Educational and Vocational Guidance in Denmark

where the participants choose subjects to suit theirparticular job situation and field of activity. The subjectchoices are:1. The Danish guidance system2. Educational and vocational guidance incompulsory school3. Youth guidance4. Guidance in relation to vocational basic education5. Guidance in relation to open youth education6. Social and practical counselling of pupils7. Guidance methodology8. Education and employment9. Project writing with examination.Number one, seven and eight are compulsory; the restvoluntary.Methods of teaching and working are either group orclass instruction which is a traditional teacher-basedteaching method; or group work based on exercisesmeant to demonstrate practical guidance situationsand aiming to promote an exchange of knowledgeand experience among the participants. Eight of thebasic courses also use project work as a workingmethod. Practical training and study tours are alsoincluded in courses of longer duration. Few courseshave an actual examination at the end of the course,but many of the courses issue certificates or documentationstating that the guidance counsellors have participatedand completed the course.5.2 Further education and trainingFurther education and training courses within the fieldof guidance play an important role in relation to thequalifications of guidance counsellors in Denmark.More than 20 institutions similar to the institutionsmentioned above offer further education and trainingcourses to guidance counsellors. Furthermore, severalguidance counsellor organisations arrange suchcourses for their members and, in addition, the DanishNational Council for Educational and VocationalGuidance (R.U.E.) offers approximately ten coursesand seminars and three conferences for Danish guidancecounsellors on an annual basis. The wide varietyof courses makes it possible for guidance counsellorsto acquire theoretical input, to improve their guidanceskills, and to expand their network of guidance professionals.Courses of further education and training vary interms of length, target group and contents. Somecourses are offered as a voluntary supplement to basicguidance courses. Other courses are aimed at a particulargroup of guidance counsellors. Apart from theselast-mentioned courses, most further education andtraining courses do not have actual admission criteria;they are open to all guidance practitioners. A fewcourses do, however, demand that participants havecompleted a basic guidance course. All courses areoffered on a regular basis and usually more than oncea year. Some courses are offered all over the country;others may take place in just one region.38