Getting Skills Right Career Guidance for Adults in a Changing World of Work

Career guidance is a fundamental policy lever to help adults successfully navigate a constantly evolving labour market through advice and information on job and training opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of career guidance services. Many adults have lost their jobs and require assistance navigating their career options in a changing labour market, where firms are likely to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies in the name of pandemic-proofing. But compared to career guidance services for youth, services for adults receive relatively little policy attention, and little is known of how often existing services are used. This report scopes out initiatives in the area of career guidance for adults in OECD countries, drawing lessons on how to strengthen adult career guidance systems in terms of coverage and inclusiveness, provision and service delivery, quality and impact, and governance and funding. The findings of the report build on the information collected through the 2020 Survey of Career Guidance for Adults (SCGA), an online survey of adults' experience with career guidance Foreword Executive summary 1 Coverage and inclusiveness Introduction 1.1. What share of adults use career guidance services? 1.2. Are adult career guidance systems inclusive? 1.3. Why do adults seek career guidance? 1.4. What are the barriers to using career guidance services? 1.5. What share of adults look online for information on employment and training options? 1.6. What share of adults use informal types of career support? 1.6.1. Advice from family members and friends 1.6.2. Career development activities 1.7. Which types of adults are at risk of being poorly informed? References Notes 2 Providers and service delivery Introduction 2.1. Which types of providers deliver career guidance services to adults? 2.1.1. Overview of providers 2.1.2. Public employment services 2.1.3. Private career guidance providers 2.1.4. Education and training institutions 2.1.5. Employers 2.1.6. Dedicated public career guidance services 2.1.7. Trade unions 2.1.8. Employer groups 2.2. Which channels are used to deliver career guidance? 2.3. How are career guidance services advertised? 2.4. Why do adults choose one provider over another? 2.5. Online career guidance portals 2.6. How have career guidance providers adapted their service delivery in the context of the COVID-19 crisis? References Notes 3 Quality and impact Introduction 3.1. How satisfied are adults with career guidance services? 3.2. What are the outcomes of guidance? 3.3. Policies to promote high-quality career guidance services 3.3.1. Producing and using high-quality labour market information Producing high-quality labour market information Using labour market information in career guidance 3.3.2. Tailoring career guidance services to adults’ needs Assessing an individual’s unique set of skills Personalised career development roadmap Tailoring information and advice in online portals 3.3.3. Standardising training and qualifications of career guidance advisors Minimum training and qualification requirements Continuing professional development Professional certifications 3.3.4. Certifying providers against quality standards in service delivery Mandatory quality standards Voluntary quality standards 3.3.5. Monitoring outcomes Type of outcomes measured Methods used to assess outcomes References Notes 4 Governance and funding Introduction 4.1. How is adult career guidance governed? 4.1.1. Horizontal coordination between ministries 4.1.2. Vertical coordination between levels of government 4.1.3. Engaging stakeholders in setting career guidance policy 4.2. What is the role of career guidance strategies? 4.3. How is career guidance for adults funded? 4.3.1. Adults’ out-of-pocket spending 4.3.2. Government contribution to funding 4.3.3. Employers’ contribution to funding 4.4. Which policies can support adequate funding and cost-sharing? References Notes Annex A. Responses to the policy questionnaire Annex B. Methodology note on the Survey of Career Guidance for Adults Notes Annex C. Sensitivity analysis References Annex D. Dedicated public career guidance agencies for adults Austria Brussels (Belgium) England (United Kingdom) France Greece Ireland Japan Korea Luxembourg Slovenia West Flanders (Belgium) Wallonia (Belgium) References Annex E. Online career guidance portals Austria Australia Denmark Estonia France Greece Ireland Korea Lithuania New Zealand Portugal Spain Sweden References