Educational measures to help the disadvantaged

Finland, 2011

Prosecco Ltd., Estonia

GENERAL GOALS OF THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR ESTONIAN ADULT EDUCATION 2009 - 2013

GOAL 1. FACILITATING THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE LABOUR MARKET SITUATION AND ECONOMIC SITUATION BY MEANS OF ADULT TRAINING

GOAL 2. MAKING THE EDUCATION SYSTEM MORE OPEN IN PROVIDING ADULT LEARNERS FORMAL EDUCATION

GOAL 3. ENABLING NON-FORMAL STUDY FOR ADULTS IN ORDER TO INCREASE THEIR COMPETITVENESS AND TO DEVELOP THEIR CREATIVITY, TALENT, INITIATIVE AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

GOAL 4. ENSURING QUALITY AND FLEXIBILITY OF TRAINING, RAISING AWARENESS

GOAL 5. MANAGEMENT OF ADULT EDUCATION THAT IS INCLUSIVE OF PARTIES AND EFFECTIVE

Career counselling for risk groups

On the level of EU the role of career services is highly estimated as the advanced concept of lifelong learning.

It’s very important for risk groups before training to get first career counselling. Very often they are the people with limited choices who can’t find information or make their career decisions independantly.

As risk groups have usually complex problems, the new measure in career services is - providing personal individuality-centered guidance.

Developers and providers of career services

Estonian government Ministry of Education and Research Ministry of Social Affairs Foundation for Lifelong Learning Development

Innove, National Resource Centre for Guidance http://www.innove.ee

Labour offices Education sector

Provided career services The majority of career services is provided by labour market

sector. Career services contain career education, career information

and career counselling. Unfortunately, not all the services are available to risk groups. Still there are not enough career service providers and special trainings for them.

The knowldge as well as access to career information is very low among risk groups. At the same time the providers of such information can’t reach the target group.

There is career services’ website http://www.rajaleidja.ee/ but the attendance of it is small, especially by adults.

Problems The reality is that there is no cooperation between the

demand of labour market - providing trainings - career guidance and information.

Career counselling is provided by labour offices only for the unemployed. Young peple up to 26 can go to local counselling centers of the young. But there are still very many people, including risk groups, who can’t reach the services, because the rest of career services is provided by private training and counselling centres.

Programs enabling educational response

Labour Office - EU Social Fund: Increasing Provision of Qualified Labour Force 2007 – 2013

For the unemployed- Proffessional further- and re-

training- Apprentiship training for people

without basic education- Languages (mainly Estonian)

State Integration program 2008-2013

- Language courses to different target groups, including risk groups

- Elaboration of intergrated estonian language and proffession courses (estonian+construction, estonian+welding, etc.)

Thank you!