Expert conference ‘’National Annual Conference on Career Guidance and Counseling”
Belgrade Open School organised a conference "National Annual Conference on Career Guidance and Counseling", fourth year in a row, which is accredited by The Institute for Advancing Education and Upbringing of the Republic of Serbia. The conference was organised on 23th of November 2016 at The Hotel Palace, and brought together more than 100 teachers from all over Serbia.
The aim of the "National Annual Conference of career guidance and counselling" was to provide specific advice and mechanisms to schools and teachers in order to improve their career guidance and counselling services. During the conference, examples of good practice from all over Serbia have been presented to the participants as an “engine” of changes in the world of education.
Among others, the attendees were addressed by Ms. Vesna Djukic, General Director of Belgrade Open School, Ms. Snezana Klasnja, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Ms. Jelica Ristic Cirovic, Independent Advisor of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, and Mr. Nikola Mikasinovic, Program Coordinator at Solidar Suisse.
The conference gathered representatives of public administration and local government, schools, faculties, civil society and other relevant stakeholders in order to discuss the challenges and opportunities for further development as well as possible innovations of the system of lifelong career guidance. Also, participants had the opportunity to discuss problems at the local level and examples of good practice.
Furthermore, two publications developed by the Belgrade Open School were presented: Analysis of Schools' Programs and Plans for Career Guidance and Counseling and Manual for the Promotion of Educational Profiles in Secondary Schools. A special attention was paid to the presentation of the results of The Working group for the development of service standards for career guidance and counselling. Afterwards, participants had the opportunity to attend work sessions in four areas: How to write a Plan for career guidance and counselling; How to work with youth from socially disadvantaged groups, Tips for career counsellors and How to promote educational profiles and fundraise. Within these panels, the participants had the opportunity to engage in discussion with experts and representatives of schools who presented examples of good practice.
The Expert conference was organised within the project Advocating for continuity in the implementation of the career guidance policy in Serbia – KviS on BIS II with aims to support the development of employability among young people and to promote lifelong learning through improvement of sustainability and quality of the system of career guidance and counselling. The project is implemented by the Belgrade Open School and funded by the Solidar Suisse – Office in Serbia.