Barcelona Orienta Agreement

Title

Barcelona Orienta Agreement

Affiliation(s)/ Institution

Ajuntament de Barcelona - Fundació BCN Formació Professional

Email addresses

mblanes@bcn.cat

Project funded by

Institut Municipal d’Educació/Ajuntament de Barcelona

Promoter name and country

Ajuntament de Barcelona (España)

Type of provider

public

Area of implementation

• local

Context and motivation of the project - legislative background/obligations, institutional policy, institutional structures

In the European context, career guidance is considered, at political and social level, as a key element when it comes to tackling the main challenges raised in the Europe 2020 Strategy in the areas of education and training: reducing early school leaving, encouraging public participation in professional training, qualification and updating processes (lifelong learning); and improving current and future employability. Barcelona has a long track record of developing guidance programmes. These services are organised by the Barcelona Education Consortium (CEB) through its different departments, as well as through public and private institutions that provide guidance for a range of ages from children to adults. Understanding the importance of career guidance, Barcelona is proactive and determined when it comes to making this guidance available for public use. It has established a joint strategy between the different agents involved that makes it possible to join efforts to offer efficient, consistent and high quality services and resources.

Aims of the project

1. Coordinated work between the different agents involved to create a system of services that is consistent, broad and adaptable to the guidance needs of the public. 2. Improvement of access to services and resources available to the public and promotion of career guidance as a lifelong process. 3. Making the public themselves the focus of these measures to guarantee a holistic approach and flexible, personalised service, consistent with the different transitions that take place within and between the spheres of education, training and work. 4. Offering a high quality range of services and resources, generating knowledge regarding quality management within guidance processes in order to improve both planning and guidance activities themselves. 5. Fostering programmes for the improvement of skills, promoting the acquisition of competencies by the public to give them the skills they need to make and implement their own decisions and transitions throughout their lives.

Target group

• students
• ESL
• parents
• Guidance practitioners
• Teachers

Description of the target group

The city’s institutions and organisations involved in guidance processes, services and resources (bearing in mind that the Agreement is the framework for participation, coordination, public-private cooperation and joint action).

Staff (selection, evaluation, training, promotion)

A technical secretary to promote the Agreement and oversee the working groups.

Methodological approach, activities implemented

The Agreement has been signed by some 45 organisations (and is also open to new ones) that are split into working groups based around the five objectives, in order to propose an annual work plan to be approved by the annual plenary session. The Agreement has a technical secretary who facilitates and supports the groups.

Results and impact - data of program internal/ external evaluation, beneficiary satisfaction, the impact of the didactical practices at individual and institutional level

The Agreement was signed in December 2014 and there are plans to approve the first 2015-2016 work plan. There are still no data on the impact.

Conclusions, lessons learned

All the organisations have taken a very active role and agree on the need for coordination and consensus in order to work more efficiently.

Directions of further development/ Transferability, replicability

The Agreement may be replicated in any city with concerns regarding career guidance.

Type of ESL (early school leaving) practice

• Prevention
• Intervention
• Compensation

Web references (url, social media presence)

http://www.fundaciobcnfp.cat/index.php/ca/projectes/720-barcelona-orienta

Parameters on which the practice is applicable (check those appropriate)

• Governance and coordination