CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

The common objective for the Department of Career Guidance and Counselling at Vaasa Vocational Adult Education Centre is to prevent social exclusion by providing a wide variety of means in the field of guidance, counselling as well as training and education. Since the mid 1990s tailor-made projects were carried out. Projects, mainly funded by the European Social Fund, aim at improving unemployed people's health and working capacity and updating and improving their working skills to meet the labour market demands.

The target group for these projects has consisted of unemployed persons with reduced working capacity and other disadvantages (mental and/or social problems, problems on reading and writing, drug problems etc).

We also offer studies in the Finnish language and the Finnish culture for immigrants and refugees. Apart from improving their language skills, the studies also aim at promoting social integration, not only in the society, but also on the labour market. The Employment and Economic Development Centre for Ostrobothnia reported for the last year (2000) that only 1,1 % of immigrants and quota refugees continue in vocational education, and actions for increasing this percentage is one of our departments objectives for the future. We have also developed tailor-made courses for illiterate immigrants.

The future challenges of career guidance and counselling, as well as of vocational education, coincide all over Europe. The issues and problems to solve are the same: unemployment, reduced working capacity and social exclusion, aging population. The Department works in close cooperation with representatives of the employment exchange offices, employees, social welfare offices, rehabilitation centres and other similar bodies.