Expanding Career Guidance Services at the Békés County Government Office

The Békés County[1] Government Office is committed to improving the labor market activity of the people living in the region, and to the realization of individual and organizational employment goals. In addition to unfavorable demographic characteristics in terms of employment in the county, high domestic emigration poses a serious challenge, as a result of which the perceived better employment opportunities attract workers from the county to other parts of Hungary. It has become a key issue for the employees of the region to remain in place, to support the creation of their individual prosperity within the county, to create an attractive future vision for young people, and career orientation is of particular importance in this.

Thanks to an investment aimed at career guidance, the Career Guidance Counselling and Methodological Centre was established in Békéscsaba, an Information Point was established in each of the county's four district employment departments, and a minibus enabling the provision of a mobile counselling service. Active service activities started in 2021 at the Centre and Information Points, and in the same year, a larger number of outstations with the mobile advisory bus were also carried out. With this career guidance aimed development, a unique, novel, complex service package was created in the region and even on national level.

The Career Counselling and Methodology Centre is a place where interested parties can benefit from a wide range of career guidance services with the help of professionals, receive support for their career and professional knowledge, confirmation of their self-knowledge, and help with their career decisions. All this is done individually and in groups, supported by various methodological tools. In addition to the information space, individual counselling and group rooms have been set up in the centre. In addition to providing employment services, the development aims to create a forum for the exchange of information for individuals and organizations interested in career guidance by conducting professional presentations and workshops. The target group of the services is made up of job seekers living in the county, those thinking about changing jobs, students participating in primary, secondary and higher education, their parents, and professionals involved in the subject.

The main function of the Information Points is sharing information about labour market and career guidance, identification of the individual needs of customers visiting the site and providing adequate services for them.

The Mobile Consulting Bus operates as a "rolling" consulting office. Its task is basically employment and career counselling, as well as providing information on the labour market. This form of counselling can provide the enormous advantage of making the service available at the individual's place of residence. The theme and duration of the programs provided by bus are adapted to the location of the settlement and the nature of the event. Typical events at which the bus was deployed: job fairs, employer forums, informational group events, helping community service workers find employment in the primary labour market. Typical activities in primary, secondary and higher education institutions are class teachers' lessons, parent meetings, thematic days, career orientation group sessions, as well as participation in various community events, festivals and summer camps.

This good practice formed part of the Hungarian Euroguidance Career Guidance Award for Adults 2022.

[1] Békés County is an administrative division in south-eastern Hungary on the border with Romania. The capital of Békés county is Békéscsaba. The county is also part of the Danube-Kris-Mures-Tisa Euroregion.