Local Department of Education
County Administration
Portalen
At the present time Portalen is a website for study and vocational/careers
guidance in the county and
the municipality of Gotland.
Portalen
- The networking
group
Portalen
- The networking
group is a network of study and careers counsellors and others with connection
to or interest in adult education or work opportunities on Gotland.
THE
ADULT (FOREMOST SECONDARY) EDUCATION ADMINISTERED BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES,
or “KOMVUX”
The study
and vocational guidance at Komvux compass general counselling and information
about study
and study allowances, carried though individually or in group. At Komvux,
short-term as well as long-term
individual plans is made for every single student.
The competence
of the study and careers counsellor is also important so that validation
and graduation
of different leaving certificates could be accomplished.
THE
FOLK HIGH-SCHOOL, or “FOLKHÖGSKOLAN”
Guidance is
given individually and in group to students at the school but also to outside
applicants.
To serve as guidance “Try-Out Courses” are also arranged at
the folk high school. Information about
courses offered at present is also given during Open-House Days and Exhibitions.
GOTLAND
UNIVERSITY or “HÖGSKOLAN PÅ GOTLAND”
At the
university general guidance is given to prospective students about university
studies and
professional life.
In addition
to individual guidance dialogues, counselling/information about courses
is offered,
qualification requirements and principles of selection is mediated by telephone
and e-mail. Information about university studies and offered courses is
also given at study visits to the university and at exhibitions.
THE
SWEDISH NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT AGENCY, or “ARBETSFÖRMEDLINGEN”
Guidance
to find a job. People in search for work and enrolled at The Employment
Agency have the
opportunity to get study and careers guidance, whether you are uncertain
about the choice of career,
compelled to take a new job or uncertain about the course to the profession.
Individual guidance with one or more dialogue appointments is an offered alternative.
Guidance
in-group is offered as another alternative. In this case a group
of applicants together with
a study and careers counsellor meets regularly under some weeks. This gives
an opportunity to think
about the self and about work, and may for instance contain study visits,
lectures, training and discussions.
Work
experience programme. The aim of the work experience programme
or in Swedish “PRAO”
(short for “praktisk arbetslivsorientering”) is to give the
pupils tangible experiences from working life and
to give them an opportunity to grow and be socialised to the working life.
The weeks of “PRAO” also gives
the pupil an important opportunity to form an opinion of different vocations
and
training/educational programmes.
Under the spring
term in 8th form, the pupils have two detached weeks of work experience
programme.
Two continues weeks of “PRAO” is then given under the autumn
term in 9th form, and this period may
very well have a connection to possible future choice of upper secondary
school programme.
The study- and vocational guidance counsellors (or the person who are entrusted
corresponding
assignments) give lessons to inform every class about the purpose with “PRAO”,
practical details and
the principle of selection of the trainee posts. The trainee posts are mediated
by The Central Agency
for Trainee Job Acquisition at the Local Department of Education.
The
choice of upper secondary school programme. The leaving-pupils
of the compulsory school
make their choices of study paths through the upper secondary school. The
choice is to be made
by the 15th of February. The study- and vocational counsellors (or the person
who are entrusted
corresponding assignments) inform both pupils and parents by classes about
the content of the different
upper secondary programmes. The information extends over the offer of education
of the island of Gotland,
the content of the different education programmes, application outside the
municipality of Gotland, and
about regulations regarding and the meaning of upper secondary school education.
The pupils are also
prepared before their visits to the yearly Study and Vocational Fair of
Gotland (surveying information)
respectively the Upper Secondary School Evenings (deepening information).
Upper
Secondary School Evening and open house are
carried through by the different Upper
Secondary Schools respectively.
The
Regional Study and Vocational Fair of Gotland
“FRAMTID GOTLAND” (“framtid” stands for “future”)
is carried out yearly under the first week of October. It gives a general
view and a foundation before
the choice of education and vocation, thanks to that not only the different
upper secondary school
programmes but also business life, university and other educational and
training establishments are
represented.
Every single
Upper Sec. School carries through The Upper Secondary School Days alternatively
Open House.
The arrangement varies depending on different prerequisites of the schools.
Upper Secondary School Evenings are also commonly carried through and information
is given to both
parents and pupils on these occasions.
