Profesinio orientavimo kokybės užtikrinimo sistemos taikymo aspektai
Application aspects of vocational guidance quality assurance system

Summary/Abstract: This article consists of an overview of the implementation of the pilot test phase of vocational guidance of quality assurance system. Pilot test phase is one of important task of EU project named EVOKE. The EVOKE (Enhanced vocational opportunities, knowledge and education) project ultimately aims to improve the quality assurance system for career guidance by transferring and adapting the model of combined innovative parts: the methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of services and the method of social return on investment (SROI) for the drop-outs and persons at risk of dropping out in vocational training. In assessing the overall effectiveness of vocational guidance services are analyzed the different consultation stages that are common to such guidance services as vocational and psychological counseling and vocational guidance. Effectiveness of vocational guidance services is analyzed by using two questionnaires: Consultant (self-assessment tool-questionnaire); Client (student) answers form. Before the testing of effectiveness of vocational guidance services both questionnaires were implemented to the electronic system – Counselling Quality Tool (CQT). The Pilot testing was held in 5 EU countries: Italy, Spain, Holland, Lithuania and Norway. The testing started in September 2012 and finished in April 2013. The testing consists such phases: Preparations phase (2012 September - October) Implementation of Counselling Quality Tool (2012 November - December) Training of potential consultants to use the electronic system (January 2013 - February) The investigation process of consulting (March 2013) The analysis of empirical data and preparation of report (April 2013). The total number of persons tested in the 5 partner countries’ guidance services is 146. The age range is 16 – 36; 74 of them are female clients aged 16 – 33 and 72 are male clients aged 16 - 36. According to the target group envisaged in the project, the age range to take into consideration within the survey was 16 – 25; therefore, the total number of persons tested who meet such requirement is 126 (73 females and 53 males). It has to be noticed that the training and execution of pilot test phase involved practicing vocational guidance counselors in 4 countries, while in one partner country it was executed by teachers and administrative staff. That should be taken into account as far as competence about vocational and employmental possibilities and requirement are concerned. The training of the practitioners on the CQT involved in the pilot test phase in all the 5 countries was good and the attendance was high, except for just one of the 5 partners countries. Across countries, from a technical point of view on the CQT, counselors consider the tool quite easy to use in general. From a content point of view regarding list of questions and scores to give, some counselors say that forms are slightly rigid and they could be customized (with a view of a further use beyond the project lifetime). The barrier-questions for counselors should be reviewed, since they are confusing with the mix of positive and negative questions; other questions in the SAT questionnaire which are complicated, not concrete, with too many terms combined in one question (e.g., “In order to know my client better, I managed to use appropriate psychological and/or vocational assessment techniques”) should be simplified/revised. As far as scores are concerned, counselors suggest to use scores from 1 to 10, where 1 is the worst possible score and 10 is excellent, because the scales are not clear. Nevertheless, the number of options per scale has to be the same in both questionnaires – for client and for counsellor. Some of the final users – young people tested – reported to their counselors that they expected the CQT to be more user – friendly than it is. With regard to the language used for the sentences in the CFF, a number of users found some words too difficult to understand (e.g. “strategy”). With a view to further improve and use his tool, appropriate language for the target group should be used. Thus, extra / tailor-made open questions could be added, that are more suitable especially to the youngest ones, together with the support and the explanation of the counselor. Besides, diversified open questions are a key of interpretation of mere statistical data and / or numbers and an indicator itself for monitoring and take up corrective actions to improve the quality of the guidance. The last part of this analysis regards the outcomes of the counselor’s checklist (named Counselor General Information in the CQT), concerning the private/social background of the clients tested. The comparative analysis show that all the 5 partner countries reach the highest rates in the same first three items – lack of self-esteem, lack of self-efficacy and lack of motivation.

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