Guiding Cities aims to join policy makers and stakeholders within the field of education and guidance to map and create a model of guidance to promote coherent policy and strategic planning and to respond to the complex needs in the fight against Early School Leaving (ESL). Currently, at the local level there are many actors in diverse spaces that contribute to career guidance policy and services; these diverse services should be integrated. The consortium is the outcome of the synergies generated by facing similar challenges- high rates of ESL -and similar goals – to ensure Career Guidance is part of a school’s and broader community’s strategy- and similar strategies -to detect and assist young people at risk.
The project will:
- Analyze guidance actions in 4 countries within different contexts through country-based focus groups with stakeholders in education and guidance.
- Develop a Guiding Cities Model and Checklist which will map different possible actions, actors and needs of a community relative to guidance and lifelong learning.
- Establish and manage Working Groups and a survey of best practices (involving at least 40 stakeholders).
- Publish online the GCities Model and links to resources and practices for each type of action and/or each target group. The GCities tools will be available in 6 languages (EN, ES, CAT, IT, EL, RO).
- Test the GCities Model and Checklist-benchmarking tools with at least 40 communities or organizations.
This project aims to improve the professional development of both local technicians delivering municipal services and guidance practitioners working in the school education sector. It also strives to develop strategies to improve the quality of careers education and careers development in the classroom through the analysis of existing activities and resources, and developing a model of guidance and materials for a community with a checklist to benchmark, evaluate, plan and adjust to each target’s and community’s needs. Communities will be trained and prepared with the GCities tools to review the guidance activities undertaken by diverse actors and strategically plan and coordinate together the necessary actions to better serve groups in need, especially, ESL. The project will promote a holistic and coordinated approach to guidance and education at the local, even school level, with a vision of the best practices in Europe in order to improve services and reduce Early School Leaving.