TITULO SEGUNDO DE LA COMPETENCIA

The place allocated to education and career guidance in school curricula in European countries tends to reflect the importance attached to this area. Figure 5.2 gives an overview of its place at school at three levels of education: primary, lower and upper secondary.

Where education and career guidance is included in the compulsory core curriculum, it may be provided in the classroom as a separate subject, a topic integrated into other subjects or as a

compulsory cross-curricular topic. Figure 5.4 shows which approaches to guidance have been taken by countries and at which ages they apply.

In nine education systems, central level curricula embed education and career guidance as a compulsory separate (or stand-alone) subject (6_{) in at least one of the three levels of education} covered. The name of the separate subject varies between countries, for example, it is referred to as school career guidance (Greece) and counselling and career planning/counselling and guidance (Turkey). The length of stand-alone courses varies depending on the country. It may last from one year (e.g. Cyprus) to eleven years (e.g. Romania).

In more than a dozen countries, education and career guidance is integrated into several subjects or educational/learning areas, whether or not it is also taught as a separate compulsory subject. A learning area brings together the content or objectives from several closely related disciplines or subjects into a discrete teaching block. The subjects incorporating aspects of education and career guidance include: social sciences (e.g. the Czech Republic, Latvia, Malta and Iceland), home economics and technologies (e.g. Bulgaria, Latvia and Malta), entrepreneurship (e.g. Bulgaria) and citizenship education (e.g. the Czech Republic), personal and social development (e.g. Malta), lifestyle and practical skills (e.g. Hungary). In the Czech Republic, preparation for working life is also carried out within the education area 'People and the World of Work' at upper secondary level. In Germany, the subjects in which education and career guidance is taught are decided at the level of each Land. The topic is usually taught over several years.

In some countries (e.g. Spain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom (England) and Switzerland), education and career guidance is, at some point, a compulsory topic within the curriculum but schools (in case of Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (England)) or regions (in case of Spain and Switzerland) are free to decide how it is delivered under arrangements for school or regional autonomy. For instance, schools may organise a specific module covering this topic or it may be introduced as a separate subject. In Germany and Austria, the organisation of the topic related to guidance depends on the educational pathway.

In Germany, at lower secondary level, an introduction to the world of work is a compulsory component of each course of education and is provided either as a separate subject such as Arbeitslehre (in pre-vocational studies) or as part of other subjects or subject areas. If Arbeitslehre is a separate subject, it can be either compulsory or optional, depending on the Land. Similarly, in Austria, career guidance (Berufsorientierung) is provided as a separate subject or is integrated into a group of subjects.

Additionally, optional stand-alone subjects or subject areas devoted to guidance (not indicated in Figure 5.4) can also be found in primary and/or secondary education depending on the school and the needs of students, as is the case, for instance, in Bulgaria, Estonia, Spain, Lithuania, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania and Portugal.

In Lithuania, besides guidance taught as an integrated topic, a specific career module may be organised in secondary education in the form of a compulsory (and/or optional) course as part of cognitive, creative, artistic social and other types of activities.

Chapter 5: The Role of Educ ation and Career Guidanc e in Tack ling Early Leav ing

Figure 5.4: Education and career guidance taught as a compulsory topic, by age,

according to top-level steering documents for primary and general secondary education, 2013/14

Integrated Separate Cross-Curricular

School or regional autonomy to decide on the organisation

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Explanatory note

Only compulsory teaching of education and career guidance is shown in this figure. The figure does not cover compulsory work experience in companies (see Section 5.2.3).

Country specific notes

Germany: Education and career guidance (Berufsorientierungsprogramm) is provided either as a compulsory or as a separate subject depending on the school typeand the Land.

Spain: Schools, to some extent, are free to decide on the organisation of the topic following the guidelines expressed in top- level steering documents.

Croatia: According to the National Curriculum Framework (2010), education and career guidance is to be included in the curriculum. Although it has been adopted in law, this framework has not yet been implemented.

Malta: As from September 2014, Personal, Social and Career Development will be introduced as part of the core curriculum for all students in primary and secondary education.

Netherlands: In some schools, education and career guidance may be taught as an integrated topic. Schools are generally free to decide how the topic is delivered.

Austria: Education and career guidance is provided either as an integrated or as a separate subject depending on the school.

Switzerland:Each canton has its own regulations for education and career guidance in schools. In most cantons, it is taught as a compulsory integrated or cross-curricular topic at ISCED level 2.

The distinction between the separate subject and the integrated subject does not necessarily imply major differences in the objectives and content of education and career guidance (see Section 5.2.1). Some countries only highlight that it is important to complement the theoretical content by practical teaching and learning, which could be done through extra-curricular activities such as visiting exhibitions, excursions, and project-based learning linked to real life situations (see Section 5.2.3):

Hungary underlines that guidance can only be effective if implemented over a longer period of time and if it exploits the possibilities inherent in the various subjects, lessons and extra-curricular areas and activities in a concerted way.

Education and career guidance is sometimes a cross-curricular dimension of the curriculum. Where this occurs, it might be combined with the subject-based approaches previously mentioned. When the topic takes a cross-curricular dimension, all teachers must contribute to the implementation of the objectives as defined in the curricula. To some extent, education and career guidance has a cross- curricular dimension in all countries since they all include general objectives related to this topic in their curricula. In addition to these general objectives, the curricula of several countries emphasise education and career guidance in sections on cross-curricular themes, in key competences or within the learning content areas that apply to the whole teaching or learning process or to other aspects of school life. This is the case in most of the countries that have adopted a cross-curricular approach, but in others (e.g. in Spain and Italy), guidelines on education and career guidance are published in general steering documents or specific decrees/documents on guidance.

A dozen educational systems report that education and career guidance is a cross-curricular topic. In most cases, this applies throughout all three educational levels (Belgium (German-speaking and Flemish Community), Estonia, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia and the United Kingdom (Scotland)). In three other countries (Austria, Finland and Iceland), guidance is a cross-curricular topic at one or two levels of education.

A skill guide (2011) adopted by the German-speaking Community of Belgium is intended to prepare students to make informed career choices throughout primary and secondary education. According to the guide, schools are required to inform and advise students and their guardians about education, training and career options. Career guidance is part of school education and a crucial link between school and the world of work.

National Curricula in Estonia (2011) include the cross-curricular topic ‘Lifelong Learning and Career Planning’ which 'strives to shape students’ readiness to find optimum use on the labour market, to make decisions independently, to fill different roles in life and to take part in lifelong learning’. Students are guided to value lifelong learning as a way of life and as a means to develop their career, they are encouraged to learn how to assess their skills, interests and knowledge in relation to work and study opportunities, and to apply this information in a continuous decision-making process'.

The Hungarian Core Curriculum (updated in 2012) describes career education as a cross-curricular topic to be built into all subjects throughout the school years. In accordance with students' age and abilities, schools must offer a comprehensive picture of the world of work. To achieve this objective, schools must provide activities which enable students to test their abilities, deepen their knowledge in the fields that interest them, choose a career that suits them and be able to work towards it. For this reason, good work- related behaviours such as cooperation, leadership and competition must be developed and managed.

Chapter 5: The Role of Educ ation and Career Guidanc e in Tack ling Early Leav ing