Comprehensive guidance systems. A proposal for the implementation of structures and services at local level

Abstract

ABSTRACT

This article reviews -from a documentary approach- the evolution of guidance attending to the European public policies as the necessary context to understand the strategic role guidance plays in the education–training–employment triangle. In the Spanish case, the author points out the regulatory milestones that are intended to strengthen the idea and practice of guidance throughout life and argues for the need to implement comprehensive guidance systems. Four important aspects need to be considered in order to implement a comprehensive system, especially at the local level: a) the principles on which the coordination of the related education, training, and employment structures  are based; b) the type of information the system uses to improve its internal organization, transparency, and effectiveness; c) the nature of the actions displayed and their ongoing ability to respond to increasingly diverse demands in the  territory; and d) the assurance of the quality system by monitoring and evaluating the actions carried out. The article concludes by presenting some future lines of work in the lines of work in the field of lifelong guidance.