Model Career Guidance for modern schools

<< Background >>The project application was submitted because the applicant, along with the project partners, recognized that career counseling and professional orientation play a crucial role in the education and effective preparation of pupils and students for their future careers, job selection, and further study choices. In the school environment, teachers (appointed career counselors or teachers) are the key actors in providing quality career counseling, integrating professional orientation into the educational process and student preparation. Effective career counseling enables students to prepare for their chosen profession and develop key competencies at a much younger age, giving them a competitive advantage for a smooth transition to the labor market and increasing their chances of employment. Therefore, the project focused on developing the key competencies of the target group of teachers for providing effective career counseling and professional orientation in the school environment and preparing students. Additionally, by developing tailored guidelines for using modern career counseling techniques and tools, as well as knowledge of their integration into school preparation, the project supported teachers in providing career guidance<< Objectives >>The objectives of the project were as follows:- To provide teachers with an effective guide on how to implement career counseling into teaching;- To expand the implementation of professional orientation and career counseling techniques into all school subjects;- To develop teachers' competencies for providing effective career counseling to students;- To increase students' confidence in their strengths and suitable career options.The expected outcomes of the project were:- One unified and nationally adapted Directive for career counseling for teachers and trainers;- 12 teachers and trainers trained through a pilot training program;- 45 teachers trained.<< Implementation >>Joint Project:-Enabled the analysis and collection of experiences in the field of career counseling at the European level, which expanded the possibilities for implementation in each participating country.-Facilitated targeted training for teachers in the development of students' personalities, identification of their strengths, and talents.-Introduced proven approaches in an area that is underexplored in schools.The distribution of activities in the project reflected the active involvement of all partners in all project activities. Only the method of their involvement and the responsibility for managing these activities changed. The project partner DSA was primarily responsible for the management, implementation, and control of the project. Project partners DSA and Leżajsk were responsible for the detailed definition of the needs of the target groups, working with the target groups, and the pilot implementation of the outputs developed in the project. Project partners BKS and HEEDA were responsible for defining modern career counseling methods, adapting them to the needs of the student target group, conducting pilot training for teachers, and finalizing the Methodology. Dissemination was done by all partners.<< Results >>A Career Counseling Handbook for teachers and schools was created in four languages (SK, EN, HU, PL). A pilot training session for teachers was conducted, training 12 teachers from all partner countries. The created handbook was also applied in practice through a pilot implementation in 10 schools. As part of the dissemination, a project website was created and is continuously updated. Workshops were held in Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland. The final conference was held in Banská Bystrica in May 2024.