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WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION presents its methodological manual to break the mismatch between needs and opportunities in career guidance for young people

WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION, part of the Erasmus+ program, held today in Madrid a workshop with practical tools for career guidance in education. It has presented its methodological manual, with a route of activities to be adapted by teachers in Europe

This initiative, which unites Spain, Italy, Belgium and Croatia, involves schools, students, parents and public and private entities to reduce the gap between the education system and the job market, and promote the employability of young people

In addition to the methodological manual, professionals from the Education and Third Sector have learned about the studies carried out around this project and have attended a practical session to learn about the most current techniques and how to adapt to emerging jobs

‘WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION’ held today the Workshop ‘Practical tools for career guidance to students’, where the mismatch between the needs and opportunities for career guidance and the transition to the job market of European youth was highlighted. It presented its methodological manual, the study carried out as a basis for the document, as well as recommendations to create the most favorable conditions and improve the system.

Professionals from the education sector and the third sector attended this event, which took place at the headquarters of the Santa María la Real Foundation in Madrid, to improve career guidance for its students and support them in their professional future.

‘WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION’ is a European initiative integrated into the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 program that seeks to reduce the gap between the educational system and the current job market involving young people between the ages of 12 and 18, teachers, parents and tutors, and public entities and private. This European training project is led by the Santa María la Real Foundation, through its Area of Employment and Entrepreneurship (Spain), and together with it the Agenzia regionale per il lavoro la formazione e l’accreditamento (Italy), Goethe-Institut e.V. (Belgium) and Zaklada Znanje na djelu (Croatia).

Presentation of the methodological manual

One of the main points of interest of the event was the presentation of the ‘Methodological Manual for professional orientation: on route to the job market’, developed in recent months by the project team at Fundación Santa María la Real, and with a version in four languages. It was created as a proposal to address the vulnerabilities of the young population to the demands of the job market and its activities are designed for teachers to adapt and organize them according to classroom conditions, time, characteristics and the number of students in the group.

The aim of this manual, which consists of six modules, was from the outset to become a tool that can be adapted to the social and cultural conditions of schools in Europe. It is aimed at people working in formal and non-formal education and includes participatory methodologies, based on social innovation. In its testing phase, 479 families, nearly 1,000 young people and 152 teachers participated, involving more than 30 educational centers. The manual is already available at the project website, in ‘Publications’.

The development of the handbook was based on a series of workshops on career guidance, in online and face-to-face format, in coordination with educational centers in Spain, Italy and Croatia. More than 750 students, 100 families and 30 teachers took part in the workshops, which focused on skills and competencies for the future of employment, the current job market situation and new positions linked to digital transformation and green jobs.

Expectations and recommendations

In order to establish a valuable basis for the drafting of the methodological manual, the ‘Study on Visions and Expectations’ was carried out in 2022, with the participation of more than 2,800 students, parents and teachers surveyed, and was also presented today at the event.

One of the main findings is the aforementioned mismatch, with parents preferring to advise rather than impose decisions on their children, and students primarily valuing salary potential when looking for a job. Although the influence of gender is not recognized by respondents, gender biases in career decision making are detected in other responses. In addition, obstacles such as lack of up-to-date information on the job market, time and resource constraints, as well as insufficient training of teachers and guidance professionals are identified.

On the other hand, another document has been prepared with European and country-specific policy recommendations (Italy, Croatia, Spain) for the transition of young people to a new job market. It points towards a greater emphasis on educational policies and more investments in the educational field in the European Union. It will be presented this Thursday, October 26, at a face-to-face event in Brussels, which can be followed online. Registration: https://goethe-institut.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqf-qspzgsGdecpDkvM0aU0Jf4t2BJOsif

The event concluded with a practical session that showed useful and current tools to help students design their academic and career path, good practices in career guidance and how to adapt to the digital challenge. In addition, the most optimal resources to find out which are the emerging jobs that interest your students today were shown.

