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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. |