Guidance and counselling for self-employment The aim of this project is to identify the location and the value of guidance and counselling services addressed to people considering self-employment. The project will conduct a survey of existing guidance and counselling services in different location addressed to educated and experienced persons who wish to start their own business, how they are assisted and provided necessary guidance. The survey will answer the questions: • which of these services are the most effective? • which of them need improving? • which of them match the expectations of people who consider self-employment or are self-employed? • how counsellors and Employment Officers are prepared to guide and to build job seekers confidence for adopting self-employment ventures? • what are the links between vocational training at self-employment and guidance for self-employment? At present, unemployment among the educated youths is the biggest problem in all European countries and this could not be resolved only at the government level or even by creating job opportunities in the private sector. “Labour Force Survey Principle Results 2002 for Acceding Countries” (EUROSTAT – Theme 3 – 16/2003) shows that about 20% unemployed in ACC and in Member States are first time job seekers (in EU Countries 18,5%, in ACC 20,2%, in Poland 21,9%). Self-employment could be for them a good entrance into the labour market. A significant group of people seeking a first job are school-leavers. The challenge is to develop a vocational training system as well as guidance and counselling services opened not only to waged/salaried employment, but also to self-employment. The entrepreneurship approach is seen as a central issue and implies a fundamental reorientation of vocational training and guidance. To start this process not only must content/curricula and methods be revised, but also the organisation of vocational training and vocational guidance, as well as the orientation of vocational training policy. Vocational Guidance is a continuous process of assisting the individual, starting from the school stage and therefore, forms part of guidance services of educational institutions. For rendering this service in schools, specially trained staff will be provided by the educational authorities. A close co-operation between the employment service and educational authorities is essential for the success of vocational guidance programs. Therefore, the employment officers are required to maintain effective co-ordination with the Educational Institutions to cater for the guidance needs of the students.
		Desing by ASM - Centrum Badań i Analiz Rynku Sp. z o. o.