Digital, equal and sustainable Europe

Promoting the collaborative work of young people through the development of intercultural skills and critical thinking is one of the objectives of this European project, which encourages teachers to form an active working group with their pupils and to assume their role as part of the engine that will lead to a digital, equal and sustainable Europe in the coming decades.

In addition, it seeks to make both students and their families aware of the reality of the job market in Europe, the new skills demanded in digitalized sectors and that support sustainability, as well as the academic or professional training options available to them. In this sense, it will bring students and the private sector closer to generate a better understanding and connection of their realities, especially in rural areas, and will promote social inclusion through equality, the promotion of digitization and environmental challenges.

About the Erasmus+ program

This new Erasmus+ is more international, more inclusive, more digital and more ecological, supporting digital transformation, inclusion and diversity, as well as the environment and the fight against climate change. With a budget of more than 28,000 million euros, mobility and cross-border cooperation projects related to learning will be financed for 10 million people of all ages and from all origins.

In Spain, the Erasmus+ program is managed by the Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education (SEPIE), a public body attached to the Ministry of Universities that acts as the National Agency for the program in the fields of education and training.

‘Wake Up Your Vocation’ celebrates two webinars in April to teachers in Spain to improve the career guidance of their students

On April 20 and 27, the webinars for teachers will be held, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The first of them is entitled ‘Methodological tools for career guidance for students’ and the second ‘Professional guidance that empowers families’

Teachers from educational centres in Spain, both active and unemployed, can participate. It is necessary to make a previous registration, until the day before the celebration of each of the webinars, through this link: bit.ly/Webinars-Docentes-WAKEUP

The WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION project has organized two free webinars aimed at teachers residing in Spain who seek to improve career guidance for their students. They will be held on April 20 and 27, in the afternoon, and will be taught by employability specialists from Fundación Santa María la Real to provide the necessary methodological tools in the educational and family sphere, so that career guidance that they offer from now on will help their students to promote their future jobs.

WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION is a European initiative integrated into the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 program that seeks to reduce the gap between the educational system and the current labour market involving young people between the ages of 12 and 18, teachers, parents and tutors, and public entities and private. This European training project is led by Fundación Santa María la Real, through its Employment and Social Inclusion Area (Spain), and together with it the Agenzia regionale per il lavoro la formazione e l’accreditamento (Italy), Goethe-Institut e.V. (Belgium) and Zaklada Znanje na djelu (Croatia).

The first webinar, which will be held on April 20, from 6 to 7 p.m., is entitled ‘Methodological tools for professional guidance for students’ and focuses on the importance of teachers in educational centres being able to develop job orientation actions in their classrooms and the main recommendations to accompany their students with the aim that they know how to face the demands of the current labour market.

Career guidance for students is considered an opportunity to face the vulnerabilities that the young group encounters in terms of employability. The people attending this online talk will know useful resources for guidance, as well as the most appropriate techniques for the process of accompanying students in the development of their professional project, both to guide them in their choice of a professional career, and to strengthen their skills and competencies that prepare them for their future.

The WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION team is aware that the family plays a fundamental role in the professional development of young students, and this is the reason for the second planned webinar, entitled ‘Career guidance that empowers families’, to be held on the 27th April, from 18 to 19 hours.

This online workshop will highlight how the participation, support and affection that young people receive from representatives of their family directly affects their making assertive decisions regarding the professional project they decide for their future. The family space becomes the fundamental scenario where it is possible to strengthen, from an early age, the skills and competencies required by the labour market. Empowering families in this task becomes an important strategy that strengthens the actions that are implemented from the classroom.

