The Improve Professional Orientation handbook aims at improving and enhancing the performance of teachers and trainers already working in VET and looking to improve their skills and capacities in delivering professional orientation (vocational guidance). The Handbook centres on a series of six modules in which Theoretical Background, Competence Assessment, Peer Mentoring, the Inclusion of Companies, the Prevention of Early Dropout (and the Inclusion of Parents) and Public Administration Support Measures are respectively addressed. The Handbook provides a not insubstantial amount of information and material able to be used to facilitate continuing professional development and can accessed in four language versions (EN, DE, ES and LT).
Responding to increasingly high rates of unemployment among young people, and providing a means via which VET providers and practitioners can also consider what contribution they might make in terms of facilitating transition to employment, partners in the ImPro-F project developed a series of training modules able to be used to improve the skills of existing VET staff wishing to provide professional orientation (vocational guidance) services. Materials extend over 6 distinct modules (comprising 17 units) and, in each case, provide an introduction to the theme, with confirmed learning outcomes, alongside bespoke content and a set of tools, exercises and materials able to be used by those delivering the programme. Materials could easily be used, as is, for those wishing to introduce the overall concept and benefits of professional orientation (vocational guidance) to new teacher or trainer audiences, or might form the basis of one or more shorter courses as part of a programme of continuing professional development. The availability of materials in multiple-languages is notably positive is terms of facilitating wider transfer and use.