The concept of Counselling & Vocational Guidance It should be noted that all info related to the presentation of the Greek guidance system is retrieved from the Euroguidance center portal, available at http://www.ekep.gr/english/Guidance/ekpaideusi.asp refers to expert (science based) assistance and support with the aim to help individuals:

• Explore, analyse and develop the factors constituting their self-concept (interests, personal qualities and characteristics, values, skills, etc.).
• Explore, evaluate, process and classify information and alternative education and vocation pathways with respect both to their needs and choices and to labour market requirements.
• Integrate information about education and vocation/career with information derived from self-observation so that they develop to decision-making capabilities both with respect to their orientation in education and choices in occupation(s) befitting their particular psychosocial make up.
• Create and implement their own education and vocation plans.
• Ultimately, the individuals will be able to make the correct choices with respect to their future occupation/vocation and thus be (re)included into active life.

The Career & Counselling Centres (KE.SY.P) were established by force of Law 2525/97 and organized by the Ministry of Education in cooperation with the department of (School) Vocational & Career Guidance (SEP) of the Pedagogical Institute. Currently there are two centres operating:

i) the KE.SY.P of the Ministry of Education (Dept. of School Vocational & Career Guidance - Directorate of Vocational Guidance and Education Activities) was established to provide coordination and administrative support to the network of KE.SY.P Centres and SEP Offices around the country,

ii) the KE.SY.P of the Pedagogical Institute (P.I.) was established to provide expert support to the network of KE.SY.P and SEP Offices in Greece.

Their task is to provide education and vocational guidance services and information to young people up to 25 years of age and to their parents. In addition, these Centres also support School Career Counsellors who implement the relevant institution of counselling either on an individual or group basis. These Centres are staffed by one or more experts responsible for Vocational Guidance and one expert in Information and Documentation. The Centres feature libraries with information material pertinent to Vocational Guidance.

School Career Counselling Offices (GRA.SE.P)

These Offices were established by the Ministry of Education and housed in 200 major or jointly-housed schools. Their task is to support the implementation of Vocational Guidance in schools, as well as provide counselling and information to students and their parents. The staff of the School Career Counselling Offices comprises trained Guidance practitioners. In addition, these Offices are equipped with library materials on the field of their competence.

Implementation of the Vocational Guidance Institution in the Classroom

The institution of Vocational Guidance has been incorporated to national education in the sense that is an additional item in the curriculum involving specific activities for which the students are not marked. Specifically, Vocational Guidance is “taught” at High-school level (Grade C’: 1 hour per week) and at Unified Lyceum (Grade A’: 1 hour per week, 2nd semester). Again, the supervising entities are the Ministry of Education and the Pedagogical Institute.
The textbooks and teachers’ books for students and instructors respectively are the following:

1. “Preparing for life”, student’s textbook for Grade C’, High-school
2. “Preparing for life”, teacher’s book for Grade C’, High-school
3. “Planning my future”, student’s textbook for Grade A’, Unified Lyceum
4. “Planning my future”, teacher’s book for Grade A’, Unified Lyceum
5. “Education after High-school”, student’s School Guide, Grade C’ High-school
6. “Education after Lyceum”, School Guide for student in Unified Lyceum and TEE
7. “Education & Employment”, a book analysing the prospects for numerous vocations / professions.

In the context of Vocational Guidance, teachers ran numerous Career Education programmes at the secondary level of education during the academic period 2000-2001. During the same period Career Day events was adopted to enhance Career Guidance at schools.

Career Education

This is to support the institution of Vocational Guidance in education by expanding its application at a local, regional and national level. The thematic content of Career Education programmes includes issues relating to the work environment, local economic activity, labour relations and occupational sectors, the European dimension of education-employment and the development of skills.