Open registration

These two webinars can be attended by teachers from educational centres in Spain, both currently active and unemployed. It is necessary to make a previous registration, until the day before the celebration of each of the webinars, through the following link: bit.ly/Webinars-Docentes-WAKEUP

More than 750 students, 100 families and 30 teachers participate in the employment workshops

WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION involves educational centres, students, parents and public and private entities to reduce the gap between the educational system and the job market to promote the labour insertion of young people

This innovative initiative, which unites Spain, Italy, Belgium and Croatia, is immersed in the development of a methodological manual that will serve as a tool to improve career guidance in European educational centres

After the first phase of analysis, practical workshops have been carried out in the educational centres to complete the manual with resources and skills in employment guidance that will guide students in the decision about their professional future, thus facilitating their access to the job market

WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION has held a cycle of workshops on employment guidance, both online and in person, in coordination with educational centres in Spain, Italy and Croatia, participating in this project. These activities, in which more than 750 students, 100 families and 30 teachers have participated, will serve as the basis for the development of the ‘Methodological Manual for professional guidance: in route to the labour market’ that the project team is currently preparing.

This European training project is led by the Fundación Santa María la Real, through its Area of Employment and Entrepreneurship (Spain), and together with it the Agenzia regionale per il lavoro la formazione e l’accreditamento (Italy), Goethe-Institut e.V. (Belgium) and Zaklada Znanje na djelu (Croatia).

Employment guidance adapted to the current reality

The workshops have been aimed at students, teachers and families and the contents were focused on the work of skills and competencies for the future of work, the conditions of the current labour market or the generation of new positions linked to digital transformation and green employment. They were also able to address aspects of employability such as self-awareness or the establishment of an employment plan.

The results collected in these workshops have allowed us to continue with the elaboration of the manual from a more focused perspective on the reality of the youngsters and their family and educational circle. The objective is to turn the manual into a tool that can be adapted to the social and cultural conditions of educational centres in Europe.

The innovative nature of the project lies in its methodology, which focuses on guiding students on the type of work they could do and the professional profile they want to become. Although it is the pupils who benefit from the programme, the initiative is responsible for training their teachers. Moreover, the skills and knowledge acquired will remain in the schools, even after the group of mentored students have completed their training at the school.

Previous analysis

After a phase of analysis of the situation of youth unemployment, WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION has launched this cycle of activities that analyse and promote general and transversal skills, without focusing on a specific profession or skill.

In 2022, more than 1,600 young students, from 30 European centres, participated in the first analysis phase of the project, in order to learn about the reality of the youngsters and understand the expectations regarding the professional future of young people, their teachers and parents or tutors, the possibilities of labour insertion, or the sources of information that influence them to make decisions about the profession they wish to choose.

The profession of their parents when deciding on their future work; The aspects that most influence when choosing what to study, such as economics, or if you know the educational options available to you, are some of the issues analysed. All this made it possible to determine the skills in employment guidance to help students design their academic and training itinerary according to their knowledge, and that they may have the necessary preparation in terms of employability skills.

About the Erasmus+ program

In Spain, the Erasmus+ program is managed by the Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education (SEPIE), a public body attached to the Ministry of Universities that acts as the National Agency for the program in the fields of education and training.

WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION identifies the lack of teacher training for correct vocational guidance for young people in its first study

WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION is an Erasmus Plus project, which aims to reduce the gap between the educational system and the job market to promote the labour insertion of young people

The project, which brings together Spain, Italy, Germany and Croatia, publishes its first report on the reality of professional guidance in European schools and the needs that are identified to increase the vocational motivation of students aged 12 to 18

More than 1,600 students, parents and teachers from more than 30 schools in 3 countries participated in the study, which will lead to the development of a training manual for workshops to be held in 2023. The report is available here: english / croatian / italian / spanish

WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION provides teachers with the resources and basic competences in vocational guidance that will enable them to guide their students in deciding on their professional future, thus facilitating their access to the labour market

The European project WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION has published its first report, focusing on the current reality of vocational guidance in European schools taking into account the perspectives of three key target groups: students aged 12 to 18, their parents and their teachers. They recognize the value and the need for professional guidance in their schools, however, they find obstacles to include this type of activities and demand more training for teachers and the appropriate tools to increase the vocational motivation of students.

