be given to improving systems, staffing, and funding to ensure comprehensive career guidance and support.

Bodies responsible

This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
  • Ministry of Education

Target groups

Those who are positively and directly affected by the measures of the policy development; those on the list are specifically defined in the EU VET policy documents. A policy development can be addressed to one or several target groups.

Education professionals

  • Teachers
  • School leaders
  • Guidance practitioners

Other

Students of Higher VET schools

Thematic categories

Thematic categories capture main aspects of the decision-making and operation of national VET and LLL systems. These broad areas represent key elements that all VET and LLL systems have to different extents and in different combinations, and which come into focus depending on the EU and national priorities. Thematic categories are further divided into thematic sub-categories. Based on their description, policy developments can be assigned to one or several 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.

Lifelong guidance

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.

Subsystem

Part of the vocational education and training and lifelong learning systems the policy development applies to.
CVET

Further reading

Sources for further reading where readers can find more information on policy developments: links to official documents, dedicated websites, project pages. Some sources may only be available in national languages.
Project 'Development of lifelong career guidance and counselling in Higher Vocational Education

Country

Slovenia

Type of development

Policy developments are divided into three types: strategy/action plan; regulation/legislation; and practical measure/initiative.
Practical measure/Initiative
Cite as

Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Development of lifelong career orientation and counselling in Higher VET: Slovenia. 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/48453