Training in The Netherlands

TRAINING IN The netherlands

Foundation EC-VPL Project Worklife Guidance

www.ec-vpl.eu http://wlguidance.wixsite.com/toolbox

Duvekot@gmail.com

General information about the training course

Duration of the course/s (start and end time): 4 hours workshop in one afternoon

Name/s of trainer/s

From the industry / company (HRD-officer. VPL-specialist)
From the individual / general VPL-perspective (trainer from the Foundation EC-VPL)

Number of participants;

Maximum 20 participants: (company)career counsellors, HR-officers, trainers.

Summary

An invitation was send using a network list of professionals working with training or labour market issues within the sector. In the case of the test-training in the Netherlands representatives of the Dutch process industry were invited. The network holds members from companies, (career)counselling offices, VET-colleges and regional authorities.

A four hours workshop with PowerPoint presentations followed by plenary discussions after each PowerPoint.

The overall outcome was that the participants felt that the more or less holistic approach to ‘worklife guidance’ fitted in properly in the direction their work is moving to. In the Netherlands the need for upskilling the workforce is rapidly growing, especially in process industry which needs to stay competitive in a globalizing world.

The tools for career development and guidance and counselling – as presented – were well received. The promise of all to make use of the toolbox was clear. Especially the way to integrate instruments like VPL, a structured training on self-management of competences and personalized work-coaching/counselling was appreciated.

Four main models for focusing on impact of ‘worklife-guidance’ were distinguished:

an educational model for initiating particular qualifications in order for workers to stay employable in a formal way: with proper qualifications the chances for mobility are best.
an upskilling model for determining an organisation’s need for competences and linking worker’s strengths to this need.
a Human Resource Development (HRD) model for matching employees’ competences to organisational aims by mobilising worker’s potential in a personalised approach (with portfolio-management).
a lifelong learning model for supporting personal development in the worker’s context. In this model workers have total freedom in the direction their upskilling is heading. The general idea is that these workers are more empowered, entrepreneurial and flexible.

The characteristic feature is that the way in which work-life guidance is operationalised, is for a great deal determined and controlled by the person in question. This what ‘personalised work-life guidance’ entails. While institutions facilitate and provide support, they do not set the direction but facilitate the individual process of agency (motivation and ambition) and ownership of one’s work-life development. The participants agreed on ‘the power of creating a dialogue on work-life guidance between worker and employer’; the employer being the HR-officer, career counsellor or guidance-staff.

Grid for training: The Netherlands: EC-VPL

Target group

In the Netherlands: career counsellors who work for their own counselling company or in companies.

Aim

Updating the knowledge, expertise and competences of career guides and counsellors by:

Presenting the concept of Work/life guidance; special focus on national and international good practices on how to build cooperation with companies and conduct worklife guidance within companies
Presenting the toolbox and obtaining feedback through discussions.
Training the counsellors in using the toolbox and related methodology.

Activity

4 hours of training in a seminar.

Introduction of the concept and ideology embedded in the project.
Presentation of the Worklife Guidance Toolbox and exercises conducted in groups.
Feedback and discussions on further developments.

The training programme

Plenary session with presentations discussion (60 minutes)
1. Perspective of the individual: sustainable self-management of competences, Validation of Prior Learning (VPL) and management of learning / development opportunities
2. Perspective of the company: The demand and the need of the employer (like formal appreciation of the employee, Improved employability, optimizing use and development of talents, good employer on the job market, lifelong learning, financial benefits)
3. Discussion about the role and possibilities for a career guide / counsellor in this process
Short workshops (max 1 hr.)
1. Explanation of the Worklife Guidance website (20 - 30 minutes)
2. Explanation of the Toolbox and in small groups working with 3 different tools from the toolbox (90 – 100 minutes)
Discussions, evaluation and suggestions for further development (30 minutes)
In-between (coffee/tea break) and afterwards: time to network, exchange experiences, talk to the trainers. (30 – 60 minutes)

Results

Feedback on the material for further development.
strengthening the professional group of counsellors by setting up a learning community (LinkedIn)
Certificate of attendance with lifelong learning points for the professional group of counsellors

Evaluation of the Worklife Guidance training, by the participants of the test-training (N=20)

The participants:

were satisfied to very satisfied with the training organization
regarded the elements of the training excellent to good applicable
appreciated the excellent possibility of networking with other guider, counsellors and the trainer from the industry
were satisfied to very satisfied with the content of the toolbox; most valued were the practical tools / exercises / examples / cases
appreciated were the free, on-ine access to the toolbox, the practical relevance and the scope of the topic
found the website / toolbox easy to use and for ca. 75% of the participants it is ‘very likely’ that they will visit the site again and recommend it to colleagues (the other 25% answered ‘most likely’)