“There is still a gap between the need for vocational guidance and the opportunities that are actually offered to students”, as reflected in this study, whose results show how the people surveyed demand more vocational guidance training itineraries, information on the current labour market and their changes, as well as the identification of personal interests and development of soft skills, among others.

A methodological guide for teachers

The study began its first phase of analysis with surveys and interviews with more than 1,600 students, teachers and parents in Spain, Italy and Croatia. The results will be used to produce a comprehensive methodological manual that will serve as a guide for the workshops that teachers will give in 2023 in more than 30 schools.

This report, which can now be consulted on the project’s website www.wakeup-vocation.eu, has made it possible to get to know the reality of the young people and to understand the expectations about the professional future of the students, their teachers and parents or tutors, the possibilities of finding a job, or the sources of information that influence them when making decisions about the profession they want to choose.

The results obtained make it possible to determine career guidance skills through an innovative methodology to subsequently help students design their academic and training itinerary based on their knowledge, and who have the necessary preparation in terms of employability skills and career guidance.

Collaborative work

One of the objectives of WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION is to promote the collaborative work of young people through the development of intercultural skills and critical thinking. Its teachers manage to form an active working group with their students to achieve a digital, equal and sustainable Europe in the coming decades. The skills and knowledge acquired will remain in the schools, even after the mentoring has ended at school.

This initiative seeks to make both students and their families aware of the reality of the labour market in Europe, the new skills demanded in digitalized sectors and that support sustainability, as well as the academic or professional training options available to them. In this sense, it will bring students and the private sector closer to generate a better understanding and connection of their realities, especially in rural areas, and will promote social inclusion through equality, the promotion of digitization and environmental challenges.

About the Erasmus+ program

Erasmus+ 2021-2027 is the renewed program of the European Union in the fields of education and training, youth and sport, which offers opportunities for all people and in all educational sectors (School Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Education of Adult Persons).
This new Erasmus+ is more international, more inclusive, more digital and more ecological, supporting digital transformation, inclusion and diversity, as well as the environment and the fight against climate change. With a budget of more than 28,000 million euros, mobility and cross-border cooperation projects related to learning will be financed for 10 million people of all ages and from all origins.

More than 1,600 young students from Spain, Italy, Belgium and Croatia participate in a study that analyzes their preparation for the job market

WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION project, which involves educational centers, students, parents and public and private entities to reduce the gap between the educational system and the job market to favor the labor insertion of young people

This innovative initiative, which unites Spain, Italy, Belgium and Croatia, has begun its first phase with a study on the possibilities of finding employment for young people between 12 and 18 years old, in which more than 1,600 students from over of 30 educational centers have already participated

The objective of the project is to provide teaching staff with the resources and basic skills in career guidance that will allow them to guide their students in deciding on their professional future, thus facilitating their access to the job market

Open to new schools. Teachers and parents interested in having their educational centers join the project can now request their participation through the email info@wakeup-vocation.eu

WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION is a European initiative integrated into the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 program, which seeks to reduce the gap between the education system and the current job market by involving young people between 12 and 18 years of age, teachers, parents and tutors, and public entities and private. The project, which unites Spain, Italy, Belgium and Croatia, has begun its first phase with a study in which more than 1,600 students from more than 30 educational centers have already participated.

Throughout this year, the first phase of analysis of the project is being developed, which seeks to discover the reality of the young group and understand the expectations regarding the professional future of young people, their teachers and parents or guardians, the possibilities of labor insertion, or the sources of information that influence them to make decisions about the profession they want to choose.

The questionnaire -which has already been completed by more than 1,600 students- includes questions related to their knowledge of the work carried out by professionals of the studies that interest them; the link that the profession of their parents has in the decision about their future employment; the aspects that most influence when choosing what to study, such as the economic aspect, job opportunities or proximity to home; if you are aware of the educational options available to you; or if you participate in the work orientation activities of your educational center.

