Conclusions and way forward

Countries need to build well-coordinated and sustainably funded career guidance systems that are responsive to the needs of individuals, especially young people, to be relevant, effective, and efficient. The EU should support the countries covered in this report and the whole neighborhood in this endeavor through its instruments, given that the scarcity of resources and capacity for building such a systemic approach are key bottlenecks. This would not only support achieving key priorities of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG4 and 8 in particular), but would also be in line with the EU Council Resolution on better integrating lifelong guidance into lifelong learning strategies (2008), which gives a direct mandate to the ETF to “Foster the development of lifelong guidance in third countries”.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Quality Education

Decent Work and Economic Growth