The beginnings of career guidance and counseling in Serbia and Belgrade Open School

The very phrase ''karijerno vođenje i savetovanje’’(career guidance and counseling) was introduced into the Serbian language by the Belgrade Open School, so as to translate the concept and practice which is used in Europe and the world under names such as ''career guidance and counseling“ or ’’lifelong guidance“.

Through Belgrade Open School’s Career Guidance and Counselling Centre (today, the Improvement of Employability Program), we have been actively working on developing a career guidance and counseling system in Serbia since 2004. That was the first career centre within the civil society and public sector, at the time, keeping in mind that there wasn’t a single career centre in high school, at university or in the youth office.

Thanks to the great efforts and success in the implementation of projects which had the goal of empowering young people for developing and actively planning their careers, Belgrade Open School has managed to put the topic of career guidance and counseling high on the political agenda. We launched an initiative and drafted the proposal of the first document dealing with the implementation of a career guidance and counseling system in Serbia, which would later serve as a basis for drafting the Career Guidance and Counseling Strategy. The Ministry of Youth and Sport recognizes the importance this topic has for youth, and in 2009 they started preparing an all-encompassing strategy in order to set an adequate legal and institutional framework, in education and employment, and in the field of work. The First Career Guidance and Counseling Strategy in the Republic of Serbia was adopted in March 2010.

Belgrade Open School has had a vital role in the process of strengthening the capacities of schools and youth offices, with the goal of establishing a basic set of career guidance and counseling services. A big step forward was made when, at the initiative of the Belgrade Open School, the Law on Secondary Education was altered in 2013, within which it was emphasized that high schools were obligated to implement career guidance and counseling services and to form school teams for career guidance and counseling.

By influencing the implementation of the career guidance and counseling system as a systematic, institutional and curricular innovation, Belgrade Open School has, in a specific way, contributed to the transformation of Serbian society, bringing it at least one step closer to a society that fits in with the modern market economy.

How do we contribute to the development of the career guidance and counseling system today?

By monitoring and encouraging the further development of the career guidance and counseling system.

We monitor the implementation of relevant strategic and legal documents which regulate the career guidance and counseling field. We advocate and work on the establishment of an intersectoral cooperation between the ministries in charge of education, youth and the economy, and all with the goal of establishing an all-encompassing and quality system and continuity in the implementation of the career guidance and counseling policies.

Research, publications, policy papers.

Back in 2010, we translated and published the first book on career guidance and counseling in Serbia (‘’Essential Elements of Career Counseling: Processes and Techniques’’). Ever since then, we have been working on making valuable publications aimed at various target groups (young people, those who practice career guidance and counseling, youth offices…) and relevant documents which should contribute to the popularization of this important field. On the other hand, we also conduct research on the effects of career guidance and counseling and on the current state of the art in the field, so that we could communicate recommendations in policy papers for the system’s further development with decision makers and other interested parties.

Raising awareness about the importance of the further development of the career guidance and counseling system.

Through various public events and promotional campaigns, we aim to contribute to a better understanding and popularization of the career guidance and counseling concept with decision makers, the experts and wider public. We try to point out the numerous benefits an available and contemporary career guidance and counseling system can have for our society.

Innovative tools and techniques.

We see career guidance and counseling as a manifold innovation, and so we aim to create and popularize innovative tools and techniques for developing skills and for the overall career development, among young people, parents and those who practice career guidance. We rely on international partnerships, as well as on our own creativity and possibilities offered by using information and communication technologies in career guidance (see our award winning BOS Career)