1. Recommendations
Raise awareness about formal career guidance opportunities through media campaigns and active outreach to vulnerable groups
Many adults are not aware of career guidance services and rely strongly on informal sources of information, such as family and friends. This might be due to a lack of public information, and risks compounding inequalities in the labour market.
Expand public provision (including PES) and associated funding to offer affordable or free high quality career guidance services to vulnerable adults
Vulnerable adults, such as the unemployed and low-educated adults, are less likely to use career guidance services in Latin America. Unequal access to services might be due to limited provision by public employment services.
Further expand the range of delivery channels available, and strengthen online career guidance platforms.
Face-to-face provision remains the most common channel of career guidance, while there is unmet demand for alternative channels such as instant messaging. Online career guidance platforms represent a cost-effective way to meet demand for professional career guidance. Existing platforms could be strengthened by providing personalised information based on skills assessments, by integrating information about job and training opportunities, and by giving users an opportunity to chat live with a counsellor directly on the platform.
Strengthen general public service delivery quality standards and include a component that considers career guidance specifically
Competence frameworks for career guidance advisors are not yet in place and quality standards around service delivery are rare, with significant variation across local employment offices.
Develop a skills profiling tool that can be used by providers, particularly when working with adults who have no formal qualifications
Effective guidance relies on personalised assessments and recommendations about training and job pathways. Skills profiling tools can be extremely useful in contexts where adults lack formal qualifications, but they are not widely used in Latin America.
Consider forming a working group with all relevant stakeholders to improve career guidance policy and provision
Stakeholders, such as social partners and professional guidance associations are often not part of the strategic governance of career guidance policy.
Develop a system of regular reporting standards between local employment offices, national ministries and other relevant public bodies, and facilitate international exchanges of good practice
Co-ordination mechanisms between the different levels of government and other public bodies responsible for career guidance exist, but could be strengthened. It may also be useful to organise regular exchanges of good practice and promising initiatives across Latin American countries.
Design financial measures to reduce the direct and indirect costs of career guidance for vulnerable adults
In Latin America, adults are more likely to pay out-of-pocket for career guidance than elsewhere. The cost of career guidance is a barrier, particularly for unemployed, informal and inactive workers.