The results of the first phase will make it possible to determine job orientation skills through an innovative methodology to later help students design their academic and training itinerary based on their knowledge, and that they have the necessary preparation in terms of employability skills. and job orientation.

Teacher Resources

The innovative nature of the project lies in the methodology developed since, although the students are the ones who benefit from the program, the initiative takes care of their teachers. In addition, the skills and knowledge acquired will remain in the educational centers, even after the group of students advised has completed their training at the center.

More than 600 students from 30 educational centers will participate in the activities of this project, which studies and promotes general and transversal skills, without focusing on a specific profession or skill. Through the methodology used, students are guided in the type of work they could do and the professional profile they wish to become.

Teachers and parents interested in having their educational centers join WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION can request their participation through the email info@wakeup-vocation.eu

Digital, equal and sustainable Europe

Promoting the collaborative work of young people through the development of intercultural skills and critical thinking is one of the objectives pursued by this European project, which encourages its teachers to form an active work group with their students and assume their role as part of the engine that will lead to a digital, equal and sustainable Europe in the coming decades.

In addition, it seeks to make both students and their families aware of the reality of the labor market in Europe, the new skills demanded in digitalized sectors and that support sustainability, as well as the academic or professional training options available to them. In this sense, it will bring students and the private sector closer to generate a better understanding and connection of their realities, especially in rural areas, and will promote social inclusion through equality, the promotion of digitization and environmental challenges.

About the Erasmus+ program

Erasmus+ 2021-2027 is the renewed program of the European Union in the fields of education and training, youth and sport, which offers opportunities for all people and in all educational sectors (School Education, Vocational Training, Higher Education and Education of Adult Persons).

This new Erasmus+ is more international, more inclusive, more digital and more ecological, supporting digital transformation, inclusion and diversity, as well as the environment and the fight against climate change. With a budget of more than 28,000 million euros, mobility and cross-border cooperation projects related to learning will be financed for 10 million people of all ages and from all origins.

A new Erasmus+ project is launched for educational guidance for teachers to improve the future employment of their students

WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION is a project that involves more than 30 educational centers, 600 young people, parents and public and private entities in order to reduce the gap between the educational system and the labor to access to the labor market

This innovative initiative, which unites Spain, Italy, Belgium and Croatia, begins its first phase with an analysis of the possibilities of insertion of young people, between 12 and 18 years old, to provide their teachers with the resources and basic skills in career guidance that will allow them to guide their students in the decision about their professional future

Open to new schools. Teachers and parents interested in their educational centers joining the project can now request their participation through the email info@wakeup-vocation.eu

WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION is a European initiative integrated into the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 program, which seeks to reduce the gap between the educational system and the current labor market. More than 30 centers and 600 students will participate in this project, which provides young people between 12 and 18 years of age with the necessary preparation in terms of employability skills and job orientation.

The program involves educational centers, both teachers and young people, as well as parents and guardians and public and private entities. The objective is to analyze the reality of the young group regarding their professional future, find out the solutions to break the gap between their education and their entry into the labor market and establish a correct strategy to achieve their insertion.

WAKE UP YOUR VOCATION studies and promotes general and transversal skills, without focusing on a specific profession or skill. Through the methodology used, students are guided not only in the type of work they can do, but also in the professional profile they want to become.

Teacher training

The innovative nature of this project lies in the methodology developed since, although the students are the ones who ultimately benefit from the program, the initiative is focused on training their teachers. Therefore, the skills and knowledge acquired will remain in the educational centers as an added value, even after the group of advised students has completed their training at the center.

Throughout 2022, the first phase of the project will be developed, which seeks to understand the vision and expectations of young people, their teachers and parents or guardians about the possibilities of labor insertion, and will identify the sources of information that influence them to make decisions about their career path. The results of this first phase will make it possible to provide the teaching team with career guidance skills through an innovative methodology to help students design their academic and training itinerary based on their knowledge.

Digital, equal and sustainable Europe

About the Erasmus+ program