Virginija Stoniene Vilnius, 2009, May

CAREER MANAGEMENT SKILLS

DEVELOPMENT AT LABOUR MARKET

LEVEL

The Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority

LLMTA under the Social Security and Labour Ministry – the largest organization since 1992 providing labour market vocational information and counselling

7 territorial labour market training and counselling services in the largest cities of Lithuania

Counsellors with a background in psychology and few in educology

Priority customer groups

The unemployed

Senior-grade learners at general education schools

Having special labour market needs – existing and former convicts, disabled, soldiers, long-term unemployed, immigrants

Methods for guidance and counselling

individual interviews: during consultations a client is taught how to plan a career, how to identify personal capacities and the most suitable professions

group guidance and counselling sessions: programmes include development of decision on future profession, skills for successful competition in the labour market, development of self-awareness and self-confidence. LLMT has developed and is applying over 40 programmes

VOCATIONAL COUNSELLING PROGRAMMES I

Development of vocational self-decision making competences:

self awareness skills ability to take responsibility for own career and personal development cognition world of vocations career planning skills

VOCATIONAL COUNSELLING PROGRAMMES II

Development of employment abilities and skills to compete successfully in labour market :

learn to overcome anxiety and stress ability to make contacts ability to have influence ability manage conflicts introducing to the employer skills

VOCATIONAL COUNSELLING PROGRAMMES III

Development of self-confidence and adaptation to changes competences:

strengthen positive attitude to changes positive evaluation of one’s abilities self-confidence formulate the nearest objectives and far-reaching goals learn to overcome obstacles of the set goals

BEST PRACTICE

Work Opportunity Programme (WOP) LLMTA/Netherlands For the group counselling (duration:192 hours)

Goal – to change the attitude of people, encourage them to rediscover their individual values and abilities to be able to use them in the labour market

Methods: Succes Factor Analysis, lectures, discussions, psychological tests and questionnaires, role plays, project preparation in groups, review and discussion of videos about social skills, self-analysis, relaxation and self-help exercises. Individual counselling is also provided.

Four steps of training

1 - 2 months 3 - 4 months. 5 - 6 months.

Individual consultations Individual consultations Individual consultations

Group work and consultation:

- Strengthening self-confidence,

- Explanation of values and needs,

- Development of social skills.

Group work and consultation:

- Evaluation of realistic opportunities,

- Identification of strengths and weaknesses,

- Evaluation of suitability for the labour market.

Group work and consultation:

- Creation of an individual action plan,

- Analysis of potential work vacancies,

- Preparation for the labour market.

Social partners supply information

Social partners’ cooperation with respect to potential employment of the participants.

Real support of social partners in employing group participants.

Work Opportunity Programme Management Schedule

Success Factor Analysis

Job and career objectives are set using the Succes Factor Analysis (SFA). SFA -activity, skill, ability or talent to achieve something

SFA stages:1. To write down ten to fifteen personal achievements.2. To identify the success factors.3. To compile a list of key success factors.4. To cluster the success factors.5. To identify and move the key success factor to each cluster.6. To order the key success factors according to their

importance.7. To test the “reality” of each key success factor.8. To write down the functional job objective.

Step one: What I want

Identify the success factors

Realise that a number of success factors appear in different achievements

Start understanding one’s ,,success pattern”

Complete a list of all possible (and not possible) jobs

The following success factors may be identified:

Planning (I have planned) Persuasion (I have persuaded my roommates) Decision-making (We have decided on the menu…) Delegation and transfer of functions (I have asked her to

prepare all the food. I have asked my friends to prepare for…) Co-operation (We have set the table together …) Problem-solving (The sour cream went sour, so …) Relations between people (I have helped … to settle the

dispute…) Art, design (I have drawn the name cards).

Step two: What I can

Understand the success factors importance for personal job and career targets

Identify abilities Learn to transfer success factors into the future Learn how to value themselves more positively Develop an opinion about abilities and

competence Make some fundamental decisions related to

their future careers

Step three: What is possible

Ability to prove that personal key success factors are “real”

Identify the functional job objective (“what will my contribution be?”)

Collect all information about job environment suitable to their interests and compile a list of companies and other organisations they like

Step four: Action plan

Drawing up personal Action plan which must: reflect the summary of the possibilities on the

labour market, changes considering the abilities of the group

members themselves the ability to properly apply for work

WOP topics

“What I want” topics help the group members better understand and strengthen their wishes. Analyse values and interests

“What I can” topics used to teach the group members to assess their skills and abilities, strengths and weaknesses of their personality as well as the factors, which may determine their professional success

WOP topics

“What is possible” topics are designed for active search for information about the labour market. The group members test the effectiveness of different job search methods and study the possibilities for their professional improvement.

“Action plan” includes the topics which help the group members plan how, when and where to achieve the targets they set

CONCLUSION

WOP is applicable for several target groups and aims:

to develop self awareness skills to develop awareness of the changing world of work

skills to develop ability to take responsibility for your own

career and personal development to develop ability to manage the relationship

between work and learning throughout all stages of life