As already pointed out in our texts and in this Project, career counselling for pupils, senior students, or NEETs (young people neither in employment nor education or training) and their parents is very important in raising self-awareness and career orientation. Be it group or individual-based counselling and orientation, its role can be crucial in setting up a student’s mind on which professional pathway to take.

Career counselling is used in practice both in Austria and in Croatia, the methods and approaches vary, but all are based on the same principle and that is practical assistance to all those who need a career guidance, from primary school pupils to young adults.

This Project covers two examples of positive practice of career counselling, based on the experiences of its partners. The second of them is the best practice example from Karlovac, Croatia.

The Croatian Employment Service (CES) is a public institution that consists of a Central Office and 18 Regional Offices so as to be accessible to all residents of the Republic of Croatia. The mission of the CEI is effective mediation in the labour market with the aim of providing the necessary labour force, achieving full employment and enabling the obtention of rights during unemployment, while promoting partnerships with stakeholders in the labour market.

The main activity is employment mediation between employers and jobseekers and the provision of career counselling services. CEI monitors economic trends and employment, proposes measures to improve employment and implements active employment policies. The Institute cooperates with educational institutions in order to harmonize educational and training programs with the needs of labour market and the implementation of career guidance, and organizes and finances training programs for unemployed persons.      The CES provides career guidance services for primary- and secondary school students and has established the Career Counselling and Information Centre, intended to provide support to pupils, students, parents and the unemployed persons in their career choices. Many years of experience in provision of career counselling services to students and unemployed persons is a high-quality precondition and important source of information for the key activities planned in this project and can significantly contribute to the successful achievement of project results. In addition to provision of regular career guidance activities for students and conducting the meetings with parents of final primary grade pupils, CES participates in implementing career guidance activities and VET promotion activities in computer, electrical/electronic and mechanical engineering in the framework of two projects aiming at the development of two Regional Centres of Competence within the Technical School Karlovac.

CES services are available to almost all age groups, but most of the services are provided for the pupils in the final grades of primary school (age 13-14) and students in the final grades of secondary school (age 17-18). Career counselling is mandatory for learners with developmental disabilities. In addition, the unemployed adults and job seekers are also users of the services provided by CES.

 The CES Regional Office Karlovac as a partner on this Project co-hosted the project-implementation team in Karlovac in the period May 29-June 2, 2022. where they presented their practices and methods. Full analysis report on the visit to Karlovac and

CES presentation of their programmes can be seen here:

Visit to CES Regional Office Karlovac – Bruno Vuljanić presenting the work of CES Croatia and CISOK Karlovac. The presentation of CES’s work in general was held by Ivana Mehle, Barbara Dejanović and Bruno Vuljanić.

The presentation of CES’s general work to the visitors from OESB Consulting Vienna was held by Ivana Mehle, the CES RO Karlovac Head.