Context

• 8,7 % unemployment rate (231 000)• long-term unemployed (at least

one year) 67 500 • under 25 years old unemployed

37 900 (6 200 more than a year ago)

• Youth guarantee http://www.nuorisotakuu.fi

Youth Guarantee• Each person under 25 years of age, and recent graduates

under 30 years of age, will be offered work, a work trial, or a study, workshop or labour market rehabilitation place within three months of registering as an unemployed jobseeker.

• Also includes an educational guarantee, which guarantees a study place for each young person finishing basic education.

• Key project of several ministries, call after new, innovative thinking

• Cross-sectoral cooperation: public employment offices, guidance counsellors in education, education institutes, social and health care providers, youth work and business community, also NGOs

• Focus on youth participation and own activity

The characteristics of Finnish guidance and counselling services

• Education and training of guidance professionals

• Strong research base

• Support from the policy-makers

• PES and school system complement each other

Training of guidance practitioners at schools• Master in Education, major in

guidance and counselling + teacher qualification

• Teacher qualification + 60 credits of guidance and counselling

• Vocational teacher qualification + 60 credits of guidance and counselling

• Multiform training available• In-service training provided within the

field

Secondary education• 99 550 applicants for secondary

education (vocational 66 900 and upper secondary 32 650)

• 86 500 available places, of which in vocational 47 700.

• vocational most popular: 1. social and healh care, 2. business 3. transport and vehicles technics

• 2012: 68 % of applicants accepted in vocational, in upper secondary 94% accepted

Guidance at different educational levels

• Pre-primary education• Basic education

– Goals set by a national curriculum– Guidance counsellors at schools and

class teachers– Class-based lessons in guidance and

counselling at grades 7-9

Basic education (continues)

– Special needs education and remedial instruction

– Preparatory training for immigrants– Before and after school groups– Additional basic education (10th grade)– Preparatory training

Secondary level education

• General upper secondary schools– Goals set by a national curriculum– Guidance counsellors at schools

and group advisers– Course in guidance and

counselling

Secondary level education

• Vocational education and training– Guidance counsellors at schools,

teachers and workplace instructors– On-the-job learning and skills

demonstrations– Special needs education

Higher education• Tertiary education divided into - Universities (academic, theoretical)

– Polytechnics/Universities of applied sciences with strong labour market focus

• Student counselling services• Study affairs secretaries or

counsellors• Careers and recruitment services:

Employment advisers and counsellors

Adult education

• Liberal adult education

• General adult education

• Vocational education and training for adults

• Competence-based qualification

• Work trials/try-outs

Guidance and counselling at Public Employment

Services (PES)

• Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment

• Employment and Economic Development Offices

• Labour force service centres

In charge of guidance and counselling at PES• Employment advisers and

counsellors

• Education advisers

• Vocational guidance psychologists

• Higher education advisers

• Rehabilitation advisers

Training of guidance practitioners at PES

• Vocational guidance psychologist needs a grade in psychology

• Other practitioners have no formal qualification requirements

• In-service training provided within the field

What lies ahead?

• Information and communication networks will become more important

• Significance of guidance and counselling will grow

• Ways and methods to give guidance and counselling will become more varied

• Special focus on groups with special needs