International Leonardo da Vinci project "The Social Partners and Vocational Guidance for Lower-Paid Workers"

A project looking at examples of good practice in delivering guidance to lower-paid workers has been carried out with the support of the Leonardo da Vinci Programme of the European Community. The project involved 10 countries (Czech Republic, Iceland, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, Sweden, Finland, Germany and the UK). In addition to collecting and disseminating examples of good practice the project has developed a set of methods and solutions that can be used by employers, trade unions and guidance services.

In Finland, twelve female cleaners working in SMEs in Joensuu were given group guidance using the structured group guidance model developed by Borgen and Amundson. The goal of this project pilot was to study participants' needs and questions for guidance as well as to study the possibilities and practices in worklife guidance. 12 participants came from 5 differents SMEs. Two group counsellors were psychologists from public employment service (state). Group guidance was effectuated according to the five sessions and one follow-up model. Sessions were held in the afternoons, on the working time, and each session lasted for 3 hours. Participation was free of charge for participants and their employers. However, employers engaged in paying the salary for participants during the sessions.

The goal of the guidance was to

• help participants recognize their own strenghts, competencies and opportunities to develop themselves,

• reflect challenges and delights in their work,

• strenghten participants professionality, professional identity,

• work on concrete plans for the future and

• reflect womanhood and issues related to being a woman and living a womans life.

All the participants described the experience of group guidance in positive terms. They felt that the group widened their own perspectives and enhanced self-confidence, self-reliance and courage.