The overall aim of EMPLOYMENT PLUS is to support the adaptation and integration of guidance services in Europe, ensuring that they are modernised and relevant, highlighting and removing high-threshold barriers for effective interventions with those that are low and unskilled and those that have no or low levels of qualifications. The project will define consistent European criteria of success for guidance practice addressing labour market participants that are un- and low skilled and unqualified. The definition of European guidelines for guidance practitioners dealing with this target group as well as 60 guidance methods, which will be developed by the project partners as an important innovation, will support this process.

EMPLOYMENT PLUS will achieve its objectives by designing, testing and adopting new learning interventions for vocational guidance practitioners, specifically:

– Developing new guidance methods.
– Testing and establishing good practices and success criteria for relevant vocational guidance offers.
– producing occupational guidance for professional guidance practice.
– Ready-to-use methods for guidance practitioners, supported by a mulitlingual, universally accessible online database and a digital skills check tool.
– A newly designed set of learning modules and curriculum programme, supported by e-learning resources.

The work programme will include:

(1) Defining common quality assurance criteria through evaluating international good practice that evidences effectiveness in reaching and helping the target group.
(2) Designing and testing new learning strategies and creating structured guidance for guidance practitioners to work effectively with the target group of low and unqualified job-seekers.
(3) The development of 60 new guidance methods for group and single settings that will enhance progression for those that are low- skilled and unqualified.