Competence Coach

Summary

Since the Memorandum on Lifelong Learning (LLL) in 2001 and the Resolution on LL Guidance of the EU Council in 2004 much has been achieved throughout the EU in improving the quality of guidance systems. Nevertheless experts in the field have still identified significant gaps and deficits in quality in many countries during the Conference on LL Guidance Policies and Systems in November 2006. The lack of a framework of career management skills, inadequate knowledge of competence assessment tools, the missing holistic approach focusing on the empowerment of the client and little targeted services for risk groups were regarded as main problems. The project COMPETENCE COACH wants to address these problems.
The main aims and objectives of the project are:

• to improve professional performance of guidance workers by introducing coaching method (holistic approach) and assessment tools with focus on informally acquired competences;
• to develop a training with diversity sensitive modules for guidance workers for coaching of clients (focus on target groups at risk of social
  exclusion) and test the training,
• to certify this training as additional module for career guidance practitioners.
• After the training programme the guidance practitioners will be able:
• to empower guidance seekers (focus on target groups at risk of social
  exclusion) to make changes in their professional lives and education,
• to help poorly qualified and low-skilled adults to return to education through accreditation of prior and experiential learning,
• to enhance the employability of clients.

The project is based on the LdV projects “exemplo” and “third age guidance”.
A German project partner of “exemplo” is partner in the new project and will profit of the undertaking due to the transfer of their results to new target groups and new guidance tools. The 7 other partners from DE, FR, EL, LT, IT, UK, CZ represent institutions working in the field of career guidance and women counselling. The project partners envisage the following outcomes:

needs analysis, project overview, curriculum of training of lifelong guidance practitioners and training material, piloting training in all project countries and certification.The national VET systems in the participating countries (DE, FR, IT, EL, LT, UK, CZ) will be enriched by a training curriculum which enables guidance practitioners to coach successfully clients (focus on groups at risk of social exclusion). The project partners will integrate the training into their regular training programme to make it available after completion of the project.