Career counselling and new challenges of the Slovak labour marketRoles and tasks of the social partners

Milan Tóth Gdansk, PolandVicepresident NKOS October, 9th 2015

The pioneer in the field of career counseling in Slovakia is Mr. Jozef Koščo, author of the theory on biodromal psychology and one of the co-founders of the psycho-educational counseling based on the concept of lifelong, biodromal guidance.

History of career counselor in Slovakia

Career counselor

A career counselor, also known as a career development professional, advises, coaches, provides information to, and supports people who are planning, seeking and managing their life/work direction. Career counseling has a long tradition in our country.

Career counselor• The institutionalization and legalization of career counseling

services in Slovakia started in the 1920s. The Institute of human labour, or more precisely Psychotechnical Institute had a significant share on their development, which has been later transformed into the Czechoslovak Institute of Labour.

• The achieved level of results show that in the first Czechoslovak republic (1918 – 1938) and the first years of the renewed Czechoslovakia (until 1950), career counseling and educational guidance had a high reputation compared to career guidance in the rest of the world. Until 1989 it was developed under the name of counseling on professional development. It was based on the foundations of the theory of professional development (career development) by Donald E. Super more than 60 years ago and developed together with his scholars and supporters around the world, including members of the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance - IAEVG.

Career counseling

• Career counseling in the education sector is part of the educational guidance. The main goal of educational guidance covers more spheres – it provides counseling for pupils and students even on the personal and educational development. Institutions of educational guidance are integral part of the education system, their activities are legally regulated under the relevant decrees (currently valid  Decree No. 325/2008 Coll. on school facilities for educational guidance and prevention).

• These ideas and starting points also appear in the current strategic documents concerning the development of human resources - The Lisbon Strategy, the European Employment Strategy, the European Social Charter, Memorandum on lifelong learning, the EU Council Resolution on lifelong guidance, the National Strategic Reference Framework 2007 - 2013 in Slovakia, the Strategy of lifelong learning and lifelong guidance in the Slovak Republic and others.

Career counseling in the Slovak education system consists of:

• the centers of pedagogical and psychological counseling and prevention

• educational counselors

• School psychologists

Career counseling in the Slovak education system consists of:

• Slovak universities have career centers which offer the students assistance in finding their future employers and help the companies in finding the suitable graduates.

• There is also a number of private companies operating on the Slovak market offering assistance services, personal and career counseling, coaching and training of employees. They offer career assessments which are designed to discover the skills, aptitude and talents of candidates for employment. A self-assessment can be a useful tool in assessing the areas in which a candidate has strengths and limitations. The results can be useful in helping candidates to choose a career that is in tune with their goals and talents. 

Career counselors help people of all ages to:

• select education and training programs

• balance work and other life roles

• navigate career transitions and stages

• enhance career satisfaction

• find employment or self-employment opportunities, write resumes, develop portfolios and prepare for interviews.

Profile of career counselor

• help people develop a better appreciation of their unique characteristics and how those

• characteristics relate to career choices

• use various assessment tools to help people identify their interests, values, beliefs, lifestyle

• preferences, aptitudes and abilities, and relate them to the world of work

• help people identify educational requirements and develop training plans

• facilitate career management and career decision-making workshops

• work with people who have disabilities, language and cultural differences,

• needs that affect their employment prospects

Working conditionsof career counselor

Career counselors may work in a variety of settings but they usually work in offices where they can conduct private interviews with people and in classrooms or boardrooms where they conduct group sessions. Depending on the organization, their hours of work may include some evening and weekend work.

Personal characteristics of career counselor

• a genuine interest in and respect for people from all walks of life

• patience, understanding and the ability to listen non-judgmentally

• excellent oral and written communication skills and presentation skills

• objectivity and tact• the ability to motivate and inspire people• the ability to facilitate communication in groups of

people• good organizational and planning skills• the ability to work effectively with other professionals

and community agencies.

Target groups for career counseling in Slovakia

• primary school pupils• secondary school students• college and university students• employed adults• unemployed• people with disabilities• marginal and risk groups in the labour

market• people in lifelong learning• elderly people

Map of registered unemployment rate in the Slovak Republic on 09/2015

Roles and tasks of the social partners

Tripartism as a new element of the post-November 1989 has in our history since 1990, where in October a manifestation of free will on three sides - the government, employers and trade unions was based Council for Economic and Social Agreement of the Slovak Republic. Council for Economic and Social Agreement of the Slovak Republic was the joint bodies which represent the operators of tripartite relations - governments, unions and employers

Roles and tasks of the social partners

Since from 1 December 2004 was approved by the State Council Economic and Social Partnership of the Slovak Republic, which defines the status, main tasks, principles of operation and the composition of the Council.After entering government in 2006 he began intense preparation once again to act on tripartism. With effect from 01.04.2007 Law no. 103/2007 Coll. on tripartite consultations at the national level and on amendments to certain laws.Economic and Social Council of the Slovak Republic was established as a consultation and negotiation body of the Government and social partners at national level.

Economic and Social Council of the Slovak Republic

• Agreement opinions and recommendations on economic and social development and employment development,

• Enter into agreements on economic and social development and employment development,Agreement opinions and recommendations on the state budget,

• Agreement opinions on draft laws of general application relating to the important interests of employees and employers, particularly economic, social, employment and wages, employment conditions and business conditions 

• To promote all forms of collective bargaining,• Establish its advisory bodies,• Approve the Rules of Procedure of the Council.

A collective agreement

a) business concluded between the employees 'representatives or the employees' representatives and employers is also a service office,b) higher level collective agreements concluded for multiple employers between respective superior trade union body or the competent higher trade union body and an organization or organizations of employers,c) higher level collective agreements concluded between the respective higher trade union body or the competent higher trade union body and the employer, which is the state,d) higher level collective agreements concluded for employers to remuneration according to a special regulation 2b) between the respective higher trade union body or the competent higher trade union authority, the authorized representative and the representative of employers.

Higher Level Collective Agreement

Higher Level Collective Agreement is concluded for part of the industry, if the conclusion of a collective agreement of a higher degree for part of the industry agreed by the parties.

Higher level collective agreements contain an indication of the sector or sectors for which it is closed, starting from the list of employers for which it is concluded. is obligatory also for the employer, who is not associated in employers' organizations that the collective agreement of a higher degree concluded if the employer requests the Parties of the collective agreement of a higher degree and the parties agree to the accession

Subject of the collective agreement

The collective agreement can negotiate more favorable terms and conditions of employment beyond legislation.Subject to collective agreement can be the following areas governed by the Labour Code:wage bargaining, reduction in working time without lowering wages, extension of leave by additional weeks over the statutory scope, determining favorable conditions for the granting of leave for obstacles to the work of the general interest and for important personal obstacles at work, Provision of leave, or funding for education employees contributions to the recovery workers and promoting sports and cultural activities, specification of the range of employees or former employees whose employer provides food, higher severance pay or severance pay above the minimum provided for in the Labour Code.

Subject of the collective agreement

Subject to a collective agreement might be the following areas covered by other legislation:increasing the daily amount of income compensation during temporary incapacity for work, § 8 paragraph. 2 of Law no. 462/2003 Coll. on income compensation during temporary incapacity supplementary pension insurance, § 2 section. 3 of Law no. 650/2004 Coll. on supplementary pension saving and further execution. Subject to collective agreement can be other institutes in which the parties agree and are freely editable provisions stemming from the Labour Code or special laws.NKOS is one of the partners in case of higher collective agreement in the metal and state services.Social dialogue is a permanent process since its foundation in 1990 until today.

Thank you for your attention