Strengthening career guidance for the digital and green transitions
On 26 November 2025, the Lifelong Learning 5.0 project—represented by its communication manager, EARLALL—took part in the Closing Ceremony of the Second Global Careers Month, hosted by OECD, ILO, UNESCO, ETF, and Cedefop. The event brought together global experts, regional actors, and practitioners to reflect on the achievements of the past month and to look ahead at how career guidance systems must evolve in the face of societal megatrends.
The discussions strongly echoed the mission of the Lifelong Learning 5.0 project: supporting the transformation of guidance institutions and enhancing the capacity of guidance counsellors and clients to navigate a rapidly changing world shaped by digitalisation, sustainability transitions, and evolving labour-market needs.
Rethinking Career Guidance Systems: Key Messages from Panel 1
Reaching those beyond formal systems
Jaana Kettunen (IAEVG President) highlighted a central challenge also addressed by Lifelong Learning 5.0: the need to reach adults, jobseekers, and vulnerable learners who are currently outside formal learning or employment systems. She stressed persistent obstacles, including fragmented service provision, counsellor capacity gaps, and a lack of locally adapted guidance models.
Career guidance as an investment
Florian Kadletz (ETF) emphasised that many countries still struggle to build coherent guidance ecosystems. He called for a shift in mindset—guidance must be seen as an investment in people’s resilience, not an administrative cost. He also noted gaps in access, with public employment services unable to reach everyone who needs support, despite the important role of NGOs and social partners.
Embedding guidance into wider policies
Pedro Moreno da Fonseca (ILO) pointed out that although digital guidance platforms are increasingly available, their use remains limited. He urged policymakers to embed career guidance into employment, social protection, and lifelong learning policies, and to strengthen infrastructure and information systems so that digital tools genuinely support learners and workers.
These messages directly connect to Lifelong Learning 5.0’s ambition to:
- increase counsellors’ capacity to use digital tools in their daily work,
- empower clients to use digital guidance tools independently or with support, and
- foster future skills aligned with digitalisation and the green transition.
Global Innovations: Insights from Panel 2
The second panel, moderated by UNESCO and Cedefop, showcased innovative practices from around the world, resonating with the project’s vision of modern, inclusive, and technology-enabled guidance services.
Canada: strengthening competencies and professionalisation
Canadian partners presented national frameworks and credentialing systems that support competency-based career development, showing how quality standards can help raise professionalism across the sector.
Chile: personalised support for specific groups
Chile shared promising approaches to personalised counselling, especially for people over 50, demonstrating the importance of targeted guidance solutions—a key aspect of adapting guidance provision to different user needs and life situations.
Looking Ahead: Lifelong, Accessible, and Future-Ready Guidance
The closing session of Global Careers Month reiterated a shared global commitment: career guidance must be lifelong, high-quality, and accessible to all—particularly in times of rapid technological and societal change.
As communication manager of the Lifelong Learning 5.0 project, EARLALL continues to support the visibility and dissemination of project outcomes and engage stakeholders at regional and European levels. EARLALL’s ongoing work through its Working Group on Lifelong Guidance also reinforces many of the priorities highlighted during the event, including:
- stronger regional cooperation and exchange,
- linking education, VET, employment, and social policies, and
- designing guidance systems that respond to real labour-market and societal transformations.
The Link with Lifelong Learning 5.0
The insights from Global Careers Month 2025 strongly validate the focus of the Lifelong Learning 5.0 project. They underline the urgency of:
- modernising guidance services,
- supporting counsellors through digital upskilling,
- empowering clients to navigate digital tools, and
- preparing learners and workers for emerging future skills.
By contributing to global dialogue and connecting project outcomes with international trends, Lifelong Learning 5.0 continues to support the transformation of guidance ecosystems across Europe, ensuring that no learner is left behind in the green and digital transitions.