Before
the choice of Upper Secondary School and School programme every
single pupil is given
at least a guidance dialogue in private at one occasion, when the counsellor
together with pupil penetrates
possible training or educational programmes. Different pupils have different
needs of guidance. Some pupils
have evident aims and directions with their lives, if so it’s often
enough with just one guidance dialogue
occasion. Many pupils need several meetings to work up thoughts, dreams,
possibilities and obstacles in
real life. Awareness is needed to be able to make well-founded choices for
studies, vocation and planning for life and days to come.
Validering m.m. – Fortsatt utveckling av vuxnas lärande
(Validation etc. – Continued development of adult learning) (Ds. 2003:23 Lena Hallgren)
• Doldis med makt över finanserna, Jens Henriksson tror på svensk välfärd
(Non-person with power over the Government finances, Jens Henriksson believes in Swedish welfare.
Article in the national daily Dagens Nyheter, section Economy, the 4th June 2004, written by Johan Schück)
• The definition of Guidance and Counselling or Careers Guidance starts out from: Karriärvägledning.se.nu
(Careers Guidance) (SOU 2001:45 Ingegerd Sahlström) Definition av vägledning utgår ifrån
Karriärvägledning.se.nu (SOU 2001:45 Ingegerd Sahlström)
•
The description of the Professional Guidance Dialogue emanates from: Handlingsplan
för studie-
och yrkesvägledning i Kungsbacka kommun, 2003. (Line of Action of study
and vocational guidance
in Kungsbacka town, 2003)
•
Study
And Vocational Guidance On All Levels Of Education originates from job descriptions
by the study and vocational counsellors at the different schools and institutes
on Gotland.
Choices
within the upper secondary school. Within the upper secondary school
the pupils are making
a lot of choices. It’s about branch inside the respective national
programme, the choices of eligible courses
and the choices of the so-called “Individually Eligible Courses”
At these occasions the study and vocational
counsellor informs in class about the alternatives. Moreover, every pupil
who wishes also has the
opportunity to get individual guidance. Such a dialogue may for instance
throw light upon the consequences
of different choices on the eligibility to higher education.
Revision
of personnel curriculum. In the upper secondary school there are
many pupils who in different
respects want to change aim and direction of their studies, or to make other
changes in their study
programme. It may be about a changeover to another national programme or
to an individual programme
etc In face of such thorough changes regarding aim and direction of the
studies, the pupil often needs to
meet his study and careers counsellor at quite a number of occasions to
get the ability to make a well-
founded and well thought-out decision.
Choice of Education or Career when leaving the upper secondary
school. Information about 3rd level
education and labour market is given by the study and careers counsellors
in class to the pupils on the eve
of leaving school. These pupils are also informed under “The Day of
the Future of Gotland” (in Swedish
“Gotlands framtidsdag”). At the study and careers counsellor
it’s always possible to get an individual
dialogue to endorse careers planning.
Change
of municipality Pupils who moves into or away from the municipality
of Gotland needs guidance
and information in order to understand and to be able to compare differences
in schedules between the
schools. In the most cases adjustments of the curriculum is needed.
Choices
after the upper secondary school Classes in the top form are given
information about post
upper secondary level education and labour market.
“THE
DAY OF THE FUTURE OF GOTLAND” or “GOTLANDS FRAMTIDSDAG”
is a seminar day carried trough every year and attended by all leaving pupils
but also by many of the pupils
in the age group next to leaving the upper secondary school. Even adult
students, people in search of work
and the general public are invited to attend the day.
The audience
is offered information about university and other 3rd level study opportunities,
the labour
market and about to work or study abroad, and how to finance studies, i.e.
about study allowances and
grants.
THE
UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL, individual programme
Admission
requirements for national programme. At the individual programme
many of the pupils
don’t match up to the admission requirements or they may have difficulties
in studies at any national
programme, whereas others aren’t motivated for studies and take a
sabbatical year. The end of an individual
programme is to prepare the pupil to grow into studies at a national programme
and/or encounter the
special needs of an individual.
Every
single pupil has a close contact with his study and careers counsellor.
At these individual
guidance dialogue occasions the individual programme of each pupil is planned
and settled, the individual
programme may be composed of periods of study and/or practical working experience.
Contact with
the parents is a part of this process. Co-operation with authorities and
organisations take place in some
cases.
Supporting
and motivating guidance is important for the pupils to find their
individual course to
a self-governed working life. The trainee job as well as the tutor (at the
place of work) is selected
from the special requirements of each individual pupil, and owing to that
it becomes an important
pedagogical tool. Introduction, evaluation and revision are made by means
of dialogues with pupil
and tutor at visits to the place of work.
UPPER
SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR PUPILS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES
or “GYMNASIESÄRSKOLAN”
Choices
at the prospect of “Gymnasiesärskolan”.
Before entering "gymnasiesärskolan" the pupil
make choices about his curriculum. Together with the school head,
the study and careers counsellor
gives information at the prospect of those occasions.
The study and careers counsellor has regular
guidance dialogues to support the careers planning and before alternations
in the study programme.
Together with the school head, the study and careers counsellor gives information
at the prospect of
those occasions. Together with their parents all the pupils are also given
individual guidance dialogues.
Such a dialogue may among other things illuminate the possibilities to different
choices of vocation or
prospective further education depending on the present choice of branch
of school education.
every pupil should, in accordance with his capability, manage to live a rich adult life including housing,
free time, work or other engagements/occational therapy.
The
definition described below is worked out for general purpose and
may be used in all context of
counselling (The definition emanates from Ingegärd Sahlström,
2001)
An
independent and unbiased study and vocational guidance acts on the needs
of the individual,
irrespective of age and occupation. The public study and vocational guidance
should offer the individual
tools and methods to:
•Identify
and word one’s requirements, interests and conditions
•Seek
information and knowledge, and inform oneself about education possibilities,
trainee posts and
labour
market
•Make
a choice of relevant measures
•Be
able to take on the responsibility for one’s own choice- and decision-making
processes
•Apprehend
the possibilities to realise one’s ideas and look after one’s
requirements
The
professional guidance dialogue
The fundamentals
of study and vocational guidance is the professional guidance dialogue.
(The description emanates from Line of Action, Kungsbacka Municipality,
2003).
The dialogue
should embrace the fields of education and/or working life in relation to
the each individual’s
situation/conditions and qualifications. The talk is a structured dialogue
which should lead to self-decided
actions of the individual. Every single person is the owner of the line
of conduct.
THE PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE DIALOGUE (A DESCRIPTION)LET
I our changeable
society the necessity of qualified guidance is increasing. An aim among
others is
to counteract the appearance of gaps in level of education and knowledge.
The rapid remoulding of
the of society constantly creates new opportunities, but also a risk of
social exclusion.
The right
individual with the right education in the right vocation gives pleasure
in work and high
degree of employment. If the degree of employment could increase from 77%
(June 2004, people
at the age of 20 to 64) to 78% it should strengthen the Swedish national
economy with 17 thousand
millions SEK every year. (Jens Henriksson, Ministry of Finance).
How
to define the process of careers guidance?
Careers guidance
is a process with the aim of helping the individual to increase both the
self-knowledge
and the understanding of the surrounding. It's the task of the guidance
counsellor to help the individual
to handle the topic of education and the choice of vocation or profession.
The most important tool
in the guidance process is the oral guidance dialogue.
The purpose
of the guidance process is to give the individual the opportunity to set
up goals for the future,
and the purpose of the guidance dialogue is that the individual should gain
the necessary insights to make
choice with good grounding. The individual needs an understanding of her/his
range of possibilities and
thereby increase the capacity to make decisions.
The
matters of guidance:
Co-operation and in-service training
To
secure a high quality in the applied careers counselling it’s essential
to co-operate with business life,
the parties of the labour market and with different education and training
institutions. It’s also important
for the guidance practitioners to develop procedures so that they more easily
may collaborate locally,
regionally, nationally as wells as internationally.
The career guidance
practitioners also need an active and continuous in-service-training, that
to secure
a high quality of the daily work.
Rules
and regulations
For every
sphere of education the public study and vocational guidance is grounded
on different but
specific rules and regulations, like the law of education, statutes, curriculum
and local regulations.
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